Davidson College

Davidson College Athletics
209 Ridge Rd. Davidson, NC 28036

Division 1 North Carolina Southeast

Private Small National competitor

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Coaches

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Adam Denton

Adam Denton joined the Davidson staff in 2013 and became the program’s fourth head coach in December, 2016 after a stint as associate head coach.

The 2021 campaign will be his fifth at the helm and comes after significant strides the previous two seasons. The two-year upswing included a 15-12-6 record and peaked with an Atlantic 10 championship game appearance in the spring of 2021, after the 2020 fall season was delayed by COVID-19. Denton was named A-10 Coach of the Year.

The 20-21 Wildcats went 7-4-3 with a 4-2-2 mark in league play, tops in the A-10 South Division. After going 2-2 in the first half of the league season, Davidson improved to 2-0-2 in the second to reach the A-10 postseason for the first time, despite the bracket being trimmed to just four teams. The Wildcats reached the final after a 1-0 semifinal win over UMass, with Ali Menard’s goal 25 seconds into the match holding up. A Hailey Braemer goal gave Davidson a 1-0 lead in the A-10 final in a 2-1 loss to top-seeded Saint Louis, which completed its third straight unbeaten league season.

Goalkeeper Mary Grace Bunch was named to the A-10 First Team, while Braemer, the team leader in goals, assists and points, was named to the A-10 Second Team. Bunch, Braemer, Menard and Katherine Smith were named to the A-10 All-Championship Team.

The 2019 season was also a breakthrough for Denton’s Wildcats. They went 8-8-3 and set multiple school records, including eight straight shutouts, the best A-10 finish and the most A-10 Player of the Week honors (six). The Wildcats also had the second-ranked defense in the league and the program’s longest unbeaten streak (eight games) since 2009, the most shutouts since 2019 (nine) and the most wins since 2011. Bunch earned A-10 Second Team honors and ranked second in the league in both saves percentage (.875) and goals against average (0.57), while ranking 13th and 23rd nationally, respectively. Sabine Chandler set the school record for quickest goal scored in a game, scoring 21 seconds into the Oct. 24 contest with VCU.

Denton credited the statistical and win-loss strides taken in 2019 with the work put in during previous seasons. During his first two years as head coach, Denton focused on building a successful foundation for a team that could compete in the A-10. He’s seen steady improvement, as the team has scored more goals and allowed less each year, including a 21-20 goals advantage in 2019 and a 20-10 margin in the 2021 spring.

"The players continue to be receptive to the changes we are making within the program, as we build a program ready to compete within the A-10 Conference," said Denton. "These changes are not overnight and are implemented over time in a way that our athletes can be successful on the field and also in the classroom."

Denton was an assistant and associate head coach while Davidson was part of the Southern Conference and then helped the Wildcats transition into the A-10 in 2014.

Goalkeeper Becca Ravitz was selected as A-10 Defensive Player of the Week in the 2017 season, and Natalie Connell was selected to the A-10 All-Academic Team in 2018. She also earned the prestigious Watson Fellowship, the second women's soccer player in the past three years to earn the fellowship.

The Wildcats continue to excel in the classroom, continually maintaining a team GPA above 3.0 and obtaining the United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award. In addition, a majority of the roster qualifies for the A-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll.

Prior to his addition to the Davidson women’s soccer staff, Denton was the Elite Club National League Director of Coaching at Charlotte Soccer Academy from 2009-2013. During his tenure at CSA, he helped develop CSA into a regionally and nationally ranked program.

Prior to the forming of CSA, Denton was a director of coaching at Charlotte Soccer Club from 2003-2009 where the teams under his direction won 12 N.C. state championships and achieved numerous regional tournament victories. During this time, Denton began serving on the Region 3 ODP and North Carolina ODP staffs. He continues to stay involved with ODP and regional scouting.

Denton was a standout college player at Wingate, earning All-American honors in 1999. He broke onto the college scene as the South Atlantic Conference Freshman of the Year in 1997 and went on to be All-SAC and All-Region each of his four years. Denton graduated from Wingate in 2001 with a B.S. in sports management.

He played three years of professional soccer, playing with Everton FC in his hometown of Liverpool, England from 1995-1997. He holds multiple coaching licenses, including the USSF “A” license, the NSCAA Premier Diploma, the UEFA “B” license and the USSF Goalkeeping license.

Denton resides in Huntersville with his wife, Brittany, and two sons, Aiden and Leo.

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Meghan Gill

Meghan Gill begins her fourth year as assistant coach for the Davidson women's soccer team after joining the program in June of 2018. She added the role of recruiting coordinator prior to the 2021 season, after helping the Wildcats go 15-12-6 in a two-year span and reach the Atlantic 10 Tournament final in the 2021 spring.

Gill came to Davidson after a two-year stint at Davis & Elkins College in Elkins, West Virginia, as the head coach of the Senators women's soccer program. She led the Senators to their first-ever NCAA Tournament in 2016.

"I would like to thank head coach Denton, director of operations Madison See, and the search committee for the opportunity to join the Davidson College Women's Soccer program," said Gill. "Knowing Davidson College's culture of academic prowess and athletic competitiveness, I am excited to join coach Denton and the Wildcats staff to continue to develop our student-athletes into successful people, incredible academics, and driven players. Coach Denton has a tremendous vision for the Davidson College women's soccer program, and I look forward to joining this team to continue the growth and traditions of it."

During her first year at the helm in 2016, Gill took over a D&E team that was coming off a Great Midwest Athletic Conference Regular-Season Championship title and bested that mark by leading the Senators to the 2016 Great Midwest Athletic Conference Championship Tournament title and the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament berth. In addition, she had two players earn All-GMAC honors and another two players get named to the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2 CCA) All-Midwest Region team.

Gill came to Elkins after serving as the assistant coach for Columbia (Mo.) College's soccer programs over the last four seasons. She spent the last two seasons as the primary assistant coach after spending her first two seasons as the graduate assistant coach.

She joined the Cougars women's program for their inaugural season in 2012. During that span, she helped guide Columbia to 55 wins, along with three AMC Regular Season championships, two AMC Tournament Championships, and three NAIA National Tournament Appearances.

Gill was recognized before the 2015 season as one of 15 women by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America in the 30-under-30 program, designated for the top up-and-coming coaches in the game.

The Lock Haven, Pa. native also worked with the men's program in Columbia, as they also tallied 55 wins during the span with an AMC regular season championship. The Cougars had a pair of trips to the NAIA National Tournament, reaching the Sweet 16 and the Elite 8.

Prior to her move to Missouri, Gill spent five years in State College, Pa. as a midfielder and defender for the Nittany Lions under head coach Erica Dambach. Gill, who was a part of five consecutive Big Ten regular season championship teams, made 42 appearances in her career, scoring three goals and recording two assists. She was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten recipient and took home second-team all-conference honors during her sophomore year in 2008.

Gill holds a United Soccer Coaches (formerly NSCAA) Premier National Diploma license and a USSF 'C' license.

A graduate of Penn State in 2012, Gill earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in accounting. She also obtained a master's degree in business administration from Columbia College in 2013.

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Errin Stanton

In 2021, Errin Stanton is entering his third year as goalkeepers coach with the Davidson women's soccer program.

While at Davidson, he's coached one of the top goalkeepers around in Mary Grace Bunch, a two-time All-Atlantic 10 selection.

“I’m very happy to add Errin to our women’s soccer staff,” head coach Adam Denton said upon Stanton's hiring. “His background in goalkeeping as a coach and as an experienced player will not only benefit our goalkeepers, but also our whole team. “Errin has been involved in soccer at many levels and now has the opportunity to continue his coaching at the college level as part of our staff.”

Stanton was a former standout goalkeeper at Pfeiffer University. During his career, he earned All-Region Honorable Mention, and was a two-time All-CVAC and First Team All-Defensive honors. Stanton still ranks in the Pfeiffer single-season record books in season low goals against average (0.93), shutout record of seven and was part of a team that produced 10 consecutive wins.

A four-year starter at Pfeiffer, Stanton played professionally in the US USL(D3), A-League and MLS levels. He has coached teams and goalkeepers at the high school, elite club and semi-professional elite club levels.

“I would like to thank Adam and the Davidson Community for the opportunity to join the Wildcat women's soccer program,” said Stanton. “I am excited to join coach Denton and the staff to continue to develop our scholar athletes. Coach Denton has an outstanding vision for the Davidson College women's soccer program, and I look forward to joining this team to continue the growth and traditions.”

A 1998 graduate from Pfeiffer, Stanton earned is degree in criminal justice.

He resides in Charlotte with his wife Jena, and two sons Elijah and Julian.