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Princeton University Athletics
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/ Women's Soccer
Sean Driscoll is Princeton's New Women's Soccer Coach
January 13, 2015 | Women's Soccer
Sean Driscoll, who has coached at the collegiate level in the Northeast for the past 11 years, has been named head coach of the Princeton women's soccer team, Princeton's Ford Family Director of Athletics Mollie Marcoux '91 has announced.
“We are thrilled to welcome Sean to our team of extremely talented coaches at Princeton,” Marcoux said. “Sean is a tireless worker with a proven track record of success at all levels of the game. He has both a passion for coaching and a firm commitment to delivering a first rate student-athlete experience – on and off the field. His soccer knowledge and network are vast and we are confident that his leadership will allow our team to build upon the program's long history of success.
“We are grateful for Julie Shackford's 20 years of commitment and service to Princeton and for the tremendous soccer legacy that she has left.”
Shackford announced last September that she would depart Princeton after coaching the program for 20 seasons, a run that made her the winningest soccer coach in men's or women's program history at Princeton and included a run to the 2004 NCAA College Cup semifinal. Princeton players earned Ivy League Player of the Year honors seven times under Shackford's tutelage.
Driscoll takes over a Princeton program that has 10 NCAA tournament appearances and seven Ivy League championships to its credit, taking part in eight of the last 14 NCAA draws and winning the Ivy title as recently as 2012. The 2015 Tigers are able to return seven of their eight goal scorers from last season, including current sophomore Tyler Lussi, who at 28 goals is more than halfway to the program's career record of 47.
“I couldn't see myself at a better place,” Driscoll said. “Incomparable academics, an incredible athletic department, exceptional athletic facilities, a passionate alumni following and a tradition unlike any other, Princeton is the finest institution in the world and embodies everything I seek. The opportunity to serve as the next head women's soccer coach is truly a dream come true. I am ecstatic to continue the fantastic tradition of Princeton soccer and cannot wait to meet the players and get started. I'd like to thank Mollie Marcoux, Anthony Archbald and the search committee for the opportunity in front of me and (Fairfield Director of Athletics) Gene Doris and (Fairfield women's soccer coach) Jim O'Brien for my time at Fairfield.”
Driscoll spent the last five seasons as the associate head coach at Fairfield University in Fairfield, Conn., where he helped head coach Jim O'Brien accrue a 51-32-17 record overall and 31-10-6 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, including back-to-back appearances in the MAAC tournament final the last two years.
During his time at Fairfield, three Stags players won MAAC Defensive Player of the Year honors in three consecutive seasons from 2011-13. Over the last four seasons, Fairfield players won 11 first-team All-MAAC honors.
Princeton will not be Driscoll's first NCAA head coaching role. From 2005-09, Driscoll was the head coach at Manhattan College, where in his first year Manhattan's six wins were the most it had since 2002. By 2006 and '07, Manhattan had finished at or above .500 for the first time in back-to-back seasons in program history, including a program-record 12-5-2 mark in 2006, earning Driscoll the best winning percentage in school history.
Driscoll had his first NCAA coaching experience at Western Connecticut State University in 2004, where as an assistant coach he helped guide the team to an 18-5-2 record and an ECAC New England championship.
For nine seasons after graduating from Denison University in Granville, Ohio with a degree in history, Driscoll was a highly successful high school head coach. Between stints at New Canaan High School, Brookfield High School and Greens Farms Academy, Driscoll had a record of 116-38-13, including a 21-0-1 record at New Canaan in 2002. Driscoll's New Canaan teams won state titles in 2001 and 2002, and the 2002 team was ranked No. 3 in the nation.
While in Connecticut, Driscoll co-founded the Connecticut Football Club, which trains premier-developmental and premier teams from the U9 through the U23 levels, serving close to 1,800 boys and girls on 90 teams. The club competes in the Elite Clubs National League, which is the top girls league in the nation, and is currently ranked among the top 20 nationally. In the club's history, it has sent close to 1,000 student-athletes on to NCAA soccer opportunities – among them 2012 All-Ivy League honoree Claire Pinciaro '13 – including opportunities with NCAA College Cup programs, plus numerous players on ODP Regional Pool and National Pool teams. The club currently has players on both the U18 and U23 national teams.
For two years, Driscoll was the director of the Connecticut Girls ODP program, and during his 15-year tenure with the state ODP, Driscoll served as a coach for the Region I U15 girls team.
The Trumbull, Conn., native is married to the former Heather Hathorn, a University of Maine soccer alumna, and has two daughters, Braelyn and Beckett.
“We are thrilled to welcome Sean to our team of extremely talented coaches at Princeton,” Marcoux said. “Sean is a tireless worker with a proven track record of success at all levels of the game. He has both a passion for coaching and a firm commitment to delivering a first rate student-athlete experience – on and off the field. His soccer knowledge and network are vast and we are confident that his leadership will allow our team to build upon the program's long history of success.
“We are grateful for Julie Shackford's 20 years of commitment and service to Princeton and for the tremendous soccer legacy that she has left.”
Shackford announced last September that she would depart Princeton after coaching the program for 20 seasons, a run that made her the winningest soccer coach in men's or women's program history at Princeton and included a run to the 2004 NCAA College Cup semifinal. Princeton players earned Ivy League Player of the Year honors seven times under Shackford's tutelage.
Driscoll takes over a Princeton program that has 10 NCAA tournament appearances and seven Ivy League championships to its credit, taking part in eight of the last 14 NCAA draws and winning the Ivy title as recently as 2012. The 2015 Tigers are able to return seven of their eight goal scorers from last season, including current sophomore Tyler Lussi, who at 28 goals is more than halfway to the program's career record of 47.
“I couldn't see myself at a better place,” Driscoll said. “Incomparable academics, an incredible athletic department, exceptional athletic facilities, a passionate alumni following and a tradition unlike any other, Princeton is the finest institution in the world and embodies everything I seek. The opportunity to serve as the next head women's soccer coach is truly a dream come true. I am ecstatic to continue the fantastic tradition of Princeton soccer and cannot wait to meet the players and get started. I'd like to thank Mollie Marcoux, Anthony Archbald and the search committee for the opportunity in front of me and (Fairfield Director of Athletics) Gene Doris and (Fairfield women's soccer coach) Jim O'Brien for my time at Fairfield.”
Driscoll spent the last five seasons as the associate head coach at Fairfield University in Fairfield, Conn., where he helped head coach Jim O'Brien accrue a 51-32-17 record overall and 31-10-6 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, including back-to-back appearances in the MAAC tournament final the last two years.
During his time at Fairfield, three Stags players won MAAC Defensive Player of the Year honors in three consecutive seasons from 2011-13. Over the last four seasons, Fairfield players won 11 first-team All-MAAC honors.
Princeton will not be Driscoll's first NCAA head coaching role. From 2005-09, Driscoll was the head coach at Manhattan College, where in his first year Manhattan's six wins were the most it had since 2002. By 2006 and '07, Manhattan had finished at or above .500 for the first time in back-to-back seasons in program history, including a program-record 12-5-2 mark in 2006, earning Driscoll the best winning percentage in school history.
Driscoll had his first NCAA coaching experience at Western Connecticut State University in 2004, where as an assistant coach he helped guide the team to an 18-5-2 record and an ECAC New England championship.
For nine seasons after graduating from Denison University in Granville, Ohio with a degree in history, Driscoll was a highly successful high school head coach. Between stints at New Canaan High School, Brookfield High School and Greens Farms Academy, Driscoll had a record of 116-38-13, including a 21-0-1 record at New Canaan in 2002. Driscoll's New Canaan teams won state titles in 2001 and 2002, and the 2002 team was ranked No. 3 in the nation.
While in Connecticut, Driscoll co-founded the Connecticut Football Club, which trains premier-developmental and premier teams from the U9 through the U23 levels, serving close to 1,800 boys and girls on 90 teams. The club competes in the Elite Clubs National League, which is the top girls league in the nation, and is currently ranked among the top 20 nationally. In the club's history, it has sent close to 1,000 student-athletes on to NCAA soccer opportunities – among them 2012 All-Ivy League honoree Claire Pinciaro '13 – including opportunities with NCAA College Cup programs, plus numerous players on ODP Regional Pool and National Pool teams. The club currently has players on both the U18 and U23 national teams.
For two years, Driscoll was the director of the Connecticut Girls ODP program, and during his 15-year tenure with the state ODP, Driscoll served as a coach for the Region I U15 girls team.
The Trumbull, Conn., native is married to the former Heather Hathorn, a University of Maine soccer alumna, and has two daughters, Braelyn and Beckett.
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