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Dino Raso
Coach Raso enters his 12th season and 11th year with Georgian Court in 2023 after being tabbed as the Lions first-ever Men’s Soccer Head Coach on August 15, 2012.
In his first 10 seasons, Raso and the Lions have collected a record of 77-79-17 with six trips to the CACC postseason, two appearances in the finals and one CACC Championship.
Just four years into the program, Raso led the Lions to their first ever Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Championship finishing the season 13-5-2.
On the back of a 10-match winning streak, Georgian Court saw themselves ranked for the first time in the United Soccer Coaches (USC) NCAA Division II poll, climbing as high as No. 17 in the country in 2018. During the winning streak, the Lions defeated a pair of top-20 teams in No. 13 Adelphi and No. 16 West Chester.
GCU again saw themselves in the national rankings in 2021 following a 12-match unbeaten streak to start the season, rising to No. 21 in Division II.
Since the start of the program, Georgian Court has earned 16 All-CACC selections led by Michael Clarke’s three from 2014-16. The Lions have also boasted the league’s Player of the Year in Louis Silva in 2021 with Clarke and Silva each picking up an All-American award during their careers. At the regional level, Georgian Court has seen 10 All-Region players with Silva named the East Region Player of the Year in 2021.
Georgian Court has had a winning record in four of the last seven seasons and has qualified for the CACC postseason in six of the last seven seasons winning it in 2016 and advancing to the finals in 2019.
In the classroom, Raso has led an equally strong program with six Academic All-Region selections and an Academic All-American in Quentin Bouly in 2018. The Lions have put 76 on the CACC All-Academic Team and has earned the United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award with a 3.0 team GPA in each year of the program.
Raso has seen the Lions Soccer Program grow exponentially during his time here. What started as a team of 26 in 2013 has grown to more than 60 with Georgian Court playing varsity games and a development squad schedule.
Coach Raso joined the GCU family after serving two seasons as the head coach of Oakland City University in Oakland City, Indiana. Raso earned 2011 NCCAA Mid-East Region Coach of the Year after leading the Oaks to an 11-6-3 record and a fifth-place finish at the NCCAA National Tournament in Kissimmee, Florida.
Prior to his tenure at Oakland City University, Raso served as an assistant coach at NCAA Division I Eastern Illinois University, from June of 2005 to August of 2010, where he played a vital role in leading the Panthers to four straight appearances in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
Raso’s first collegiate coaching experience came at NCAA Division II Barry University in Miami Shores, Fla. where he served as a graduate assistant coach for three seasons, compiling a 40-13-4 record, two Sunshine State Conference crowns, and two berths in the NCAA Division II National Tournament.
Many of Raso's former players have gone on to play professionally. Most recently, Daniel Chochlinski signed to play in Poland, Louis Silvia in Iceland, Danny Vicente and Jonathan Firmino in the USA. Joel Quist has also finished a professional stint with the USL One.
Coach Raso earned Master’s Degrees in Sports Management (2003) and Higher Education Administration (2005) during his time at Barry. Along with his coaching duties, he also worked in the athletics compliance office, Career and Counseling Center and Recreation and Wellness Center.
A native of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Raso played his collegiate soccer at Eastern Illinois University before playing 14 seasons in the Hamilton Premier Division, the highest level of play in Ontario. He was also an amateur coach in Ontario from 1995-2000, compiling a 75-9-2 record, before returning to the US in 2002.
He holds a USSF “A” License, a USSF National Youth License and a NSCAA Level 1 Goalkeepers License.
Raso and his wife, Kathryn, have three daughters, Michaela, Giuliana and Mia and a son, Giuseppe, and grandson Jayden.
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