Search

University of Massachusetts/Amherst

Amherst, MA 01003
Massachusetts Northeast
Public Very Large Developing team
I'm interested in this program!

Coaches

Email coach

Jason Dowiak

JJason Dowiak was named the head coach of the Massachusetts women’s soccer program in 2017, and enters his sixth season in 2023. In just five years at the helm, Dowiak has led the program to 43 victories, hosted an Atlantic 10 quarterfinal match for the first time since 2011 and reached the conference semifinal in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2000.


In addition, eight Minutewomen have earned Atlantic 10 All-Conference selections in Dowiak’s time, 10 All-Rookie Team nods, the program’s first-ever A-10 Midfielder of the Year award winner (Jenny Hipp in 2018) and UMass’ first A-10 Offensive Player of the Year since 1999 and first A-10 Rookie of the Year since 1996 (Melissa Kössler in 2019).


UMass completed the 2022 season 5-9-5 overall and 4-4-2 in the conference play, reaching the Atlantic 10 Quarterfinals. Graduate Student Lauren Bonavita tabbed Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team and All-ECAC Second Team honors, while earning an invite to the 2022 NEWISA Division I Senior Bowl. Nia Hislop was selected to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team, as Ella Curry landed on the Atlantic All-Academic Team to cap off the year.


In the 2021 season, UMass held an 11-6-4 overall record, including a 5-3-2 record in the Atlantic 10 Conference, marking the first time since 1997 the program finished above .500 in four consecutive seasons. The Minutewomen finished fourth in the A-10, and were the A-10 Tournament Runner-Ups, while Ava Jouvenel, Fiona Kane, Ashley Lamond and Bella Recinos were tabbed to the Atlantic 10 All-Tournament Team. Kane and Lamond also earned placement on the Atlantic 10 All-Conference Second Team, and Lamond and Chandler Pedolzky garnered Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team honors. The season marked the first time since 2000 that the Minutewomen reached the A-10 semifinals in three straight years.


During a COVID-19 shortened season in 2020-21, the Minutewomen went 6-5-1 overall and 5-2-1 in conference, marking the first time since 2001 that UMass has finished above .500 in three consecutive seasons. Paced by the play of Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team selection Jenny Hipp and Second Team honoree and co-captain Dani Sclafani, Massachusetts secured a spot in the conference semifinals for the second straight season, marking the first time since 2000 that UMass has reached the A-10 semifinals in back-to-back seasons. Massachusetts finished the year 50th in the NCAA in goals against average (0.72) and 44th in shutout percentage (.500) backed by the goalkeeping tandem of Bella Mendoza and Alyssa Chase.


Dowiak and the Minutewomen took major strides during his second season in 2019 with a 10-6-3 record, marking the first time since 2000 and 2001 that the Minutewomen recorded double-digit wins in consecutive seasons. Dowiak was also the first UMass head coach since Jim Rudy in 1998 and 1999 to win at least 10 games in each of his first two seasons.


Paced by Melissa Kössler, who became the sixth Minutewoman in team history to be named the Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Year (first since 1999) as well as UMass' third A-10 Rookie of the Year selection in program history (first since 1996), the Minutewomen entered the postseason as the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament thanks to a 6-3-1 mark in league play, its best finish since 2000.Kössler was also one of two UMass rookies to be named among the nation’s top 100 freshmen, according to TopDrawerSoccer.com.


In Dowiak’s first season at UMass in 2018, the Minutewomen went 11-6-1 to record their most wins since 2011, sparked by a 6-1-1 mark on the road in its best performance away from home since 2006. Massachusetts also had an eight-game winning streak midway through the year, the longest for the program since 1997.


Dowiak joined the Minutewomen after a successful five-year stint at South Florida where he served as the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator.


The Bulls enjoyed a historic year in 2017 capturing their first-ever American Athletic Conference championship title and a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the third time in the past four seasons. USF posted a 13-4-2 overall record marking the sixth consecutive year with 10-or-more wins – five of those with Dowiak on staff. Sophomore Evelyne Viens, who Dowiak helped recruit, earned All-America honors marking another first for the program.


Dowiak’s career in South Florida began during the 2013 campaign where he spent four years as an assistant coach before being promoted by head coach Denise Schilte-Brown to associate head coach. The Moorestown, N.J., native was named the recruiting coordinator in 2016 where he showed tremendous skill in bringing highly talented players to Tampa including two USYSA national champions, two high school players of the year, three junior college All-Americans and a CCCAA Junior College National Player of the year. His recruiting reach also extended internationally into Canada, Jamaica, Mexico, Norway, Iceland and Haiti.


In his time at South Florida, he helped mentor 22 all-conference selections which helped build the Bulls into a nationally competitive program as evidenced by its program-best No. 14 ranking in 2016.


Dowiak, who played at College of Charleston for Ralph Lundy, served as an assistant coach for the FGCU women’s program from 2011-13 and helped guide the Eagles to their highest NCAA RPI ranking and first-ever Southeast Regional ranking. Dowiak was directly involved in all aspects of a program that won its first-ever back-to-back Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament titles and earned NCAA tourney berths in his two seasons on staff.


Before Dowiak headed to Southwest Florida, he was Anderson University’s women’s soccer head coach from 2007-2011 and helped the Trojans become one of the nation’s Top 20 Most Improved NCAA D-II Programs. Dowiak led Anderson University to a Conference Carolinas Tournament appearance in his first season and later helped the program reach its first conference tournament championship game. The Trojans also posted their best overall and conference record (12-9, 8-3) in school history under Dowiak.


Dowiak has remained busy outside of college soccer as the director of Bulls Soccer Camps and the Southeast Elite College ID Camps from 2014-17. Dowiak has been a staff coach with Florida’s Olympic Development Program and the technical director and ECNL coach at Tampa Bay United Rowdies Soccer Club since 2014.

show more
Email coach

Sam Mitchell

Sam Mitchell joined the Massachusetts women's soccer program in 2018, and enters his sixth season as an assistant coach in 2023.


In five years with the program, Mitchell has helped lead UMass to over 27 victories, hosted an Atlantic 10 quarterfinal match for the first time since 2011 and reached the conference semifinal in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2000.


In addition, eight Minutewomen have earned Atlantic 10 All-Conference selections in Mitchell's first three years, six All-Rookie Team nods, the program’s first-ever A-10 Midfielder of the Year award winner (Jenny Hipp in 2018) and UMass’ first A-10 Offensive Player of the Year since 1999 and first A-10 Rookie of the Year since 1996 (Melissa Kössler in 2019).


During a COVID-19 shortened season in 2020-21, the Minutewomen went 6-5-1 overall and 5-2-1 in conference, marking the first time since 2001 that UMass has finished above .500 in three consecutive seasons. Paced by the play of Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team selection Jenny Hipp and Second Team honoree and co-captain Dani Sclafani, Massachusetts secured a spot in the conference semifinals for the second straight season, marking the first time since 2000 that UMass has reached the A-10 semifinals in back-to-back seasons. Massachusetts finished the year 50th in the NCAA in goals against average (0.72) and 44th in shutout percentage (.500) backed by the goalkeeping tandem of Bella Mendoza and Alyssa Chase.


The Minutewomen took major strides in 2019 with a 10-6-3 record, marking the first time since 2000 and 2001 that the Minutewomen recorded double-digit wins in consecutive seasons. Jason Dowiak was also the first UMass head coach since Jim Rudy in 1998 and 1999 to win at least 10 games in each of his first two seasons.


Paced by Melissa Kössler, who became the sixth Minutewoman in team history to be named the Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Year (first since 1999) as well as UMass' third A-10 Rookie of the Year selection in program history (first since 1996), the Minutewomen entered the postseason as the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament thanks to a 6-3-1 mark in league play, its best finish since 2000.Kössler was also one of two UMass rookies to be named among the nation’s top 100 freshmen, according to TopDrawerSoccer.com.


In Mitchell’s first season at UMass in 2018, the Minutewomen went 11-6-1 to record their most wins since 2011, sparked by a 6-1-1 mark on the road in its best performance away from home since 2006. Massachusetts also had an eight-game winning streak midway through the year, the longest for the program since 1997.


Mitchell joined the Minutewomen following a two-year stint at the University of Central Florida as a volunteer assistant coach. He also served as the Orlando City Youth Soccer (OCYS) Girls Director for its Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) program.


Prior to joining the Knights and OCYS, Mitchell served as the Rollins College women's soccer program's first assistant, helping to guide the Tars to their first Division II National Championship Final in program history and a No. 2 ranking in the NCAA national standings.


In 2012 Mitchell coached in youth development with VSI West Florida Flames Boy's NPL teams and the Girls ECNL program, where he guided the ECNL U-17 team through to the National Finals. ECNL is the nation's top league for young women, ages 14-18. During this time he continued his coaching education gaining the USSF B coaching license as well as receiving a Distinction in his NSCAA Advanced National Diploma.


During his time at VSI, he was also named Head Coach of VSI Tampa Bay FC Super 20's team as well as Assistant coach for the PDL and Professional team from 2012-2013. He led the Super 20's and the U17 ECNL Girls team to National finals in 2012.


Mitchell graduated with a degree in philosophy from the University of Kent Canterbury in England before playing five seasons of semi-professional soccer in England for London Colney FC & Tring Athletic.

show more
Email coach

Mary Hearin

Mary Hearin joined the Massachusetts women’s soccer staff in January 2023, as an assistant coach, following time as an associate head coach with the women's soccer team at the University of Delaware.


At Delaware, Hearin assisted the head coach with all aspects of operation and coaching, where she coached four All-CAA Conference honorees. There, she aided with travel, pre- and post-season conditioning activities, gameday procedures, monitoring and coordinating student-athletes academics with the team’s academic advisors, training, player evaluation and national and international recruitment of student-athletes. Hearin also helped with creating individual development plans for all 28 players on the roster and designed, organized, and administered weekly individual and small group training sessions.


Prior to her time with the Blue Hens, Hearin spent seven seasons as an assistant coach for the NJIT women’s soccer team. In 2018, the coaching staff was recognized as the Atlantic Sun (ASUN) Coaching Staff of the Year, while the team set a season record for both wins and shutouts. She coached multiple All-Conference and All-Academic Team Honorees (2017-2021) in both the ASUN and the America East conferences. Hearin helped guide the team to the ASUN Conference Tournament Semifinals in 2018 and 2019, as well as the America East Conference Tournament in 2021.


Hearin spent several years as a head coach for a variety of U16, U17 and U18 teams, including FC Copa Academy, PSA Wildcats and Freestate Soccer Alliance. She was a graduate assistant coach from 2007-08 at UMBC, before moving to an assistant coach position for the 2008-09 season. Hearin also was an assistant coach for the ECNL U13-U18 Teams for three years for the Maryland United Football Club, and for the girls’ varsity soccer team at the McDonogh School for three seasons.


In addition to coaching soccer, Hearin worked in Cyberthreat and Intelligence Research for Booz Allen Hamilton.


Hearin played collegiate soccer at UMBC, where she was three-time captain. She was also a member of the America East All-Championship Team, America East All-Conference Second Team and America East All-Rookie Team. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in History in 2006.

show more
Email coach

Fran O'Leary

A veteran coach with a history of bringing success to collegiate programs, Fran O'Leary took over as the head coach of the University of Massachusetts men's soccer program prior to the 2015 campaign. O'Leary has experience at multiple levels of collegiate soccer and has spent time coaching at the professional level as well.


In his sixth season in Amherst, O'Leary coached the Minutemen to a 7-2-3 overall record during the 2020 campaign to earn one of 14 at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament on their way to earning a first round bye. UMass earned three First-Team All-Atlantic 10 selections, led by A-10 Rookie of the Year and the league-leading goal scorer in Alec Hughes. Midfielders Yosuke Hanya and Ben Shepherd each ranked ninth in the country in assists while leading the conference in the category. As a squad, UMass has the seventh-ranked scoring offense and ranked 15th nationally in goals and 25th in assists.


The Minutemen earned their fourth straight Atlantic 10 Tournament berth in 2018 to mark just the second time in program history that the feat has been accomplished. UMass had two players selected second-team all-conference to go along with an all-rookie and an all-academic team selection.


In 2017, O’Leary led the Minutemen to both the Atlantic 10 outright regular season title and championship crown as UMass became the first team to accomplish the feat since 1991 on his way to being named the A-10 Coach of the Year. UMass finished the season with a 15-4-3 record, including a 10-2-1 mark at Rudd Field as the Minutemen finished with four all-conference honorees. Along with the all-league honors. O’Leary’s squad picked up multiple individual awards in addition to the all-conference honors, including an United Soccer Coaches All-America Third-Team selection and league rookie of the year.


During his four years at the helm of the Minutemen program, O’Leary’s teams have seen a steady rise during the span while qualifying for the A-10 Tournament all four seasons for the second time in program history, culminating with regular season and tournament league titles in his third season. UMass climbed from five wins in 2015 to seven in 2016 before winning 15 during the 2017 season while posting a 22-8-5 record over the last 35 games dating back to the midway point of the 2016 campaign.


O'Leary has 18 winning campaigns and 268 career victories in 28 years as a college head coach, while averaging almost 10 wins per season. His teams have participated in seven NCAA Tournaments and reached the national semifinals once.


The native of Dublin, Ireland is the 10th head men's soccer coach in UMass history.


Professionally, O'Leary spent two years with Toronto FC in MLS as the Assistant Coach and Director of Player Recruitment. He served as the top assistant coach and Director of Recruitment for Toronto FC of MLS from January 2013 to August 2014. The staff overhauled the roster and saw the team climb form 10th place to third in the Eastern Division during their tenure.


O'Leary served eight seasons as the head coach at Bowdoin College from 2005-2012. He accumulated a record of 74-39-14 with a .638 winning percentage and a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances.


One of the most distinguished coaches in Bowdoin history, his two best seasons in program annals came in 2009 and 2010. The 2009 squad posted an 11-4-2 mark and an NCAA Tournament berth, before following it up with an outstanding 15-2-4 mark in 2010, which included the team's first-ever NCAA Tournament victory and appearance in the Division III Final Four. That group won the NESCAC regular-season title and lost the tourney title game on penalty kicks before its run to the national semifinals.


The 2010 team collected 12-consecutive victories and 11 shutouts on the year.


O'Leary led the George Mason team from 2001-04, collecting 34 victories and mentoring 10 all-conference selections and a pair of Freshman All-America honorees John O'Hara (2001) and Damian O'Rourke (2002). That duo was a big part in helping the Patriots reach the CAA championship game in 2003 following a third-place regular-season finish that marked the highest in six years.


He guided Dartmouth to a 56-48-14 record and two NCAA College Cup appearances in seven seasons from 1994-2000, including a 12-6 record and Ivy League runner-up finish in 2000. Dartmouth was 10-4-4 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 1997 as O'Leary was named Division I Coach of the Year by the New England Intercollegiate Soccer League.


He then took over the Kenyon program in 1992 and compiled a .800 winning percentage with a 32-4-4 mark. He led the Lords to the North Coast Athletic Conference regular-season crowns each season and was named the Co-Coach of the Year in 1992. O’Leary was named the NSCAA Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year after leading Kenyon to its first ever No. 1 national ranking and the 1993 NCAA Semifinals. Mark Phillips set the league points (59) and goals (25) records that season on his way to the Player of the Year accolades.


He got his first head coaching job in 1989 at Division III Elmira College in southern New York. He led the Eagles to a 38-11-2 record over three seasons. He inherited a team with a 3-14 record and turned it around into a 13-4 record his first year.


A graduate of Thomas Edison State University with a Liberal Arts degree, O'Leary began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Boston College form 1986-89 and holds a NSCAA Advanced National Diploma in addition to his UEFA "A" Level License.

show more
Email coach

Ben Brewster

Ben Brewster joined his former collegiate head coach Fran O’Leary’s staff at the University of Massachusetts prior to the 2017 season and was promoted to associate head coach in 2019 after playing under O’Leary for three seasons at Bowdoin College during his four-year career from 2010-13.


Brewster helped coach the Minutemen to one of 14 at-large bids to the 2020 NCAA Tournament on their way to a first round bye. The Minutemen earned three first-team all-conference selections, including junior defender Graham Brenner. UMass ranked 15th nationally as a team in goals and 25th in assists, led by Atlantic 10 leading scorer Alec Hughes and assist leaders Yosuke Hanya and Ben Shepherd.


In his first season as an associate head coach, Brewster helped the Minutemen lead the Atlantic 10 in goals against average at 0.93 while ranking inside the top-30 nationally in the category. Brewster's first two seasons saw the Minutemen qualify for the Atlantic 10 Tournament while UMass claimed both the A-10 regular season and tournament titles to become the first team in the league to accomplish the feat since 1991. In 2018, Brewster helped the Minutemen reach their fourth consecutive A-10 Tournament, marking the second time in program history that Minutemen reached the conference post-season in four straight seasons.


At Bowdoin, Brewster was a two-time team captain during his senior and junior seasons and capped off his stellar career by being named a NSCAA First-Team All-American in 2013 after earning all-region and first-team all-conference honors in his final two seasons. A two-time Team MVP, Brewster helped Bowdoin advance to the Division III Final Four in San Antonio, Texas while being named the NESCAC Rookie of the Year in 2010. In addition to his accomplishments on the pitch, Brewster was a first-team all-region and all-conference honoree and an all-America honorable mention selection for the Bowdoin Men’s Lacrosse team. Brewster earned multiple Bowdoin College awards during his collegiate career as he earned the Bowdoin Men’s Soccer George Levine Memorial Award for sportsmanship, valor and desire in 2011 and 2013 while earning the Sid Watson Award that is presented yearly to the student-athlete who has distinguished themselves through athletic performance and leadership of multiple teams at Bowdoin in 2013-14.


Brewster began his professional career with the Seacoast United Phantoms of the Premier Development League (PDL) in 2014, where he was a team captain in 2014 for a team that posted an 11-1-2 record on their way to winning the Northeast Division. In 2015, he signed with the Tulsa Roughnecks of the United Soccer League, starting 19 games and ranking eighth on the squad in minutes played. Brewster played for San Francisco FC in the PDL in 2016-17 as a team captain while beginning his coaching career as the head coach at The Bay School of San Francisco in 2016, where he led the varsity boys’ team to their first NCS playoff berth and win since the 2012 season.


A native of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, Brewster graduated from Bowdoin College in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History. Brewster holds a National C coaching license from the United States Soccer Federation.

show more
Email coach

Jacob Reimers

Head coach Fran O’Leary announced the addition of Jacob Reimers to the coaching staff as the goalkeeper coach in March of 2022.


Reimers joined the Minutemen following time spent at Longwood as an assistant coach and a player. As a coach, Reimers performed training sessions for goalkeepers and managed video performance analysis for the keepers. Reimers also spent time as the ACGK 2020 Goalkeeping Coach, where he worked on youth goalkeeping development programs in affiliation with USL1 side and provided private functional training for multiple age groups.


Prior to joining the coaching ranks, Reimers was a four-year starter and three-year team captain for Longwood and finished second in the Big South in saves as a sophomore in 2018. Reimers also made the Dean’s List four times.


Reimers graduated from Longwood with a master’s degree in Business Administration: Data Analytics and received his undergraduate degree in business administration.

show more

College Bound Athletes

Showcase Tips

Are you ready for your next college showcase?
Soccer in College gave me a good point of reference for perspective coaches, somewhere I could direct them to see all of my data, in a well-organized, efficient manner. It was a good tool for my recruiting efforts.
- Thomas CurryWhat are others saying?