Men’s Soccer
2013
ROB THOMPSON
Head Coach • 19th Season • Maine ‘89
Head Coach Rob Thompson enters his 20th season with the University of New Hampshire men’s soccer program and his 19th as head coach. During his tenure as head coach, Thompson has posted a 138-125-56 record and has led the team to nine America East tournament berths in the last 11 seasons. In 2012, Thompson led the Wildcats to the America East finals while securing three consecutive shutouts. The squad posted an overall record of 7-7-6 and an America East mark of 2-3-2. Heading into the tournament as the fifth seed, UNH played to a grueling 5-4 penalty kick victory at Albany, followed by a 1-0 victory over top-seed Vermont. In the championship game, the Wildcats fought the Retrievers to a 0-0 battle, including two scoreless overtime periods. In the penalty kick round, UMBC topped the ‘Cats, 4-2. In 2011, the Wildcats tallied a conference record of 1-4-2 and an overall mark of 7-9-2, including a pair of victories to claim the 22nd Annual Nike Fall Classic for the third consecutive year. However, for the first time since 2005, New Hampshire did not qualify to participate in the America East tournament, bringing its impressive streak of five straight appearances to an end. In 2010, Thompson led the Wildcats all the way to the America East Championship game for the first time since 1994, posting a 9-5-6 record on the season. Despite falling 5-4 on penalty kicks to UMBC (Nov. 13) in the title game, the Wildcats held the Retrievers scoreless through regulation and both overtime periods, marking the third consecutive team they shut out in the conference tournament, as they also blanked Binghamton (Nov. 6) and Boston University (Nov. 10). The impressive mark made UNH the first team ever to record three shutouts in the conference tournament. UNH’s hot postseason run stemmed from its impressive regular season, wrapping up the year with a 7-5-5 record and a 2-3-2 mark in conference play. Despite dropping their last two games of the season, the Wildcats were unbeaten in five of their six games prior, notching back-to-back wins against Boston University (Oct. 23) and Albany (Oct. 27). As a result of their stellar play, six Wildcats received America East All-Conference honors, including Goalkeeper of the Year, and the Jim Urquhart StudentAthlete of the Year award. Off the field Thompson’s student-athletes have had mirrored success. Five of Thompson’s student-athletes were named to the America East All-Academic squad for the 2011-12 year, more than any other team in the conference. Individually, three Wildcats received National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) scholar honors and Colin O’Donnell was tabbed an NSCAA Men’s College Scholar All-American, becoming the first Wildcat to receive All-American status since 2005. O’Donnell also took home the America East scholar-athlete award for the second consecutive season, demonstrating continued excellence both on the field and in the classroom. Joe Corsello was just as successful, posting the best grade point average among all UNH student-athletes for the 2010-11 academic year. In 2009 Thompson guided the Wildcats to one of their best seasons to date, posting a 9-7-2 record and clinching the No. 1 seed in the America East tournament. Additionally, the ‘Cats earned their first regular-season title since 1994 and their first outright title ever. The Wildcats wrapped up their America East regular season with a 2-1 win over Binghamton University on Oct. 28. The win extended UNH’s regular-season unbeaten streak to seven games (6-0-1), as they finished the conference schedule undefeated. Moreover, it was the first time since 1997 that a team completed the conference schedule without a loss and is UNH’s best conference record since also compiling a 6-0-1 mark in 1994. Thompson and his staff took home Coaching Staff of the Year honors, while seven
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THOMPSON YEAR-BY-YEAR
New Hampshire New Hampshire New Hampshire New Hampshire New Hampshire New Hampshire New Hampshire New Hampshire New Hampshire New Hampshire New Hampshire New Hampshire New Hampshire New Hampshire New Hampshire New Hampshire New Hampshire New Hampshire Total
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 18 seasons
10-9-1 3-12-4 9-7-2 9-8-1 6-11-1 6-10-0 7-8-3 10-5-2 8-9-0 5-6-7 9-5-3 12-5-3 5-5-9 7-7-4 9-7-2 9-5-6 7-9-2 7-7-6 138-135-56 (.504)