Transylvania University

Lexington, KY 40508

Kentucky Midwest

Private Small Developing team

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Coaches

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Ashley Reinecke

Ashley Reinecke enters her fourth year as a Co-Head Coach of the Transylvania women’s soccer team for the 2024 season, and sixth with the program overall. In her first season as Co-Head Coach, Reinecke led the Pioneers to an 8-4-5 record.

After serving as the top assistant on legendary head coach Patrick Farmer’s staff for three years, Reinecke takes over after Farmer’s retirement, alongside Marcus Aldaba, as co-head coaches.

“Ashley Reinecke has proven during her time at Transylvania that she is ready to take the reins of the program. She is passionate about the sport of soccer and about developing student-athletes not only to win championships, but for life”, says Dr. Holly Sheilley, Athletic Director and University Vice President for Athletics.

In her time as an assistant, Reinecke helped lead the Pioneers to a top-3 finish on the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference table in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season as Transylvania produced a 5-3-1 record against the opposition. As an assistant coach, Reinecke was instrumental in the development of five All-Conference players in 2020-21 including three All-HCAC First Team selections.

Reinecke brings a transcontinental coaching resume spanning multiple college and youth programs to Transylvania. During the 2019 season, her first with the Pioneers, Reinecke helped develop four HCAC All-Conference players, including First Team Selection, freshman Meron Roach. Reinecke helped design a defense which recorded four shutouts during the 2019 campaign.

In the 2021 season, her last as an assistant, the Pioneers went 10-7-2 as Reinecke’s squad had five All-HCAC student-athletes. Senior Abby Baker was named to the First Team, along with three Second Team selections, including first year Abby Dean who had an outstanding debut campaign learning under Reinecke.

A native of Toms River, New Jersey, Reinecke comes north to Lexington after serving as an assistant coach at NCAA Division III Clayton State University in Morrow, Georgia, where she was part of a staff which led the Lakers to three winning seasons and two postseason appearances during her three-year tenure.

Along with her position at Clayton State which elapsed from 2014 through 2017, Reinecke has held leadership and coaching roles in the Triumph Youth Soccer Association of Tucker, Georgia where she served as an Academy Coach and Club Administrator. Having worked in the organization since 2014, Reinecke earned the Georgia Soccer Select Coach of the Year Award in 2016.

Prior to her arrival in the Peach State, Reinecke cultivated her coaching career overseas. While playing professionally for five years for the Keynsham Town Ladies Football Club in Bristol, England, Reinecke also was a youth coach with the Keynsham Town Football Club.

Reinecke’s coaching and playing endeavors in England followed a playing career domestically from 2010 through 2012, during which she played for the New Jersey Wildcats of the United Soccer League’s W-League.

A 2008 graduate of Division I Seton Hall University in Orange, New Jersey, Reinecke started as a midfielder for the Pirates and holds a master’s degree in Brand Design and a bachelor’s degree in Public Relations.

Reinecke holds a USSF D Coaching License.

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Marcus Aldaba

Marcus Aldaba entered his first season as a co-head coach of the Transylvania women's soccer team in 2022.

Albaba brings a wealth of experience to Transylvania, and a fresh outside mindset, having served as the Director of Operations for the University of Kentucky's men's soccer team since 2018. At UK, Aldaba helped develop numerous standout players, also having major contributions to the program off the pitch in operations roles.

"The opportunity to have Marcus Aldaba join aside Coach Reinecke as the co-head coach is a great opportunity to propel our program to the next level. Their experience will no doubt make them a dynamic duo. I am excited to see where they take our team", said Dr. Holly Sheilley, Athletic Director and University Vice President for Athletics.

As Director of Operations for the University of Kentucky men's soccer team, Albaba's teams won two Conference USA Championships and qualified for the NCAA Tournament all four years, making it as far as the fourth round in 2018. Aldaba mentored several elite players including Enrique Facusse, who was a member of the Honduras Olympic Qualifying team, and Aime Mabika, a First-Round selection in the 2021 Major League Soccer SuperDraft. He assisted in planning training sessions for the team, monitored the program's budgets, and managed the arrangement of away matches. Aldaba marketed all the boys' and girls' fall soccer camps, setting records for turnout in 2018 and exceeding them in the following year.

Prior to his time at the UK, Aldaba served as an assistant coach for Mercer University Men's Soccer, where he was directly involved with the recruiting efforts of student-athletes, coaching, and conducting logistics across the program as well. In each of his two seasons at Mercer, Aldaba helped the Bears take home back-to-back SoCon Tournament Championships and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. In both of his seasons on the staff, Mercer defeated ranked opponents in No. 16 Washington and No. 24 South Carolina. Aldaba helped coach and mentor great talent, including the 2017 SoCon Male Athlete of the Year, Will Bagrou, who was selected in the 2018 Major League Soccer Draft.

Aldaba also has experience serving as the Director of Operations at Southern Methodist University’s Men’s Soccer program, from 2015-2016, where the Mustangs qualified for the NCAA Tournament with the AAC Coaching Staff of the Year. Aldaba mentored a pair of 2018 MLS Draft selections in Michael Nelson and Mauro Cichero.

Aldaba was a Division III student-athlete, playing as a midfielder at the University of the Ozarks in Clarksville, Arkansas from 2010-2013, where he was named to the All-ASC Honorable Mention Team in 2010.

He also currently serves as a youth soccer coach with the Lexington F.C. program in the U10 Age Group, having served there since the Fall of 2020. Aldaba holds a U.S. Soccer Federation D License and is actively working towards C accreditation.

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Ben Federici

Ben Federici begins his third year as head coach of the Transylvania men’s soccer program ahead of the 2024 season.

Federici joins Transylvania from NCAA Division III Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio, where he was most recently the Associate Head Coach.

"Transylvania men's soccer is a program with a great tradition of excellence,” states Federici on his new stewardship of the program. “I look to honor that tradition by building a program that helps young men become great people and great players during their time.”

Over his nine-year coaching career, Federici has quickly carved out a reputation for building winning teams. Federici arrives to the Pioneers from another winning program called the Pioneers at Marietta, his alma mater.

During Federici's six-year tenure on staff, Marietta produced five straight winning seasons, highlighted by an 11-6-3 campaign in the 2017 season in which the program finished the campaign ranked seventh in the Great Lakes Region. In his first three years as part of Marietta's coaching staff as an assistant coach, Federici helped power the Pioneers to three consecutive winning seasons, marking the second time in program history that the Pioneers have reached that milestone. Federici was elevated to the title of Associate Head Coach ahead of the 2021 season.

Federici's imprint at Marietta was felt especially on the defensive side of the pitch, where he pushed the team to setting a new school record for consecutive minutes without conceding a goal. Federici orchestrated a defense which turned in nine clean sheets in the 2016 season and 17 clean sheets total between the 2016 and 2017 campaigns. In Federici's final season at Marietta, junior Dave Beattie won the OAC Defensive Player of the Year award.

With Federici on staff, the Pioneers qualified for the OAC Tournament in all five tournament-active seasons of his tenure.

Prior to re-joining the men's soccer program at Marietta, Federici spent three years as the assistant men's soccer coach at NCAA Division II University of Findlay in Findlay, Ohio. His first application of a winning formula occurred at Findlay as the program notched its first winning record in 12 seasons. While at Findlay, Federici helped the Oilers drill five top 25 teams. Federici additionally accrued administrative experience at Findlay as an admissions department liaison to the athletic department.

Federici's Marietta roots originated during his playing days for the Pioneers where he won four varsity letters and appeared in 36 matches as a defender. His coaching experience began following an injury in his senior season of play, initializing a transition into a role of student assistant coach.

Federici graduated from Marietta College in 2013 with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and earned his Master of Business Administration at the University of Findlay.

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Diego d'Angelo

Coach d'Angelo joins the staff with 20 years of coaching experience at the competitive club and high school level in Kentucky. He is currently in his 14th year of coaching on the men's side for Lexington FC (12) and Lexington Sporting Club (2-present), as well as serving as the Path to the Pros Director (U16-U19) in their academy-based organization. During his time at the club level, his teams accomplished

multiple state championships and finalist standings. Most recently, he helped guide the 2006 Lexington Sporting Club boys to the Midwest Regional semifinal. He also brings 7 years of experience from Lafayette High School, during which the program achieved 2 district championships and ended the past season as a state finalist.

"I have always had tremendous admiration for this university's commitment to excellence in the classroom and on the field. I view it as a privilege to have been given the opportunity to join such a quality soccer program and to share my passion for this sport, along with the prospect that it offers to teach young men in a highly competitive environment. I am excited to partner with coach Ben Federici and his vision for what is to come," said d'Angelo.

In addition to his coaching experience, Coach d'Angelo comes to the program after 25 years of managerial experience at Lexmark International. While at Lexmark, he led various worldwide operations and supply chain organizations and will be looking to apply that skill set as well to grow the soccer

program.