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University of Vermont

Burlington, VT 05401
Vermont Northeast
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Kristi Huizenga

Kristi Huizenga, a native of Colchester, Vt., was named the head women's soccer coach at the University of Vermont on November 10, 2010. The 2020 season will mark her 10th season at the helm of the Catamounts. She ranks second in school history with 51 career victories.


The 2022 season saw the Catamounts regress to 4-9-3 overall and place eighth in the America East. However, six of Vermont’s nine loses came by just a one goal differential. Huizenga led two All-Conference honorees with Sydney Remington earning All-Rookie Team and Abbey Knobel made All-Academic Team.


The 2021 Catamounts won the America East regular season championship for the first time since 1996. The seven league victories are the most during her 12-year tenure and the most since the 1996 season. Vermont also earned their first NCAA Tournament berth in program history. UVM’s 12 overall wins matched the second most victories in program history (1996). The Catamounts earned their first ever America East Championship defeating UNH 1-0 at Virtue Field.


The 2021 Catamounts reached unprecedented heights leading America East play in goals scored (32), saves (122), total points (88), assists (24), average points per game (4.63), and league play goal differential of +10.


At the end of the 2021 campaign, the Catamounts earned three of the five major awards presented by the America East. Ella Bankert was named Midfielder of the Year and senior Lydia Kessel earned Goalkeeper of the Year – both first-ever in Catamount program history. Huizenga and her staff were named the Coaching Staff of the Year. Following the conclusion of the season, Vermont was represented by Alyssa Oviedo, Ella Bankert, Alex West and Lydia Kessel on the All-Conference First Team and Natalie Durieux was named All-Conference Second Team with Bankert and Kessel also earning All-Academic Team. First years Bailey Ayer and Maddy Cronin landed on the All-Rookie Team.


The 2018 Cats made their fourth straight trip to the America East Tournament - a first for the program. The four victories during the league slate matched the most during her eight-year tenure. UVM had one of the top defenses in America East and surrendered the third-fewest goals (22) and recorded the third-best goals-against average (1.22). At season's end, the Catamounts were represented by seniors Brooke Jenkins and Casey Garfinkel on the All-Conference Second Team and All-Academic Team while freshman Alyssa Oviedo landed on the All-Rookie Team.


Huizenga brought the UVM women's soccer program to new heights in 2017. The Catamounts made their first ever appearance in the America East Championship Game and became only the second team in the history of the league to earn a title game berth as a No. 6 seed. The 2017 Cats ended the season with a 9-9-2 overall record, their highest win total since the 2004 campaign. UVM had three players earn All-America East honors as Sarah Martin landed on the All-Conference First Team, Jenkins made the All-Conference Second Team and All-Academic Team, and Ella Bankert was honored with an All-Rookie Team nod.


The 2016 Catamounts made their second consecutive trip to the semifinal round of the America East Tournament, a first for the program. Three players earned America East honors – Martin was a Second Team All-Conference selection while Julia Smith and Jenkins made the All-Rookie Team. It marked the 12th straight season where a new Cat had garnered All-Rookie honors. In net, junior keeper Coco Speckmaier finished the season tied for the ninth-best goals-against average in program history at 1.05. She also cracked the top-10 in shutouts (6) and shattered the minutes played record (1,802).


Vermont hosted a playoff game for the second time in program history and second time in Huizenga's tenure. The Catamounts also earned their highest seed in the America East postseason (No. 3) and posted a 1-0 shutout win over No. 6 UMBC in the quarterfinal round. The match was also the first night game at Virtue Field since the facility opened in the spring of 2012.


Three Catamounts earned America East honors Nikki McFarland and Martin were named to the All-Conference Second Team and Garfinkel was an All-Rookie selection.


In her first three seasons as the head coach of the Catamounts, UVM made three straight trips to the America East Tournament, a first in the program's history. Huizegna has guided UVM to the America East Playoffs in five out of her first six seasons, including a trio of trips to the semifinals.


Huizenga spent three seasons as an assistant coach in the program. She was promoted to the first assistant position in 2009 after joining the Catamounts as a part-time assistant in 2008.


In her first season at the helm of the Catamounts (2011), UVM earned a berth to the America East Tournament for the first time in five years. UVM tied for fourth in the final America East standings, but due to tiebreakers earned the No. 6 seed and fell to No. 3 Albany in double-overtime in the quarterfinals.


In 2012, Vermont returned to the league playoffs and advanced to the conference semifinals for the first time since the field expanded in 2001. The Catamounts earned the No. 4 seed in the America East Tournament, after being picked to finish sixth in the preseason poll, and hosted a conference playoff game for the first time in 16 years. UVM advanced to the semifinals with a penalty kick shootout win over Albany at Virtue Field.


In 2013 she guided the team to six wins and freshman McFarland was named the America East Rookie of the Year. She became the first Catamount to earn the honor in 17 years and just the second overall.


A former University of Connecticut and Colchester (Vt.) High School standout, Huizenga came to Vermont after spending two seasons as an assistant coach at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. She was also a member of the FSA SoccerPlus FC staff with Tony DiCicco, the former U.S. Women's National Team coach, since 2005.


Huizenga graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2006 after an outstanding four-year career with the Huskies. She helped UConn win three Big East regular season titles and two tournament championships in her four years.


The Huskies also advanced to the NCAA Tournament four times, including an appearance in the Final Four and national championship game in 2003.


Huizenga served as a team captain as a senior and earned team MVP honors that year. She was also named to the NSCAA All-Northeast Region and NEWISA All-New England teams in 2005. She closed out her career ranked among the all-time leaders in games played at UConn with 93 appearances.


Prior to her collegiate career at Connecticut, Huizenga played locally at Colchester High School. She was the Gatorade Player of the Year and Vermont Player of the Year twice and was named to the all-state first team all four years. Huizenga also earned NSCAA/Adidas all-America honors twice during her scholastic career.


Huizenga also played for one of the top club programs, the Bethesda (Md.) Fury, prior to beginning her collegiate career. She won three state championships, two regional championships and one national championship in 2001 with the Fury. Prior to joining the Fury, Huizenga played locally with the Far Post and Nordic Club programs.


She was a member of the Region 1 ODP Team from 1998-2002, and a U.S. National Team Pool player from 1998-2001 at the U-14, U-16, and U-19 levels. She also was named to the U.S. U-16 Youth All-American Team in 2001.


Huizenga continued her playing career following her graduation from UConn. In 2006, she led the New Jersey Wildcats of the W-League to the Eastern Conference Regular Season Championship and served as captain of the SoccerPlus Connecticut Reds of the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) from 2007-2008.


Huizenga holds several coaching credentials including a USSF "A" License and an NSCAA Premier Diploma, the highest coaching badges awarded by each organization. She is also a member of the Region 1 Olympic Development Program Coaching Staff.

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Mike Skelton

Mike Skelton joined the Vermont Catamounts women’s soccer program in 2021. He will be entering his third season with the Catamounts in the Fall 2023.


In his first year in Vermont, Skelton was a part of the America East Coaching Staff of the Year, as well as helping lead the Catamounts to a 12-6-1 record. Their appearance in the NCAA tournament in 2021 was their second ever, following a season in which they won the America East Championship for the first time. Skelton helped coach Ella Bankert (America East Midfielder of the Year) and Lydia Kessel (America East Goalkeeper of the Year), as well as five All-Conference players and two All-Rookie team players.


Skelton comes to Catamount Country after a two-year stint at Niagara University in the same role. Skelton was involved in all aspects of the program at Niagara including individual player development, scouting reports, recruiting, video analysis and travel management. In his time with the Purple Eagles they were 11-11-2 and advanced to the MAAC Semifinals in 2019 and the MAAC Quarterfinals during the spring of 2021.


During his stint in Western New York Skelton was also the Head Coach of the 2009 and 2006 WNY Flash girls teams. Prior to Niagara, he served as an assistant coach at Colby College and UNC Asheville.


Skelton, a native of Conway, N.H., was an All-American soccer player at Lasell College in Newton, Mass. He served as team captain in three of his collegiate seasons and was named GNAC Player of the Year twice. He holds the Lasell College record for goals and points in a season and career goals and points. Following the completion of his collegiate career, Skelton spent time playing semi-professional soccer in England.

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Rob Dow

Dow will enter his seventh season as the head coach of Vermont men's soccer in 2023.


In six seasons at the helm, Dow has accumulated a 66-32 (.660) record, producing a winning record in each season since taking over in 2017. The Catamounts have finished in the America East top two in five of his six seasons, including two regular season titles.


Dow led Vermont to a historic campaign in 2022, posting a 16-4-2 (5-1-1 AE) mark, and reaching the NCAA Quarterfinals for the first time since 1989. Vermont cracked the nation's Top-5 for the first time in program history, earning the No. 4 ranking in the final United Soccer Coaches poll. UVM's 16 wins are the second-highest total in program history. The Catamounts matched several program records in 2022, tying for the most goals (46) and consecutive shutout games (7). Vermont held opponents scoreless for 792:44, the longest run in program history.


Vermont's NCAA Tournament run began with two thrilling comeback victories, defeating Quinnipiac (W, 3-2, 2OT) at Virtue Field, followed by a 3-2 road win at No. 11 SMU. The Catamounts erased scored all three goals in the final 25 minutes to in the comeback win at SMU.


The Catamounts returned home to host UCLA in the third round, routing the Bruins in a 3-0 victory. Vermont would battle eventual national champion, No. 3 Syracuse in the Quarterfinals, falling 2-1 in Western New York.


Alex Nagy became the first Catamount to be named to the All-America First Team in over three decades, leading Vermont with 27 points on nine goals and nine assists.


The UVM bench boss guided the Catamounts to their sixth America East Championship in program history in 2021. No. 2 Vermont defeated No. 1 New Hampshire 1-0 in Durham, N.H., with Yves Borie scoring the clinching goal in the 68th minute. The title was UVM's first under Dow, as well as the first NCAA Tournament appearance since he took over in 2017. The 2021 Catamounts produced six All-Conference members, including America East Goalkeeper of the Year Nate Silveira. Vermont also had three members of the All-Rookie team, and five All-Northeast members.


Vermont produced a 5-2-1 (4-1-1) mark in the COVID-altered 2020-21 season. The Catamounts locked up second place in league play, and battled NJIT to a 1-0 victory in the America East Semifinals, clinching their first trip to the conference championship game since 2015. Alex Nagy, Noah Egan, Daniel Pacella, and Garrett Lillie received All-Conference and All-Northeast honors. Nagy also became the first Catamount to be named an All-American since Brian Wright in 2016.


Dow and the 2019 Catamounts posted an 11-6-1 overall record and 5-1-1 mark in league play to capture a share of the regular season conference crown. The Green and Gold had six student-athletes honored on the conference and regional levels. Rasmus Tobinski was named America East Rookie of the Year and Ívar Örn Árnason was a United Soccer Coaches All-Northeast Region First Team pick.


The 2018 Cats posted an 11-7-1 mark and won at least 10 games for the fourth straight year. UVM also earned its ninth consecutive America East Tournament berth. At season’s end, a total of six Catamounts were lauded with All-America East honors including Geo Alves as the league’s Striker of the Year. Alves was also selected to the United Soccer Coaches All-Northeast Region First Team and later drafted by D.C. United in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft.


Dow has spent the previous five seasons on UVM's coaching staff, including the 2015 and 2016 campaigns as the Catamounts' associate head coach. Vermont reached new heights with Dow on the sidelines in 2016. After winning the second-most games in a single season (14), the Green and Gold hosted an NCAA Tournament game for only the third time in program history. With their 4-1 win over Rider in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the Catamounts were victorious in the postseason on home turf for the first time since 1989 in front of a record crowd. The 2016 squad scored a program record 42 goals and had the top classmate scoring tandem in program history in Bernard Yeboah and Brian Wright, who tallied a combined 25 goals and 15 assists.


Wright was selected by the New England Revolution with the 20th overall pick in the first round of the 2017 Major League Soccer (MLS) SuperDraft in January. He became the first Catamount in program history to be drafted by a MLS team. Wright wrapped up his Catamount career as the second all-time leading scorer with 103 career points and set the Vermont single-season points record (40) as a senior.


The 2016 team also achieved its highest RPI and national ranking (16th) since 1989 and was recognized as one of the dominant regional powers. UVM was ranked No. 1 for several weeks in the New England region. A total of five Catamounts earned NSCAA All-America, NSCAA All-East Region, ECAC All-Star, America East All-Conference, All-Rookie, and All-Academic honors at the end of the season.


In addition to the 2016 NCAA Tournament success, Dow helped lead the Catamounts to an America East regular season title in 2012, its first in 23 years, and an America East Championship in 2015.


Dow came to Vermont after spending four years at Southern New Hampshire University. He spent two seasons as an assistant coach with the Penmen men's soccer program and was elevated to associate head coach during the 2010 season. During his four-year stint at SNHU, the Penmen posted a 59-14-13 (.762) record. Southern New Hampshire earned NCAA Tournament berths each year, including NCAA quarterfinal trips in 2009 and 2011. The Penmen also captured two Northeast-10 Regular Season titles and an NE-10 Tournament title.


Prior to his arrival at SNHU, Dow spent two seasons as head men's soccer coach at Dean College in Franklin, Massachusetts. While at Dean, Dow compiled an 18-11-4 record, qualified for the NJCAA Region 21 playoffs in 2007, and coached seven NJCAA All-Region players. Prior to that, Dow spent two seasons as the men's and women's assistant coach at Mayville State University and a season as an assistant for the men's team at his alma mater, the University of Maine.


A 2003 graduate of Maine with a degree in management, Dow was a four-year member of the Maine soccer team and led the Black Bears in scoring twice as well as being named an America East Scholar-Athlete for three seasons. Dow later earned his master's in sport and recreation management from North Dakota State University in 2005.


He also played professionally with the Ottawa Wizards and then the New Hampshire Phantoms.


Dow resides in Burlington with his wife Loren, and their son Hanson.

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Brad Cole

Brad Cole returns to Vermont after three years honing his craft in the Ivy League and West Coast Conference. With a strong background in recruitment, player development and team management, Cole has established himself as a prominent figure in the collegiate soccer landscape.


During his tenure as Assistant Coach & Recruiting Coordinator at the University of Portland, Cole spearheaded the recruitment efforts that resulted in the No. 2 ranked 2023 recruiting class in the country, as recognized by Top Drawer Soccer. Demonstrating his keen eye for talent, he successfully recruited and signed seven top-100 players, as rated by Top Drawer Soccer as well as the No. 2 recruit in Canada as ranked by FTF Canada.


Cole and the Portland team enjoyed a phenomenal 2022 season. The Pilots achieved their highest win total (15) and win percentage (.786) since the 1995 season, making a remarkable return to the Elite Eight for the first time in nearly three decades. Notably, the team's home record of 11-0-1 was the best since 1995, making them the only NCAA Division I team to remain undefeated at home.


Some notable individual achievements include Brandon Cambridge leading the West Coast Conference in goals and ranking seventh nationally with 12 goals. Cambridge finished sixth nationally in points at 31. Sebastian Nava led the WCC in assists, earning him a place among the top ten nationally. In addition, Goalkeeper George Tasouris recorded an outstanding eight individual shutouts and played a pivotal role in all 10 of the team's shutout victories, the most since 1990.


Cole coached ten players that earned All-WCC honors, with Cambridge being named Offensive Player of the Year and Tasouris receiving the co-goalkeeper of the year title. Additionally, multiple players were recognized with All-Region Honors, including Cambridge, Pierre, Nava, and Fernandez. Cambridge was further acknowledged as a third team All-American by College Soccer News.


Three players under his guidance earned opportunities to pursue professional careers, signing contracts with MLS Clubs. Brandon Cambridge's rights were traded to Charlotte FC, where he signed a multi-year contract, while Delentz Pierre inked a homegrown contract with Real Salt Lake. Gurman Sangha secured an MLS NEXT Pro contract with Charlotte FC affiliate Crown Legacy, showcasing the caliber of talent within the program..


Prior to University of Portland, Brad was an Assistant Coach at Cornell University from 2020 to 2022. Cole assisted Cornell in the recruitment of the #22 ranked 2021 recruiting class, as ranked by Top Drawer Soccer.


Fall of 2021 was Cole’s first competitive season with the Big Red due to the Covid cancellation of 2020. Cornell finished with a record of 11-3-2, their most successful season since 2012. The Big Red spent 4 weeks in the United Soccer Coaches top 25 poll with their highest ranking coming in at 19th in the nation on October 12th.


Cole’s responsibilities included attacking and defending set pieces. The Big Red scored 11 set piece goals with an additional 5 penalties while only conceding 5 set piece goals.


In addition to team success, Tyler Bagley won the NCAA Division I scoring title, leading the nation in points per game (2.19). He also finished tied for fourth in total points (35) and goals per game (0.88), and sixth in goals (14). Following the season, he was chosen in the MLS SuperDraft as the 54th pick overall by Inter Miami FC.


At the conclusion of the season, Cornell senior midfielder Tyler Bagley earned first team All-Northeast Region honors and junior forward Emeka Eneli earned second team All-Northeast Region honors.


The team earned five All-Ivy League honors for the 2021 season. Fifth-year midfielder Tyler Bagley was one of two unanimous first team honorees. Bagley was joined on the first team by freshman defender Wilson Eisner and senior forward Emeka Eneli. Eisner is the first Cornell freshman to earn All-Ivy League first team honors since 1997. Senior midfielder Jonah Kagen and fifth-year midfielder Harry Fuller were named to the second team.


Before Cornell, Cole spent a total of 4 years on staff at the University of Vermont, his alma mater, fulfilling 1 year as a Graduate Assistant, 2 years as Director of Operations, and 1 year as an Assistant Coach. During his time with the Catamounts they won 2 regular season titles and 1 America East Conference Tournament Championship. Cole coached 2 players who were chosen in the MLS Superdraft, Brian Wright (New England Revolution) and Geo Alves (DC United). Multiple players received conference awards during his time with Vermont including Brian Wright (Striker of the Year), Geo Alves (Striker of the Year), Aron Runarrson (Goalkeeper of the Year), and Rasmus Tobinski (Rookie of the Year).


After graduating from the University of Vermont, Brad played in the Welsh 2nd Division for Buckley Town FC in 2016. He played center back and right wingback for Buckley Town, scoring three goals and serving as captain during a Welsh Cup match. During his time in the UK, he also served as a coaching intern at Crewe Alexandra FC, a professional club playing in EFL League 2 in England, working with the U18's and spending time observing the first team’s best practices.


A player for the University of Vermont Catamounts from 2010-2014, Cole played right back and defensive midfield at Vermont prior to joining the coaching staff as a graduate assistant. In addition to being named team captain as a senior, Cole was the recipient of the Russell O. Sunderland Memorial Trophy, an award presented to a University of Vermont student-athlete who overcomes obstacles and maintains a high quality of play and academic prowess.


Brad grew up in South Hero, Vermont. He spent his youth playing for Far Post Soccer Club in Burlington, VT, and began his coaching career there primarily with boys aged 12 to 18 acting as a Head Coach and Director of Coaching.

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