In July of 2017, Maurizio Grillo was named head women's soccer coach at Sarah Lawrence College. In addition, Grillo oversees the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), team transportation and overall student-athlete affairs. He was promoted to Assistant Athletic Director in the fall of 2021.
Grillo has quickly transformed the women's soccer program in his first two seasons, compiling 14 wins, including eight victories against Skyline opponents, the most of any coach in team history. Under his guidance, the Gryphons have earned five all-league selections, the first five in team history.
Grillo made an immediate impact in his very first season in Bronxville in 2017, guiding the Gryphons to nine new program records, including marks for wins, conference wins, points, goals, assists and goals allowed. Under the direction of Grillo, Lauren Ashby became the program’s first-ever all-conference performer, setting team records for points and goals in a single-season.
Sarah Lawrence fared even better in 2018, setting a school victory record while finishing 9-8 overall and 5-4 in the Skyline, its first winning season in school history. Sarah Lawrence earned the No. 4 seed, clinching a postseason berth for the first time in program history and a first round home playoff game for the first time in Sarah Lawrence Athletics history. The Gryphons won their first round playoff game over fifth-seeded St. Joseph's Brooklyn before falling to conference champion and nationally ranked Farmingdale State in the semifinals.
Grillo coached a team-record four Skyline All-Conference performers, highlighted by Kiley Ritter, who was crowned Rookie of the Year after leading the Skyline in points (45) and goals (20), both program single-season records.
In addition to getting it done on the pitch, the Gryphons have also excelled in the classroom, annually receiving United Soccer Coaches Team Academic recognition.
Grillo joined Sarah Lawrence following a stint at Manhattanville College, where he helped the Valiants with in-game strategy and academic support, along with other day-to-day duties. During his time at Manhattanville, he also coached the New York Soccer club, a member of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy.
In addition, Grillo was the director of coaching for the Eleven United Soccer club, overseeing recruiting, game scheduling, equipment, and the team’s social media accounts. Grillo previously spent four years at Evanston High School, guiding the program to regional and sectional titles. During his time with the team, he led the squad to two third-place finishes at the PepisCO Showdown, the largest high school tournament in the country. Grillo’s varsity team ranked as high as No. 2 in the state of Illinois and seventh in the nation by SIMA.
Grillo, a native of Italy, graduated from G. Galilei in 1997.
