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Jesse Cormier
Jesse Cormier was named the FGCU men’s soccer head coach on Jan. 23, 2017 and is entering his seventh season at the helm of the program in 2023.
The Eagles had a strong 2022 season recording an 8-5-4 season and being the only team in the ASUN Conference to defeat No. 10 Lipscomb (10/29/22). Cormier led FGCU to the ASUN Tournament semifinals after defeating North Florida 4-0. FGCU delivered an upset victory against Northwestern and recorded its sixth win over a Power Five school in program history dating back to victories against Penn State (2008), Ohio State (2010), South Carolina (2012), Rutgers (2016) and Michigan (2019).
The Eagles also delivered non-conference victories ove Georgia Southern, Mercer, and Florida Atlantic.
The abbreviated spring campaign in 2021 saw the Eagles post an overall 3-4-4 record as they went 2-2-2 in ASUN divisional play, claiming the top spot in the south standings. FGCU defeated UNF in the quarterfinals before taking down the north’s top seed, Bellarmine en route to the ASUN Championship game.
At the conclusion of the season, O’Vonte Mullings was named the ASUN Player of the Year, Gustavo Vasconcelos was dubbed Goalkeeper of the Year while Ethan Dudley was stabbed as Defensive Player of the Year. Shandel Senior joined the aforementioned trio on the ASUN First Team as Jahvanie Hammond landed a spot on the All-Freshman Team.
In 2019, the Eagles posted a 9-8-2 record and reached the ASUN Championship game for the fifth time in program history and the first appearance under coach Cormier's watch. In arguably the toughest schedule to date, out of the 17 teams FGCU faced in 2019, 10 of those opponents were either nationally ranked or were receiving votes in multiple polls. The Eagles defeated two ranked teams in No. 13 Michigan and No. 17 Charlotte. All said, the squad reached as high as No. 12 in 2019, just one ranking shy of the program record set back in 2016.
Four Eagles were named to the ASUN First Team (Thomas Delplace, Ryan Medilah, O'Vonte Mullings and Shak Adams). Meanwhile, Kareem Riley and Ivan Rosales landed on the Second Team as Jahan Rajaee was dubbed to the All-Academic Team.
The 2018 season saw the Eagles go 9-5-2 as they captured their seventh ASUN regular season title, Cormier’s first. The Green and Blue reached the ASUN Tournament semifinals for the eighth-straight season (every year of eligibility), as Cormier coached six all-conference selections.
Three Eagles grabbed superlative awards with Preston Kilwien being dubbed the unanimous Defensive Player of the Year, Gustavo Vasconcelos was named the ASUN Goalkeeper of the Year and O’Vonte Mullings rounded out the First Team as he earned Freshman of the Year. Kamar Marriott (Second Team) became the program’s third player drafted to the MLS as Kansas Sporting KC took him in the first round with the 21st overall pick. Meanwhile, Ethan Dudley joined Mullings on the All-Freshman team.
MLS Draftees Under Cormier
2018 - Nicholas Samayoa (NE Revolution, RD 4, #98)
2019 - Kamar Marriott (Sporting KC, RD 1, #21)
2020 - Shak Adams (Nashville SC, RD 2, #54)
In his first season in Southwest Florida, Cormier guided FGCU to an 8-6-3 (4-1-1 ASUN) record in 2017. The Eagles reached the ASUN Tournament semifinals for the seventh-straight season (every year of eligibility), and Cormier coached a program-record 10 all-conference selections.
Highlighting the all-conference recognitions was Nicholas Samayoa being named ASUN Defensive Player of the Year, and Shak Adams and Albert Ruiz joining him on the ASUN First Team.
Prior to his time with FGCU, Cormier was the head coach at Vermont for 13 seasons. He won 14 games with the Catamounts in 2016 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Second Round.
During his time with Vermont, Cormier guided the program to the America East Tournament in 12 of 13 seasons, making five title game appearances, winning two tournament crowns, claiming a regular-season championship and advancing to three NCAA tournaments, including a pair of second round appearances. In 2016, the America East ranked as the 3rd-best conference in the nation, behind only the ACC and Pac-12, and ahead of the Big Ten, Big East and Conference USA.
A 1995 Vermont alumnus, Cormier returned to Burlington after serving as an assistant coach and associate head coach at Oregon State from 2001-03. During his time in Corvallis, he helped lead the Beavers to the most successful three-year run in school history and was promoted to associate head coach prior to the 2003 campaign. Prior to his tenure at Oregon State, Cormier was the top assistant coach at West Virginia (2000) and was an assistant coach at Bradley (1997-99).
The 14 wins for Vermont in 2016 were the 2nd-most in program history. UVM – which achieved its highest RPI (20th) and national ranking (#14) that campaign – earned an at-large selection and hosted a First Round NCAA Tournament contest for only the second time in program history. A total of five Catamounts earned NSCAA All-American, NSCAA All-East Region, ECAC All-Star, America East All-Conference, All-Rookie and All-Academic honors at the end of the season. Cormier’s Vermont team scored a program-record 42 goals in 2016 – tied for the 5th-most in the nation.
In addition to all of his teams’ successes on the pitch, Cormier emphasizes off-field citizenship and academics of his student-athletes. In 2007, Vermont defender Connor Tobin was named the America East Men’s Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year. In 2006, Corey Bronner was selected as an ESPN The Magazine Men’s Soccer Academic All-American. During Cormier’s time at Vermont, every single player who competed for all four years graduated.
At Oregon State, Cormier helped transform the program into a national power with outstanding coaching and recruiting. In 2002, OSU made its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. As Oregon State’s recruiting coordinator, Cormier’s final two classes were recognized among the nation’s best by CollegeSoccerNews.com. The national website also cited Cormier as one of the outstanding assistant coaches in the country.
Cormier played at Vermont from 1991-94. He graduated ranking 6th in career points (59) and tied for 6th all-time in goals (24). He earned a spot on the America East All-Championship Team as a sophomore in 1992, leading Vermont to the conference title game. He led the team in scoring as a senior with 21 points off nine goals and three assists, and following the season he earned All-New England honors and was selected as the team’s Most Valuable Player. Cormier received his Bachelor’s degree in history from UVM.
A native of Hoosick Falls, N.Y., near the Vermont border, Cormier earned his Master’s degree in leadership and human services at Bradley – where current FGCU Athletic Director Ken Kavanagh was then the AD – in 1999. Cormier was an assistant coach on the 1998 Missouri Valley Conference Championship squad that was inducted into the Bradley Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014.
Following graduation, Cormier went on to play professionally in the United States (Cincinnati River Hawks, Connecticut Wolves) and overseas (Oxford United FC, Oxford City FC) before beginning his coaching career. Cormier and his wife, Amy, have three children, a son Kai, and daughters Parrish and Jazaher.
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