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Presbyterian College

Clinton, SC 29325
South Carolina Southeast
Private Very Small Developing team
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Brian Purcell

Brian Purcell completed his 34th year as the head coach of the Presbyterian College women’s soccer team in 2022. The program’s only coach since its inception in 1989, Purcell has posted an overall mark of 277-288-27.


Purcell's 2022 club won its final two Big South matchups, putting together three separate weekly awards (Kali Zmistowski, Sloan Spees, and Kori Lawrence) while claiming a league all-freshman award from Spees. Additionally, five Blue Hose members earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-District recognition - Reyna Coston, Kelly Hall, Gwen Keiser, Caitlin Murphy, and Megan Wilson.


The Blue Hose in 2021 recorded the program's best finish in its Big South history finishing fifth with a 5-4 record which included a perfect 4-0 in home contests. PC had five players earn postseason honors from the Big South as Morgan Hutchison and Kori Lawrence each netted second team, while Kristen Bane and Sydni Dachs were named honorable mention. Caroline Dipzinski was the team's all-academic honoree. Megan Serrano set a single-season record with a 1.07 GAA.


The 2019 team overcame several untimely injuries to earn the No. 7 seed in the Big South Tournament where they fell in double-overtime to No. 2 Campbell, 3-2. Sophomore Kori Lawrence earned All-Tournament honors following a three-point performance (1G, 1A) against the Camels. Junior Morgan Hutchison earned Big South Second Team honors after scoring a DI program record 18 points (7G, 4A) during the regular season, while junior defender Kristen Bane earned Honorable Mention honors.


The program won a Division I best five consecutive games in 2018, finishing the season with an overall record of 8-8 (3-7 Big South). The win total fell one shy of the 2013 team that finished at 9-9 (6-5 Big South), which also saw bests with 24 goals scored against 21 goals allowed, and earned the team’s first berth in the Big South Tournament.


In 2017, the Blue Hose picked up non-conference wins over Furman, 2-0, and Wofford, 3-2. The shutout victory over the Paladins, a team that averaged 2.50 goals on the year, was a program first.


Under his direction, the team has had at least one player selected for the All-Big South First Team (2008, `13, `18), Second Team (2012, `13, `15, `19) and Honorable Mention Team (2014, `17, `19) on multiple occasions. The team also had a player earn Big South All-Freshman honors for five consecutive seasons (2011-15) as well as in 2018. In 2009, the Blue Hose earned the Big South Sportsmanship award.


Purcell has guided the team through many changes including the jump to Division I in 2007. The Blue Hose finished 6-7-1 that year, beating their future league co-members High Point, Radford and VMI. PC retained the edge when playing at home with a 3-2-1 record at Martin Stadium.


PC left the Division II level with six Southern Atlantic Conference championships, two SAC tournament titles, and made five trips to the NCAA Division II tournament (1994, '95, '97, '99, and '03). Purcell's 81 conference wins made him the SAC's all-time leader. He also ranked sixth all-time in Division II with 207 career wins.


Under Purcell's guidance, the Blue Hose had their best year in the history of the program in 1999. The 15-2-1 squad spent a week at No. 1 on the NSCAA/adidas rankings and finished eighth in the Coaches Poll. PC captured its sixth SAC title and hosted a first-round match of the Division II national tournament against Belmont Abbey. Purcell was recognized as the NSCAA/adidas Southeast Region Coach of the Year and SAC Coach of the Year for his success with the team.


Purcell is a seven-time SAC Coach of the Year winner and earned National NSCAA Coach of the Year accolades in 1994 after leading the Blue Hose to a 15-3 record.


Before accepting the position as head coach of the women's team, Purcell spent one year as an assistant coach with PC's men's squad. He holds a USSF "B" coaching license and is a member of the USYSA Region III Olympic Development staff.


The Decatur, Ga., native graduated from Presbyterian College in 1987 with a bachelor's degree in education and social studies and earned his master's from the U.S. Sports Academy in 1989. Purcell resides in Greenwood with his wife Kim and their two sons, Jay and Will.

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Tanner Osborne

Tanner Osborne just completed his seventh season as the assistant coach with the Blue Hose women's soccer team in 2022 with duties ranging from helping implement, coordinate, and run training sessions, recruiting, handling and coordination of travel and budget logistics and working as the team’s goalkeeper coach.


During Osborne’s seven years with the program he has helped coach PC back into the Big South Conference tournament (2019), improve win totals, and help coach numerous players to post season All-Conference selections.


In Osborne’s seven seasons with the program he has helped coach and guide a steady increase in players receiving post season awards. Following the 2022 campaign, Sloan Spees was named to the Big South All-Freshman team, while the Blue Hose set a new program-best with five College Sports Communicators Academic All-District performers off the field.


In 2021, Kori Lawrence and Morgan Hutchison were named to the league's second team all-conference, while Kristen Bane and Sydni Dachs earned honorable mention. Megan Serrano set a single-season record with a 1.07 GAA. In 2019, Morgan Hutchison, Kristen Bane, Preston Robinette, and Kori Lawrence all garnered such awards. Hutchison claimed 2nd team All-Conference while Bane claimed All-Conference Honorable Mention. Robinette was tabbed an All–Academic award winner and Lawrence was selected for the All–Tournament team following the 2019 Big South Conference Tournament. During the 2018 season Kelsey Yeager received 1st team All–Conference along with an All–Academic selection. As well, Osborne helped coach and guide Lawrence to an All–Freshman team selection during her freshman campaign in 2018. In 2017 he helped guide Kelsey Yeager to an All-Conference Honorable Mention spot and Sarah Yoss was selected for the All–Academic team. In Osborne’s first season in 2016, Kia Mattison was selected to the All-Academic team.


Along with coaching the Blue Hose, Osborne is also an assistant coach with the USL II South Carolina United Bantams, South Carolina ODP, and is involved in private training for youth players.


Osborne has been with the Bantams for three seasons. He is their head goalkeeper coach that oversees their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd teams’ goalkeepers. Along with instructing and implementing sessions for all goalkeepers for each team he instructs and helps with the running of team and field player sessions for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd teams for the Bantams. In 2019 under Osborne’s direction he coached the USL II Team of the Year GK (Bobby Edwards) and Southern Conference Team of the Year GK (Bobby Edwards) (Edwards signed with Portadown Football Club in Northern Ireland in July 2019 and recently signed with FC Cincinnati of the MLS in January 2020). During Osborne’s three seasons with the Bantams he has coached and guided two players that are now playing professionally. In 2018 along with coaching Bobby Edwards he guided and coached Ian McGrane. McGrane most recently signed with USL Championship side Tampa Bay Rowdies this February 2020.


Osborne’s time spent with South Carolina ODP has seen him work as a coach for the 02 girls age group, involved with instructing goalkeepers and is currently the Head Coach for the 04 girls.


Prior to working with the women's team, he spent two seasons working as an assistant coach for the Blue Hose men's soccer team and six years as the assistant varsity coach and goalkeeper coach at Lexington High School. In addition, Osborne continues to work numerous college soccer camps as well as serving as a personal goalkeeper trainer across the midlands.


Osborne graduated from Presbyterian College in 2014 with a degree in psychology and minor in athletic coaching. He was a four-year player for the Blue Hose, playing in eight games in net his sophomore year, five his junior year, and five his senior year.


During his undergrad career, Osborne was a four-year varsity player at Lexington High School in Lexington, SC, where he earned All-State honors as a senior, named All-Region Player of the Year and was also on the All-Region and All-Area teams.


Osborne currently holds his USSF C license and will be pursuing his B License. He holds his USC level I and II goalkeeper license as well.

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Nick Finotti

Nick Finotti (fin-nah-tee) was announced as head coach of the Presbyterian College Blue Hose men’s soccer program on January 24, 2023. Finotti has over 20 years of coaching experience including the last four years as an assistant coach at Wofford, as the Blue Hose’s next men’s soccer head coach. He becomes the third head coach in the program’s Division I era.


“Among a highly competitive pool of candidates Nick clearly met each of the criteria desired of our next Head Men’s Soccer Coach, those criteria being: A strong fit with the College, a history of success, a principled leader, and possessing core personal values that are consistent with PC’s core values,” Acunto said. “I am excited for Nick and our exceptional group of men’s soccer student-athletes to continue to build upon the success of the program and to regularly compete for, and win Big South Conference championships.”


“I would like to thank Athletic Director Rob Acunto, Senior Associate Athletic Director Dee Nichols, the Selection Committee, and every staff and faculty member who was involved in this process,” Finotti said. “I am honored and humbled to be chosen to lead this program and to represent Presbyterian College in the absolute best possible manner. From the first call to my campus visit, it was quite clear that our vision, purpose, and care regarding the men’s soccer program and players were aligned, and I am beyond eager to begin our journey together."


During his time at Wofford, Finotti helped recruit and coach two players that were named Southern Conference Freshman of the Year, ten All-Southern Conference selections, and 11 Southern Conference All-Freshman team selections.


Since 2009, he has also served as the head coach of the South Region United States Olympic Development Program. In that role, he was responsible for identifying, evaluating, and coaching the best players in the South Region of the United States.


Prior to joining the Wofford coaching staff, he had spent 15 years (2005-19) as the co-director of the boys’ ECNL program at the Carolina Elite Soccer Academy. While at CESA, he was head coach of three teams and coached over 200 players that would play college soccer and eleven players that went on to play professional soccer. He led teams to four USYS Premier League Championships and 16 South Carolina state championships.


From 2002-07, he spent five seasons as head coach at Northwestern and Greenville High Schools. He won 118 games, and five region championships while making two appearances in the state championship game. He earned South Carolina Coach of the Year honors twice and was a five-time Region Coach of the Year selection.


Finotti began his coaching career with three seasons as an assistant coach at Lander University from 2000-02. During his time at Lander, he coached two All-Americans and helped guide the team to the 2001 National Quarterfinals.


The Sumter, South Carolina native graduated from Coker College in 1998 with a degree in education and earned a master’s degree in education from Lander in 2004. He played college soccer at Methodist, where he played an integral role on a team that reached the 1995 Division III National Championship game, and The Citadel.


Finotti holds a USSF Coaching “A” License and a United Soccer Coaches Advanced National Diploma.


Finotti and his wife, Allie, have a daughter, Halie (23), and a son, Micah (20).

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Kyle Hughes

Kyle Hughes is in his first season as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator with the Presbyterian Blue Hose men’s soccer program. Hughes’s eight-year college coaching career has included stops at Mars Hill and Spartanburg Methodist and most recently this past season as an assistant coach at Gardner-Webb.


“I am pleased to welcome Kyle Hughes to our program as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator,” Presbyterian Head Coach Nick Finotti said. “Kyle and I have known each other for 20 years, and I have long admired his professional path, tireless work ethic, and broad experience. Our values and vision align perfectly, and Kyle will prove to be a valuable member of the athletic department and our coaching staff, as well as an instrumental teacher and mentor for our players.”


In his one season at Gardner-Webb, the Runnin’ Bulldogs finished fifth in the Big South Conference while compiling seven wins on the season. He coached players that earned First Team and Honorable Mention All-Big South Conference honors as well as being named to the league’s All-Academic team.


Prior to the 2022 season at Gardner-Webb, Hughes was the associate head coach at Mars Hill University (2020-21) for two years. He helped guide the Lions to two trips to the SAC Tournament which included a double-overtime loss in the 2021 SAC Tournament Championship game. He coached some of the league's top talent, Hughes also significantly contributed to the success of forwards Kevonte Willoughby-Williams and Peter Plougmand, a Lions duo that combined for 20 goals and 12 assists in 2021 en route to Willoughby-Williams earning SAC Freshman of the Year honors and both players were named Second Team All-SAC.


Before his time at Mars Hill, Hughes spent five seasons on the coaching staff at Spartanburg Methodist College, where he helped the Pioneers compile a 64-28-4 record. In 2015, he began his collegiate coaching career at SMC as an assistant coach for two seasons before being named head coach in 2017, a position he held for three seasons. During his tenure, Hughes led Spartanburg Methodist to the NJCAA Region 10 Conference Tournament every season, while also notching an NJCAA Division 1 Southeast District appearance in 2018.


Hughes has also served as a staff coach at the Carolina Elite Soccer Academy (CESA) and United FC.


A native of Greenville, South Carolina, Hughes played collegiate soccer at Spartanburg Methodist College and North Greenville University. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Public Health from Southern New Hampshire University in 2012.


“First, I would like to thank Coach Nick Finotti and Director of Athletics Rob Acunto for the opportunity to join Presbyterian College as the assistant men’s soccer coach,” Hughes said. “I have known Coach Finotti for a number of years and seen the work he has done with soccer in the state of South Carolina. With my experience as a former head coach and associate head coach, I look forward to helping guide the Presbyterian to a bright future within Division I Men’s Soccer."

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