Brandeis University

Waltham, MA 02254

Massachusetts Northeast

Private Small Developing team

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Coaches

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Mary Shimko

In June of 2020, Mary Shimko '14 became just the second head coach in Brandeis women's soccer history, taking over for Denise Dallamora, who has been at the helm since 1980.

Shimko was been an assistant coach at Brandeis for the previous three seasons, earning a promotion to associate head coach in February 2020. With her on the sidelines, the Judges are 35-17-4, reaching two NCAA Division III tournaments. The Judges advanced to the second round in 2017 and were knocked out in the first round in 2018. Over the past three seasons, Brandeis has produced eight All-New England selections, 14 All-University Athletic Association honorees, 12 Academic All-UAA team members, and two student-athletes selected as Phi Beta Kappa. Shimko has also been instrumental in developing a leadership development curriculum for student-athletes. In 2023, she completed the United Soccer Coaches Coach Credentialing Program, to help coaches gain the self-awareness and practical skills necessary to develop mastery as a professional collegiate team leader and manager.

In 2020-21, Brandeis placed two women on the CoSIDA Academic All-District team, Mackenzie Smith '21 and Juliette Carreiro '22. They also started a program to develop philanthropy and giving back to the community in the spring of 2021.

After her first season on the field was suspended due to COVID-19, in her first season on the field, Shimko led Brandeis to a national ranking during the 2021 season. The Judges returned to the NCAA Division III tournament, reaching the second round with a come-from-behind victory over Farmingdale State in the opening round. Brandeis was ranked 21st in the final United Soccer Coaches national poll and 24th in the final D3Soccer.com poll. Juliette Carreiro '22 earned All-America honors on the field from the United Soccer Coaches, and in the classroom from CoSIDA as an Academic All-American. In 2022, Carreiro became just the seventh two-time CSC (formerly CoSIDA) Academic All-American in Brandeis history. She was also named Brandeis's nominee for the 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year.

Shimko was a four-year starter for the Judges at midfield, serving as a captain as a junior and senior. She helped the Judges to three postseason appearances, including a trip to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament in 2012 – at the time the best post-season performance in school history. Shimko was a three-time Academic All-UAA selection was the recipient of the James McCully '86 Award, which is presented to seniors who best exemplify the character, dedication, and good sportsmanship that were exhibited by inaugural Brandeis Hall of Famer McCully.

Shimko had previous collegiate coaching experience at Smith College in 2014 and 2015 and at the College of the Holy Cross in 2016 before rejoining Dallamora on the sidelines. In addition to her collegiate coaching experience, she has also served as a club head coach at the New England Football Club and at Global Premier Soccer in Waltham. She received her USSF C coaching license in 2020.

Shimko graduated from Brandeis in 2014 with a B.A. in business and received her M.S. in exercise and sport sciences from Smith in 2016.

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Gabe Margolis

Gabe Margolis is now in his seventh season as the head coach at Brandeis. He was named the ninth head coach in program history in December of 2016 after spending the previous 11 seasons as an assistant under the legendary Mike Coven.

In his first season at the helm, Margolis guided the Judges to a second-straight berth in the Final Four, posting a 17-5 record in the process. They ended the season ranked #4 in Division III by the United Soccer Coaches and D3Soccer.com, the fourth year in a row they finished ranked in the top 10. It was the sixth year in a row the Judges advanced to the Sweet 16 of the tournament. In 2022, he helped coach Brandeis's first UAA Rookie of the Year in midfielder Rainer Osselmann-Chai '26.

Margolis joined Brandeis in 2005 as an assistant under Coven and was promoted to Associate Head Coach in the spring of 2013.

In his years as an assistant, the Judges posted a record of 146-67-20 for a .670 winning percentage. They produced at least 10 wins in eight of his 11 seasons, reaching the NCAA Division III Tournament in the final five seasons, and winning three ECAC Division III New England championships.

Twice, Margolis was named to the University Athletic Association (UAA) Coaching Staff of the Year: in 2012, when Brandeis won its first-ever share of the conference title, and in 2015, when they claimed the league crown outright for the first time. Coven was also named NSCAA New England Coach of the Year in each of those seasons. In 2016, Brandeis reached the NCAA Division III Final Four for the fourth time in program history, and first since 1984.

Off the field, Margolis has been active with Brandeis's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) since 2012, including helping to start BMEN, founded by student-athletes to encourage a commitment to gender and racial equality across social divides on campus.

Margolis holds NSCAA Advanced National and USSF B coaching licenses. He has coached for FC Boston over the last eight years in both their development academy and non-academy teams, winning State championships with the U-18 and U-19 age groups.

A 2005 graduate of Wheaton (Mass.) College, Margolis came to Brandeis after serving as an assistant coach at local Division I institutions Boston University and Northeastern. A three year starter at Wheaton after transferring from Boston College, Margolis helped lead the Lyons to the NCAA Division III Final Four during his junior season and the Sweet 16 as a senior. Margolis is a native of Brookline and a 2000 graduate of Beaver Country Day School.

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Samuel Groves

The Brandeis University men's soccer team added Sam Groves as an assistant coach prior to the 2022 season.

Groves came to Brandeis after spending the last five years as an assistant coach at Brown University. He also spent two seasons in 2011 and 2012 as a volunteer assistant with the Bears. Over his seven years at Brown, Groves helped the Bears produce 14 All-Ivy League selections, three United Soccer Coaches All-Region team members, and two United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-Americans. They went 50-40-15 in his seven seasons, including NCAA tournament appearances in 2011 and 2012, with an Ivy League title in 2011.

Between stints at Brown, Groves spent four seasons at Brandeis's rival Babson. He helped the Beavers to four winning seasons, three straight NCAA tournament appearances, and NEWMAC Tournament championships in 2014 and 2015.

Groves is a 2011 graduate of the University of Hartford, playing four seasons for the Division I Hawks. He appeared in 67 of 68 possible games over four seasons, earning New England Intercollegiate Soccer League (NEISL) All-Star honors as a senior.