Sam Maira - Men's Soccer Coach - Princeton University Athletics

Sam Maira

Title:
Assistant Coach
Email:
smaira@princeton.edu

Sam Maira enters his sixth season as the goalkeeper coach at Princeton after joining the Tigers in 2021. Since then, he has helped the Tigers to two Ivy Championship titles (2021 and 2025) and two Ivy League Tournament wins (2024 and 2025). He has also helped the Tigers to three NCAA tournament bids in 2021, 2024 and 2025.

In 2025, the Tigers reached new heights as Princeton became the first team to win both the Ivy League regular season championship and the Ivy League Tournament in a single season. In addition to the "double championship", Princeton went 7-0-0 in the Ivy League while not conceding a goal during conference play - the first time in Ivy League history.

Coaching starting goalkeeper Andrew Samuels to a breakout season, Maira helped Samuels become the national leader in goals-against average, shutouts, and save percentage for the majority of the 2025 season. Under his mentorship, Samuels broke the program record for most shutouts in a single season with 12. He ended the season with a GAA of 0.37 - second in program history, and a save percentage of 0.897 - third in the record book.

Earning the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, the Tigers were seeded third overall, marking the highest seed ever by an Ivy League team. They finished the season 15-2-2, setting new program records for most wins in a season, longest unbeaten streak (16) and most shutouts (13).

The Princeton coaching staff was honored as the Ivy League Coaching Staff of the Year and the United Soccer Coaches Northeast Regional Coaching Staff of the Year.

After the college season concluded, four Tigers were drafted in the 2026 MLS Superdraft, marking the most by an Ivy League team in a single year. Samuels '27 was selected in the second round by St. Louis City SC as the 37th pick.

In 2024, the Tigers went on a run down the stretch, winning the Ivy League Tournament as the no. 3 seed with upsets over #2 Cornell and #1 Penn - both of which were nationally-ranked programs. It was the first Ivy League Tournament appearance and win for the Tigers, and earned them an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

With Maira joining the squad in 2021, the Tigers completed the second perfect Ivy League season in program history, going 7-0-0 as they won the Ivy League Championship and earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

“We are fortunate to have a coach of Sam's experience and talent in our program," said Head Coach Jim Barlow. "He is passionate about the sport and developing exceptional young men into quality soccer players. As a coach, educator and counselor, he has everything we look for from a coach at Princeton, and he is a tremendous presence for not only our goalkeepers but everyone involved with Princeton Men's Soccer."

Prior to Princeton, Maira spent the last 19 seasons as head coach at Seneca High School in New Jersey.

Since taking over at Seneca in 2002, Maira guided the Golden Eagles to four Olympic Conference championships and the 2018 South Jersey title. Maira was head girls soccer coach at Shawnee High School, where he won a South Jersey Soccer Coaches Tournament. He was also the head boys soccer coach at Riverside High School where he won four league titles to go with two South Jersey championships, and a South-Central New Jersey title. A member of the South Jersey Soccer Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the Mercer County Soccer Hall of Fame, Maira has been named Coach of The Year previously by the Burlington County Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Courier Post and NJ.com.

Maira has previous collegiate coaching experiences with stints as goalkeepers coach at Rider and William & Mary. He was also the goalkeeper coach for the South Jersey Barons in the USL Pro League.

A 1980 graduate of Rutgers, Maira was a four-year letterwinner as a goalkeeper for the Scarlet Knights and captained the 1978 team. He was named to Rutgers' All-Time All-Star team which honored the top players from the 20th century in team history. As a high school keeper for Steinert High School, he was an All-State and All-County selection while helping Steinert win the 1975 state championship.