Syracuse University (NY)

Syracuse, NY 13244

New York Northeast

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Nicky Adams

Nicky Thrasher Adams is in her fifth season at the helm of Syracuse's women's soccer team after being hired in February 2019.

Year one of her tenure was all about resetting the culture of the program and laying a foundation that taught players to win both on and off the field. Most of what Adams and her staff worked on throughout the year wasn't obvious to the public. There was a daily effort to create an open-door culture where players could speak openly about all aspects of life with the staff. Adams worked to build a family atmosphere by regularly hosting team dinners, and reconnecting with the program's alumni was a top priority.

Adams' first season featured the team opening with back-to-back victories at home, along with a 2-1 (OT) upset of Wake Forest. The Covid pandemic slowed some of the momentum in year two. The schedule was reduced to only contests in the rugged ACC and the eight-game slate included three games against top-10 opponents.

In 2021, Adams guided the Orange to a 4-1-1 start and the squad finished with the program's most victories since the 2017 campaign. Progress accelerated the following campaign. Adams directed the Orange seven wins over the first eight contests and a final record of 8-7-3. Syracuse battled through the ACC and managed a win and three ties in the conference. One of the deadlocks was a 2-2 tie at second-ranked Virginia. Three of the ACC losses were 1-0 decisions, including a one-goal defeat at #3 North Carolina.

Significant player injuries derailed the 2023 campaign. It provided Adams an opportunity to give field time to her less-experienced players, and helped develop the team's depth.

Adams is the fourth head women's soccer coach at Syracuse. April Kater (1996-2003), Patrick Farmer (2004-07) and Phil Wheddon (2008-18) were her predecessors.

Adams comes from Rice University, where she was the Owls' head women's soccer coach. She joined the coaching staff as an assistant in 2003 and then was promoted to associate head coach in 2006. The Owls received NCAA Tournament invitations in 2004 and 2005, and earned the program's first national ranking in 2006.

She was appointed interim head coach for the final 13 games of 2010. Adams guided Rice to its best conference start in program history, a 5-0-1 mark. The Owls then qualified for the Conference USA Tournament for the first time since 2008. She was named Rice's permanent head coach in November 2010.

Adams coached Rice to an 87-55-23 overall record and a 57-25-11 mark in Conference USA contests. She led the Owls to Conference USA Tournament berths in each of her nine seasons at the helm and the tournament championship in 2014. Rice shared the 2012 Conference USA regular-season title and won the crown outright in 2017.

Rice received NCAA Tournament invitations in 2014 and 2017. Adams was named the Conference USA Coach of the Year following both seasons.

Her players have earned All-Conference USA recognition 37 times, including 18 first-team selections, during her tenure as head coach. Adams has tutored the 2017 Conference USA Goalkeeper of the Year, the 2016 league defensive player of the year, the 2012 Conference USA Freshman of the Year, two Conference USA Offensive Players of the Year twice and four conference midfielders of the year.

Before her coaching career began, Adams played on the 1997 Big 12 championship squad and Big 12 Tournament title teams in 1997 and 2001 while an undergraduate at Texas A&M. She was named the squad's offensive most valuable player and was selected first team NSCAA All-Central Region three times. In 2001, Adams earned third team NSCAA All-American recognition.

The 1998 Big 12 Tournament MVP, Adams was selected first team All-Big 12 a season later.

Adams was nominated for the Herman Award, the women's soccer version of the Heisman Trophy, in 1999 and 2001. She completed her career ranked second in career goals (57), fifth in career assists (26) and third in career points (140) at Texas A&M.

The Aggies reached the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight in 2001 before ending the season with a loss to Portland.

Adams earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology in 2001. She was a 2002 second-round selection by the Atlanta Beat of the Women's United Soccer Association. In 2015, she was inducted into the Texas A&M Athletic Hall of Fame.

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Brandon DeNoyer

Brandon DeNoyer joined the Syracuse staff as an assistant coach prior to the start of the 2020 preseason. DeNoyer joins the Orange after spending the past two seasons as an assistant at Richmond.

DeNoyer helped Richmond go from two wins in 2018 to seven last season. He worked with the Spiders’ goalkeepers, who posted a combined four shutouts, a 1.46 goals-against average and a .771 save percentage.

Prior to his stint at Richmond, DeNoyer served as an assistant coach at Mississippi State for one season, helping the Bulldogs to a 9-5-4 mark. Under his tutelage, goalkeeper Catalina Perez earned All-America honors and Mississippi State allowed just 19 goals in 18 games. DeNoyer, a native of Scotia, N.Y., also served as the top assistant at Siena from 2011-16. During his tenure, the Saints won the 2015 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference title and earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament. In addition, DeNoyer mentored 2014 MAAC Goalkeeper of the Year, Taylor Booth.

DeNoyer played from 2004-08 at SUNY Old Westbury, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in media communications and American studies. He stayed on at his alma mater for four seasons, serving as an assistant coach for the men’s soccer squad and as a volunteer goalkeeper coach for the women’s soccer program.

An experienced club coach, DeNoyer holds Regional, National, and Advanced National diplomas from NSCAA, and a United States Soccer Federation "D" License.

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Ian McIntyre

One of the brightest head coaches on the college circuit, Ian McIntyre has led Syracuse to unprecedented heights since taking over the helm of the program in 2010.

A 1996 Hartwick graduate, McIntyre owns a 201-134-62 (.586) record in 21 seasons as a college head coach. He’s been honored with multiple coaching awards, including spearheading the BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year in 2012 and being tabbed the ACC Coach of the Year and NSCAA South Region Coach of the Year in 2014.

DONNING ORANGE

McIntyre became the 15th coach in Syracuse soccer history on Jan. 6, 2010. During his time in the Emerald City, McIntyre has gone about the task of building the Orange into a national contender. That effort began paying dividends in 2012 as Syracuse won 14 games, more than twice the number of victories in McIntyre’s first two years with the Orange.

Overall, Syracuse finished 14-6-1 in 2012 and was the most improved team in the nation, posting a win-loss improvement of +8.5. The Orange nearly doubled its number of goals (39) from the previous year and the defense posted 12 shutouts, tied for the third-most clean sheets in the country. As a result, Syracuse earned a berth in the 2012 NCAA Championship, the second time in program history the Orange advanced to the national tournament.

Syracuse continued to perform upon reaching the national stage, knocking off Ivy League champion Cornell and Atlantic 10 foe VCU in the opening two rounds to notch the first NCAA Tournament victories in team history. In the third round (Round of 16), the Orange took eventual national finalist Georgetown to the brink, tying the Hoyas 1-1 before being eliminated on penalty kicks.

McIntyre and his assistants were rewarded with 2012 BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year honors for authoring the breakout campaign.

In 2013, Syracuse’s first year in the Atlantic Coast Conference, McIntyre led the Orange to a 10-7-1 record, marking the first time in more than a decade that the team posted double-digit wins in consecutive years. Along the way, the Orange went undefeated in non-conference play (7-0-0) and beat two ranked teams (#12 Connecticut and #19 Clemson).

The Orange’s rise to prominence continued in 2014. Syracuse started the year 12-1-0 and finished with a 16-4-1 record. The team earned a national seed (No. 9) in the NCAA Tournament for the first time and again advanced to the NCAA's Round of 16. McIntyre was named ACC Coach of the Year as the Orange won a share of the ACC Atlantic Division title after being picked to finish last during the preseason. In addition, Syracuse was ranked in the top five in seven straight NSCAA polls and attained the No. 1 national ranking for the first time in school history on Nov. 4, 2014.

The 2015 squad produced the most successful season in school history. Syracuse, which had to replace seven starters, became the first No. 10 seed to win the ACC Tournament, the first in school history. The Orange earned a program-best sixth seed in the NCAA Tournament. After a first-round bye, they defeated Dartmouth, Seattle and Boston College to advance to the College Cup for the first time in school history. The Orange faced No. 3 Clemson for the third time that season and were tied with the Tigers, 0-0, after 110 minutes of play. Clemson won the penalty kick shootout to advance to the national final. Syracuse ended the season with a 16-5-4 record and was No. 4 in the final NSCAA poll, its highest final ranking in school history.

Elite-level players have keyed the Orange’s success. McIntyre’s recruiting classes have consistently been ranked in the top 40 by College Soccer News.

REVIVING A SLEEPING GIANT

Prior to taking the Orange reins, McIntyre spent seven seasons (2003-09) as the head coach at his alma mater, Hartwick College. He guided the Hawks to four 10-win seasons in his tenure and an appearance in the 2005 NCAA Championship.

McIntyre succeeded the legendary Jim Lennox in 2003 and promptly led the Hawks to 15-2-1 overall record, the most wins for the program since 1993. The following year, McIntyre was named the regional coach of the year after presiding over a 13-3-3 campaign that featured a nine-game winning streak and an Atlantic Soccer Conference runner-up finish.

In 2005, McIntyre guided the team to another 13-win season and the Atlantic Soccer Conference regular-season and tournament titles. For his efforts, McIntyre was rewarded with 2005 Atlantic Soccer Conference Coach of the Year honors, and by virtue of its conference championship, Hartwick earned its first trip to the NCAA Tournament in a decade.

Two years later, McIntyre was the driving force behind Hartwick’s successful move from the Atlantic Soccer Conference to the MAC, qualifying for the league’s postseason tournament in all three seasons (2007-09) he was at the helm.

AN ALL-AMERICAN PLAYING CAREER

Before becoming Hartwick’s sixth head coach, McIntyre was a standout player for the Hawks, earning NSCAA First Team All-America honors as a senior in 1995. He helped the program to two NCAA Tournament berths and a 52-20-7 record in his four seasons (1992-95).

McIntyre scored 18 goals and had 10 assists in his career and developed a reputation for clutch goal-scoring. He tallied game-winning goals in NCAA Tournament victories against Rutgers and Boston University in 1993, and the Hawks were 16-0-1 in McIntyre’s career when he scored a goal.

McIntyre was named the Hartwick Male Athlete of the Year in 1995-96 and earned the President’s Scholar-Athlete Award. In addition, he was enshrined in the Hartwick College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001, his first year on the ballot.

CLIMBING THE COACHING LADDER

After the conclusion of his college playing career, McIntyre served as an assistant coach at Fairfield from 1996-98 under former Hartwick assistant coach Carl Rees. McIntyre helped Rees lead the Stags to a pair of Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) championship game appearances.

In 1998, McIntyre’s last year with the Stags, Fairfield went 15-4-1 and earned the program’s first national ranking, checking in at No. 24 after a 10-0-1 start. In addition, McIntyre coached the Region I amateur team to the gold medal at the 1999 U.S. Soccer Festival in Portland, Ore.

Following his stint at Fairfield, McIntyre returned to Oneonta, N.Y. to assume the head coaching duties for the former Division I program at Oneonta State. McIntyre posted a 36-28-7 record for the Red Dragons from 1999-2002. He led them to three straight double-digit win seasons and was named Independent Coach of the Year in his debut campaign after leading Oneonta to a 10-6-1 record and an upset of Hartwick in the 1999 Mayor’s Cup title game.

PERSONAL

A native of Basildon, England, McIntyre and his wife, Jenn, have a daughter, Lyla, and a dog, Elmore.

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Jukka Masalin

A veteran of the professional coaching and playing ranks, Jukka Masalin joined the Orange as an assistant coach in January 2010 and was promoted to associate head coach for the program in 2014. Masalin was Ian McIntyre’s top aide for two seasons at Hartwick before teaming up with him again at Syracuse.

Masalin assists McIntyre in all facets of the program, including recruiting, player training and development, game preparation and opponent scouting.

Masalin's work was essential to the Orange's breakout 2012 campaign. Syracuse was the most improved team in the nation, posting a 14-6-1 record after going 3-12-1 in 2011. The team earned the program's second NCAA Tournament berth and advanced to the Sweet 16 (third round) before being eliminated on penalty kicks by eventual national finalist Georgetown. In addition, the Orange finished the year ranked 17th in the final NSCAA/Continental Tire Poll, the second time in school history Syracuse appeared in the organization's final rankings.

For their efforts, Masalin and rest of the Orange coaches were selected as the 2012 BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year. Masalin was also named one of the top 15 Division I assistants in the country for 2012 by College Soccer News.

He earned the recognition again in 2015 after helping the Orange to its most successful season in program history. Syracuse won the ACC Tournament title and advanced to the College Cup for the first time in school history.

Masalin played professionally in Germany, Sweden, Finland and the United States before making a successful transition to coaching. He served as the head assistant coach for the Atlanta Silverbacks in the United Soccer League’s (USL) First Division from 2004-07. During his time with Atlanta, Masalin was also an assistant coach for the Reinhardt College men’s soccer team. In addition, he served as the soccer director for the Decatur-DeKalb YMCA and was co-director of the Silverbacks’ youth soccer program.

Following his stint in Atlanta, Masalin worked as the top assistant coach for the USL First Division’s Rochester Rhinos. Masalin scouted, recruited, and negotiated with players from all over the world and built the professional youth academy infrastructure in Rochester.

In 2008, Masalin joined McIntyre’s staff at Hartwick and helped lead the Hawks to a pair of MAC Tournament appearances and a 10-4-4 overall record in 2009. While at Hartwick, Masalin earned his first head coaching assignment. He served as the head coach of the Maine Sting in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) during the spring of 2009.

Prior to coming to the U.S. in 1995, Masalin was active in the Finnish soccer community. Between 1987 and 1993, he gained international experience as a goalkeeper for the U-16, U-18 and U-21 Finnish national teams. Once arriving stateside, Masalin embarked on a collegiate playing career at Lander University in Greenwood, S.C., where he was a two-time All-Peach Belt Conference honoree. With Masalin on the roster, the Bearcats recorded a 60-19-3 overall record and advanced to the NCAA Division II Championship in 1996.

Following his collegiate career, Masalin remained at Lander as an assistant coach for the men’s and women’s soccer programs and earned his bachelor’s degree in exercise science from the school in 2002.

Masalin holds a pair of UEFA coaching licenses. He earned his UEFA 'B' license in 2005 and his 'A' license in 2007. Masalin also holds a UEFA Fitness Diploma from the German Football Federation.

As a professional player, Masalin made 23 European Cup (Champions League and UEFA Cup) appearances and played in more than 300 top-flight professional games in Germany, Sweden and Finland. During the last 10 years, he has been invited to observe some of the top European clubs train, including Liverpool FC (English Premier League), Bayer Leverkusen (German Bundesliga) and Paris Saint-Germain FC (Ligue 1).

Born in Lahti, Finland, Masalin and his wife, Carmen, live in Liverpool, N.Y. with their dog, Sisu.