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Ciaran Traquair
Head Coaching Record: 82-114-9 (10 Years)
Record at The Citadel: 52-72-7 (Seven Years)
Ciaran Traquair has been at the helm of The Citadel women’s soccer program for seven seasons. He was named the fourth head coach in program history in January of 2016.
On September 23, 2022, Traquair became the all-time winningest coach in program history after the Bulldogs' 1-0 victory over Samford earned him his 48th career win at The Citadel. Traquair's .423 winning percentage is also the top mark in school history.
The 2022 campaign saw the Bulldogs go 10-9 to record consecutive double-digit win seasons for the first time in program history while setting the school record for SoCon wins with four. The Citadel also won a match in the conference tournament for the fourth straight season, excluding the compressed 2020-21 SoCon Tournament.
Under Traquair's tutelage, senior Suzuka Yosue earned All-Southern Conference First Team honors for the third straight season, a first in school history. Additionally, freshmen Elisa Fuentes and Celeste Nadar garnered All-Freshman team accolades.
The 2021 edition of The Citadel Bulldogs earned the second-highest win total in program history with a 10-7-2 record as they reached the SoCon Tournament Quarterfinals, with their matchup against Furman decided in overtime. The Citadel set program records for points (120), goals (43), assists (34), goals allowed (22), goals allowed average (1.16), save percentage (.838), and shutouts (eight).
In 2019, the Bulldogs recorded six wins, including the program’s first-ever victory over North Dakota, a 2-0 road victory over rival VMI, and a 1-0 win over ETSU in the opening round of the Southern Conference Tournament.
The win over VMI on the road marked the first road victory for the Bulldogs in the series since the 2014 season, and the 2018 win at home, marks just the second time in series history that the Bulldogs won back-to-back games over the Keydets. The win over ETSU in the opening round of the 2019 SoCon Soccer Championships not only gave the Bulldogs a win over the Bucs in two of the last three seasons, a first in series history, but it was also the first time in program history that The Citadel had notched a tournament win in back-to-back years as the 2018 Bulldogs defeated Wofford, 3-2, in Spartanburg.
The 2019 Bulldogs set the program record for most shots on goal in a season with 141, and the Bulldogs’ goalkeepers matched the program record of five shutouts. Two of Ciaran’s teams, the 2016 and 2019 squads, have achieved the mark.
For the second straight year, the Bulldogs scored at least 30 goals with 31, marking the first time in program history the ‘Dogs had back-to-back seasons with at least 30 goals scored. The 31 goals scored rank fifth in program history, while the Bulldogs’ 27 assists rank third behind the 2018’s program-record 30 and the 2009 team’s 29.
After the 2018 season saw six first-time goal scorers, matching the program record set by the 2002 squad and matched by the 2010 team, the 2019 team set the program record with eight first-time collegiate goal scorers, including Kate Manzione, Paige Davis, Jenna Adcock, SuzukaYosue, Hayley Long, Marie Le Gallo, Ani Ford, and Brooke Cheatham.
In goal, Maddie Somogyi secured three solo shutouts, giving her the most in a season since Logan Leask recorded three during the 2016 campaign, while Yosue matched the program record of seven assists on the year.
Following the season, Yosue earned All-Southern Conference second team honors, becoming the first Bulldog since 2014 to earn the honor. Yosue also earned SoCon All-Tournament honors, the first for a Bulldog since the 2010 campaign, and was named to the All-Freshman team. Ten Bulldogs were named to the Academic All-SoCon Team, the most in program history.
The 2018 season was a breakout year for the Bulldogs under Traquair. The ‘Dogs improved their win total by four from the 2017 campaign, won two Southern Conference games for the first time since 2014, and won a game in the opening round of the Southern Conference Soccer Championship for the first time in four years.
Along the way, the Bulldogs bested both ETSU and North Florida for the first time in program history and started the season off 3-0 for the third straight year. The Bulldogs defeated VMI at home for the first time since 2004 and went undefeated at home in non-conference action for the first time in program history.
The Bulldogs were featured by NCAA Soccer on Twitter and Instagram numerous times, including two Top-Five Plays of the Week, including the No. play of the week on Aug. 22 and the No. 2 play on Oct. 5.
The Citadel set program team records in three statistical categories, including assists (30), shots taken (334), and corner kicks taken (105), while also tying the program mark for points (98). The ‘Dogs held opponents to the fewest shots in program history (268) and fewest assists (22).
The Bulldogs entered conference play in the top-25 in the nation in six statistical categories, including tied for 14th with an average of 7.88 points per game and 15th with a scoring average of 2.75 goals per contest. The Citadel's 22 goals in the non-conference portion of the season were tied for the 17th-most in the nation and their 63 points to that part of the season had them 21st in NCAA Division I, including the 23rd-most assists (19) and the 24th-most assists per game (2.38).
Graduate transfer goalkeeper Kelly Brahmbhatt set the program record for wins in a season with eight as the Bulldogs’ four keepers combined to post a 2.03 goals against average, the fifth-best average in program history and an improvement over the 2017 season. The keepers combined for 91 saves and a save percentage of .700 to go along with two shutouts.
Freshman Kessy Bradshaw earned the Bulldogs’ first post-season honor since 2014, being named to the Southern Conference All-Freshman Team.
Following the season, 21 players picked up SoCon Honor Roll honors for maintaining at least a 3.3 GPA or higher for the entire 2018-19 academic year, and eight players earned the SoCon Commissioner’s Medal for maintaining a 3.5 GPA or higher for the entire academic year. Four players, including Ellie Burgess, Maria Contreras, Logan Dix, and Hannah Roth, earned Academic All-SoCon honors.
In his second season (2017), the Bulldogs posted a 5-13 record. The mark included winning four of their first five games, something no previous Bulldog team had done before. The Bulldogs saw an uptick in offensive production as they scored 20 goals, eight more than the season before, and the most since the 2014 team scored 34 goals.
In his first year at the helm of the Bulldogs program, Traquair led The Citadel to its best start in school history as the team opened the season with three consecutive victories. Under Traquair’s direction, the 2016 squad was the first in program history to open a season with three straight shutouts and tied the program’s single-season record with five shutouts. The Bulldogs also posted the first win in program history at Wofford, downing the Terriers 1-0 on Oct. 6, 2016. The Citadel finished the season with five wins, the most in Citadel soccer history by a first-year head coach as Traquair and company posted road wins over Alabama A&M, Wofford, and Hampton.
The Bulldogs finished the season with the lowest goals against average (1.62) in six years and posted the highest save percentage (.797) in program history. Traquair also guided freshmen goalkeeper Logan Leask to a record-breaking campaign as she recorded the highest save percentage (.797) in program history and the lowest goals against average (1.54) in a season.
Before The Citadel, Traquair spent the previous two seasons as head coach at Anderson University following a two-year stint in charge at Wesleyan College.
Traquair led Anderson to a program-record 14 wins in 2015 and a No. 8 ranking in the final NSCAA Southeast Region poll. The Trojans finished the season in the South Atlantic Conference Championship semifinal round with a 14-4-1 overall record and produced five All-SAC performers, the most in program history. IdoiaAgirre was a first-team All-SAC selection after leading the conference with 22 goals and 51 points and notching seven assists to tie teammate Kenzie Van Heusen for second in the SAC. In 2014, his first season at the helm, he directed Lyssa Engle to SAC Freshman of the Year and first-team All-SAC honors while leading the Trojans to seven victories.
He formerly served as Director of Coaching for the Clemson Anderson Soccer Alliance, where he oversaw the day-to-day organization of the entire club. He implemented an academy and select curriculum while also being responsible for coaching education, player development and serving as the staff coach for the U14 girl’s select team.
Traquair’s first head coaching opportunity was at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia, where he turned the program from a 0-19 mark in 2012 to 9-9 in 2013. The Wolves’ nine wins in 2013 were their most in 12 seasons and followed Coach Traquair bringing in the largest recruiting class in Wesleyan history to stabilize the program. Ten of his 17 signees earned all-conference recognition. During his time at Wesleyan, he also was the Director of Girls Select at Central Georgia Soccer Association, where he coordinated weekly training sessions for several teams within the club. He worked with youth to high school athletes, including summer and preseason camps preparing high school prospects for the college level.
He began his coaching career in 2007 at Young Harris College in Young Harris, Georgia, as an assistant for the women’s team. That year, the Mountain Lions won the Georgia Junior College Athletic Association championship and were ranked as high as No. 1 in the country.
In 2008, he returned to his alma mater, Shorter College, where he was an assistant coach for the men’s team for two seasons. He worked with the goalkeepers and organized pre-game scouting reports. The Hawks won the 2008 SSAC regular season championship and earned an NAIA national ranking of No. 16.
In his final stop before taking the head coaching job at Wesleyan, Traquair spent three seasons at Young Harris as an assistant with the men’s soccer program. While with the Mountain Lions, he was a major part of putting together one of the top recruiting classes in Division II that eventually helped Young Harris climb to No. 1 in the final NSCAA regular season ranking. During his time at Young Harris, the Mountain Lions transitioned into Division II. He worked with the NCAA and the Young Harris compliance office to prepare the program for the move.
Traquair has earned an NSCAA Premier Diploma, an NSCAA Advanced National Diploma, an NSCAA National Diploma, and a Scottish Football Association – Early Touches E and D License. Also, he served as a select coach for the District Training Centre for Olympic Development Selection.
The Coatbridge, Scotland, native played at Shorter College in Rome, Georgia. He was a two-time team captain and was voted team MVP in each of his final three seasons. In his senior season, he led the nation in assists during the regular season and was voted first-team all-conference. Following his collegiate playing career, he played for Mississippi Brilla FC in 2008 and for the National Professional Soccer League’s Chattanooga FC in 2009 and 2010.
Traquair earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Shorter in 2007 and a master’s in business administration from Shorter in 2010.
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