in September with wins over Loyola and Adelphi.
I AN H ENNESSY 7TH SEASON AT DELAWARE • SETON HALL ‘90
In 2007, the Blue Hens posted a record of 3-13-2 and placed ninth in the CAA with a mark of 3-7-1, but the season consisted of six one-goal losses. Among the victories was a 2-0 win late in the season over league champion Old Dominion, which advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament and was ranked No. 19 nationally in the final NSCAA/Adidas Top 25 poll. The 2008 season yielded similar results as Hennessy’s Hens produced a record of 3-13-3 and 2-8-1 in the conference. Again Delaware was a very competitive team despite its record. The team lost eight games by one goal and played in six overtime games. Among those overtime games was a 1-0 victory over conference-foe Virginia Commonwealth - the program’s first victory in seven all-time meetings.
In 2009, Hennessy led his squad to a 7-12 season and a 4-7 CAA mark to place the Hens eighth in the 12Ian Hennessy, a former All-American soccer player at Seton Hall who served as an assistant coach at Boston team league. The eighth-place finish was Delaware's highest finish since joining the conference in 2002, while College for four seasons, was named the new head coach of the University of Delaware men’s soccer program the Hens' 23 goals scored served as the most since UD found the back of the net 25 times in 2004. Hennessy on January 23, 2006. coached Darren Christie to a first team All-CAA accolade, while Kyle Davis earned ESPN The Magazine/College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-America second team honors. Hennessy, who replaced Marc Samonisky, became the 11th head coach in UD men’s soccer history - which dates back to 1926 - and only the third since 1963. His six-year record at Delaware stands at 38-61-14 enter- A native of Cork, Ireland, Hennessy earned his bachelor’s degree from Seton Hall University in 1990 and ing the 2012 campaign. earned his doctorate in molecular biology from Columbia University in 2001. Last season Hennessy led the Blue Hens to a dramatic postseason run, as Delaware captured the CAA Tournament championship with three victories in four days. The Blue Hens posted a pair of penalty kick victories over Northeastern and James Madison, before edging 18th-ranked Old Dominion, 2-1, to win the team’s first CAA title.
He began his collegiate coaching career as an assistant at Rutgers in 2001, leading the Scarlet Knights to a 15-7-3 record, a No. 9 final national ranking, a No. 1 ranking in the Mid-Atlantic region, and a berth in the NCAA Sweet 16. He then moved on to Boston College where he served as an assistant to head coach Ed Kelly for four seasons.
Delaware traveled to Virginia, the 2009 national champion, in its first round game, and stunned the Cavaliers when John Dineen scored the lone goal of the match with 4:14 left in the second overtime period. The Blue Hens then headed to fourth-ranked and eventual Final Four participant UCLA, where they battled the Bruins before falling 1-0 on a goal with just 6:44 remaining.
While at Boston College, the Eagles posted a combined record of 42-26-8, won the 2002 Big East title, advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight in 2002, and moved on to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2004. Boston College spent numerous weeks in the national Top 20 during his tenure and moved as high as No. 6 during the 2002 season. The Eagles went 5-9-2 in their first year as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2005.
Following their remarkable season, the Blue Hens were selected the 2011 Delaware Sportswriters and Broadcasters Association Delaware Team of the Year. Evans Frimpong was named a second team NSCAA AllAmerican, was a first team All-South Region pick, and was selected the league’s Player of the Year. Roberto Giménez was a second team All-South Region selection and earned CAA Rookie of the Year honors, while Darren O’Connor was selected to the third team All-South Region.
Hennessy has also coached the New Jersey Imperials in the Premier Developmental League and was an assistant for the New Jersey Stallions in the United Soccer League. He coached at the Player Development Academy in New Jersey before moving to Boston and has served as the Olympic Development Program head coach for the states of New Jersey and Massachusetts. He currently works as a Region I ODP staff member and also holds a USSF “A” coaching license.
In 2010, Hennessy guided the program to its first-ever appearance in the CAA Tournament, earning the No. 4 seed. In the semifinals, the Hens forced double overtime against top-seeded William & Mary, which was also ranked No. 12 at the time, before falling 1-0. Delaware, which finished with a record of 6-9-3, landed a record four players on the all-conference team, including two second team selections in Jon Scheer and Frimpong.
As a player, Hennessy excelled at both the collegiate and professional level. A former Republic of Ireland Youth International, Hennessy was recruited to Seton Hall by then head coach Ed Kelly, and played four seasons in 1986-89, leading the Pirates to three Big East titles. He earned Big East Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors in both 1986 and 1987, scoring a goal in every Big East Tournament appearance, and earned a spot on the National Soccer Coaches Association All-American team in 1987.
O'Connor earned a third-team nod while freshman Vincent Mediate was tabbed as the programs first All-CAA Rookie honoree. The 2010 season also marked the most conference wins for the Hens under Hennessy, going 5-4-2, the first winning conference schedule for Delaware since 1996.
He completed his career at Seton Hall as one of the school’s all-time great players and still ranks among the school’s all-time leaders in points (No. 2 with 134), goals (No. 2 with 52), and assists (No. 4 with 30). He was inducted into the Seton Hall Athletics Hall of Fame on Feb. 9, 2006. He began a 12-year professional playing career with the Boston Bolts of the American Pro Soccer League in 1990-91, played with the United States Indoor Soccer League’s New York Fever (1993-94) and New Jersey Stallions (1995-96), was a member of the Major League Soccer’s New York/New Jersey MetroStars in 199697, and played for the Connecticut Wolves of the A-League in 1997-98. He also played for the Reading Rage of the United Soccer League.
In his first season at Delaware, Hennessy and his wife, Danielle, have two daughters, Mackenzie and Kyra. Hennessy made big strides in helping the Blue Hen men's soccer team return to respectability in the Colonial Athletic Association. His RECORD WIN % CAA FINISH NOTES 2006 team posted an overall record YEAR of 6-8-2, the most wins by a UD team since 2001, and placed ninth in 2006 6-8-2 .437 4-7 9th First Season at Delaware the CAA standings with a mark of 4- 2007 3-13-2 .222 3-7-1 9th 7, the program's best CAA finish 2008 3-13-3 .236 2-8-1 12th since joining the league in 2002 and 2009 7-12-0 .368 4-7 8th most league wins since 2001. Along 2010 6-9-3 .416 5-4-2 4th CAA Semifinals the way, the Hens defeated long2011 13-6-4 .652 6-4-1 4th CAA Champs / NCAA 2nd Round time CAA powers William & Mary and James Madison for the first time 24-37-5 in school history and captured the TOTALS 38-61-14 .398 season-opening Towson Tournament
2012 BLUE HEN MEN’S SOCCER MEDIA GUIDE • BLUEHENS.COM
3