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Dave Clarke
Continuity is an essential part of a successful athletic program, and in 25 seasons at the helm of Quinnipiac soccer, head coach Dave Clarke has brought just that.
Now entering his 25th season in 2025, Clarke has firmly cemented himself as one of the premier college coaches in the NCAA’s highest division. He effectively etched his signature on Quinnipiac soccer by becoming not only the winningest coach in its history but also leading his team to an NCAA Tournament berth in 2000 and a regular season championship in 2001. In 21 seasons as a head coach, Clarke has a 245-203-47 overall record, which features a 227-169-44 mark while at Quinnipiac.
In the 2023 season, the Bobcats earned the #1 seed in the MAAC Tournament as they finished the regular season with a 13-4-1 overall record and a 9-0-1 conference mark. Two one-goal games powered the Bobcats to their second straight MAAC title. The Bobcats went back to the NCAA Tournament, where they faced Ivy League powerhouse Brown. Clarke was awarded the conference’s Coach of the Year Award after leading the Bobcats to another MAAC Title. Courtney Chochol earned the MAAC Golden Boot Award after leading the league with 23 points and nine assists. Sofia Lospinoso was named the league’s top goalkeeper and earned the MAAC Golden Glove award. Lospinso was tied for second in the MAAC with six clean sheets in the 2023 regular season. Three Bobcats (Markela Bejleri, Olivia Scott, and Kayla Mingachos) were named Tri-Defensive Players of the Year after a dominating season on the Quinnipiac back line. Seven members of the team were voted to the All-MAAC First Team, and two were named to both the All-MAAC Second Team and Third Team.
Quinnipiac had a phenomenal 2022 season, going 15-3-1 and winning nine of ten conference games. Clarke led the Bobcats to the MAAC Tournament as the number one seed and faced the #6-seeded Canisius Golden Griffins in the Semifinal. Rebecca Cooke’s penalty kick goal in the 81st minute stood as the only goal Quinnipiac needed to advance to the MAAC Final. The Bobcats matched up with the Niagara Purple Eagles and defeated them 4-0 to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2000. Rebecca Cooke earned the MAAC’s Golden Boot Award for the league’s top goal scorer. The Bobcats placed seven athletes on the All-MAAC First Team, two on the All-MAAC Second Team, and one on the All-MAAC Third Team.
The Bobcats advanced to the MAAC Semifinal round of the playoffs in the 2019 season. Clarke and the team earned 10 wins on the season, which was the most since the 2016 season. As one of the youngest teams in program history, the first-year players pulled their weight and contributed immensely to the team's success. Meaghan Phillips earned MAAC Rookie of the Year honors after a superb first-year campaign in the net.
The 2016 campaign was one of the best in program history as the Bobcats went 12-7-1 while advancing to their first MAAC Championship game. Clarke led the Bobcats into a conference championship game for just the third time in program history and the first since winning the Northeast Conference in 2000. The 12-win season was the program's winningest campaign since 2001 as the 12 wins tied for the third-highest single-season win total in the program's Division I history (since 1998). Quinnipiac's 3-0 MAAC quarterfinal home win over Canisius marked the program's first postseason win in 16 years while also ensuring an undefeated home record in 2016 as the Bobcats' 9-0 mark in Hamden signaled just the third time in program history Quinnipiac went undefeated at home (first since 2001).
Clarke recently was inducted to the Irish American Soccer Hall of Fame in March of 2015 at the second annual awards banquet. Hailing from Ireland, Clarke's accomplishments at the collegiate level and within US National Soccer have not gone unnoticed. Clarke traveled to the FIFA U17 World Cup as an assistant coach/analyst for the U.S. National Team and was part of the staff that won the 2018 CONCACAF U17 Championship. He was a member of Laura Harvey's US U20 WNT staff which won the CONCACAF Championship and qualified for the FIFA World Cup. He currently serves as a staff coach for the US Soccer Youth National Team program and has recently worked with the U17, U20 and U23 national teams. In 2013, Clarke was named to the Irish Sports Top 50, which is an award presented by the Irish Voice that recognizes notable Irish figures in sports. In Sept. of 2008, Clarke was asked to assist the Irish National Women's Soccer Team when they played in the "Achieve Your Gold" Tournament hosted by the U.S. Women's National Team.
In addition to his prowess on the field of play, Clarke earned national recognition for his ‘#26 Uniform Auction’ for Sandy Hook that established a scholarship fund in memory of the lives lost in Newtown back in December. Clarke teamed up with Eric Da Costa of the Quinnipiac men's soccer team who shared a vision to help raise more than $30,000 in a month, surpassing its original goal of $25,000. Most recently, through efforts from the annual 4x4 alumni tournament as well as a preseason game against Hartford in the 2015 season, Clarke raised over $5,000 for Reagan Carey, a local teenager who fought off a rare form of cancer known as Ewing’s Sarcoma.
Clarke was named to the 2013 Irish Sports Top 50, which is an award presented by the Irish Voice that recognizes notable Irish figures in sports. The most notable honorees included the likes of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, former University of Connecticut men's basketball head coach Jim Calhoun, New York Mets manager Terry Collins, New York Giants head coach Tom Coughlin, IMG Worldwide CEO Michael J. Dolan, Los Angeles Galaxy star Robbie Keane, University of Notre Dame football head coach Brian Kelly, New York Giants president and CEO John Mara, professional tennis legend John McEnroe, Miami Heat president Pat Riley and Texas Rangers CEO Nolan Ryan.
The Bobcats enjoyed a much-improved, turnaround 2015 campaign as Quinnipiac finished 8-8-1 overall, a five-win mark up from the three-win 2014 season. The five-win improvement ranked in the Top 10 in the country while his team did so while fielding the largest freshmen class (13) in program history. The eight-win season included three dramatic overtime victories, including a double overtime game-winner at home over traditional regional power Monmouth. Nadya Gill earned MAAC Rookie of the Year honors and a spot on the All-MAAC Second Team while three freshmen (Gill, Jess Gargan, Sarahkate Norton) were named to the MAAC All-Rookie Team.
Quinnipiac's second season in the MAAC saw the emergence of a talented sophomore class, spearheaded by Jessica Fontaine. She was tabbed Second Team All-MAAC at seasons end, leading the team in goals and points throughout the campaign. This youthful Bobcat squad also sustained its academic excellence with yet another team award given by the NSCAA.
Clarke encountered his newest challenge in 2013 when Quinnipiac played its first season in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). The Bobcats went .500 in conference play (3-3-4) and earned the #7 seed in the MAAC Tournament. Quinnipiac suffered a difficult 1-0 loss in the first round of the tournament, but nonetheless managed to find success in its inaugural season. Two of Quinnipiac’s five ties came against the top two teams in the league, while three players earned All-MAAC honors at the conference banquet. The women’s soccer program also received the National Soccer Coaches Association of American (NSCAA) Team Academic Award for the 2012-13 academic school year – an award that the program has earned with consistency over the last several seasons.
In his final season in the Northeast Conference, Clarke guided Quinnipiac to its most wins since the 2007 season and its highest winning percentage since 2001. The senior-laden Bobcats raced out of the gates and boasted the program’s best-ever start through five games with a 4-0-1 record. Due in large part to its high-octane defensive pressure, Quinnipiac posted four shutouts during the stretch – a stint that included wins over Big East foe Providence, Vermont, Holy Cross and Hartford.
In 2011, Quinnipiac went 9-6-2 overall and 5-4-1 in the Northeast Conference - making it three out of the last four seasons with a winning record in NEC competition. At the end of the season, Shauna Edwards was recognized by the Northeast Conference and NSCAA for the second straight year. Goalkeeper Jill Kelley also wrapped up a stellar career as she concluded her career with 26 wins and 18 shutouts in Bobcats’ uniform – both ranking her top five all-time in program history.
Clarke’s 2011 season featured a number of accolades for the Bobcats, despite falling two wins short of another NEC Tournament bid. Under Clarke’s tutelage, Kyla Miles and Shauna Edwards were selected to the NEC All-Conference Second Team, while Jess Lavoie was selected to the NEC All-Rookie Team.
In 2010, Clarke led the Bobcats to a 7-7-4 overall record and 5-2-3 mark in Northeast Conference play. Quinnipiac made its second straight appearance into the NEC Tournament, but was eliminated in penalty kicks in a semifinal match-up against Saint Francis University (Pa.). Furtuna Velaj and Jillian Strassner each received All-Conference honors, while Jen Hartman and Kyla Miles were selected to the 2010 NEC All-Tournament team.
Quinnipiac finished the 2009 season at 7-2-1 in the NEC, making its first appearance to the NEC Tournament since 2004. The Bobcats finished the year at 8-7-2 overall and fell short in the semifinals to Monmouth, 1-0. Jillian Strassner was named NEC Rookie of the Year, while also receiving All-Conference First Team laurels. Furtuna Velaj and Hanne Walleck were also named All-NEC, while Walleck and Kristina Del Mistro were selected to the NEC All-Tournament team.
In the 2008 season, Clarke coached the Bobcats to a 7-7-2 overall record and just narrowly missed the post-season by four points. Clarke brought in standout Furtuna Velaj who led the Northeast Conference in points (31), goals (15) and game-winning goals (7) in just her first season. Velaj was also named to the NEC All-Conference Team at season’s end.
The Bobcats finished both the 2006 and 2007 seasons with 9-7-2 records and Clarke saw five of his players make it onto the NEC All-Conference Team.
Though the Bobcats suffered through an injury-plagued 2005 season while registering a 6-10-3 record, Clarke’s squad still performed academically, earning the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Team Academic Award for exemplary performance in the classroom. The team posted a 3.04 grade point average.
In 2004, the Bobcats finished 8-9-2 with a 5-2-2 mark in the Northeast Conference. Quinnipiac earned the fourth and final spot in the NEC Tournament. The Bobcats were defeated in the semifinals by eventual NEC Champion, Central Connecticut State University. Quinnipiac edged CCSU 1-0 during the regular season. In addition, the Bobcats had the NEC Player and Rookie of the Year in Kirsten van de Ven.
In 2003, the Bobcats just missed out on a NEC tournament bid and closed with a 4-3-2 mark in league action. In 2002, the Bobcats were decimated by injuries, losing several top players for large portions of the season. Nevertheless, the Bobcats were in the hunt for a Northeast Conference playoff spot up until the final weekend of the year. The Bobcats finished the season with a 3-12-1 mark, but were 3-4-1 in Northeast Conference play. In 2001, QU went 12-6 and won the Northeast Conference regular season title. Unfortunately, its hopes for a second straight NCAA tournament bid fell short when Quinnipiac lost in the league tournament semifinals.
Back in 2000, Clarke led Quinnipiac to the Northeast Conference tournament title and a berth in the NCAA tournament. The women’s soccer team was the first of any kind in school history to qualify for the NCAA tournament at the Division I level. Once Quinnipiac reached the NCAA’s, it knocked off Loyola (Md.) by a score of 2-1 in a play-in game. From there, QU lost to Harvard by that same tally in a first round contest. Under Clarke’s guidance, Quinnipiac finished the 2000 season with a 13-7-1 mark. During that off-season, Clarke was selected to the USSF National Instructional Staff, the highest level of coaching and educating in the United States.
In his first season back in 1999, Clarke led Quinnipiac to a 16-5 record and a berth in the Northeast Conference championship game.
Clarke has been recognized for his coaching ability in several levels of play. In September of 2008, Clarke was asked to assist the Irish National Women’s Soccer Team when they played in the “Achieve Your Gold” Tournament hosted by the U.S. Women’s National Team. Clarke worked directly under the head coach, Noel King, with whom he’s had a long-standing relationship in the world of soccer. Clarke’s official role under King was scouting and identification of players. It was Clarke’s first time coaching at that level, and he was able to help out the Irish team for their three matches against the U.S.
Before Quinnipiac, Clarke served as the head women’s soccer coach of the highly-successful University of New Haven program from 1997-99. At UNH, Clarke posted an overall record of 18-14-3 in his two seasons, including an impressive 12-5-1 mark in 1998. As a result, Clarke was named the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Women’s Soccer Coach of the Year.
Clarke has been extremely active in both men’s and women’s soccer in the state of Connecticut. He is a License Instructor for the United States Soccer Federation. Clarke was also a staff coach with both Connecticut and Region I Olympic Development Programs. He holds a USSF ‘A’ License, a National Youth License, the NSCAA Advanced National Diploma and coaching qualifications from Ireland, England and Holland. Clarke also teaches the A Youth and A Senior Licenses.
Clarke also served as an assistant coach for the Connecticut Wolves A-League Team from 1996-98. Following a successful collegiate playing career at Central Connecticut, Clarke also played six seasons as a professional for the Wolves from 1993 to 1998.
Clarke was also the head boys’ soccer coach at Newington High School from 1994-96, winning two consecutive Central Connecticut Conference titles.
A 1992 graduate of Central Connecticut State University, the Ireland native earned a bachelor’s of science degree in physical education. He served as an assistant coach for the Blue Devils from 1991-93. As an undergraduate, Clarke was a three-year recipient of the CCSU Scholar-Athlete Award (1989, 1990, and 1991).
Clarke graduated with a master’s degree in journalism at Quinnipiac in 2010. As part of his program, he interned with the US Men’s and Women’s National Team, the New England Revolution of MLS and the Boston Breakers of WPS. He received his degree in May of 2010 and previously taught a section of Quinnipiac’s freshman seminar series.
Currently, Clarke coaches with the Connecticut FC ECNL program. Overall, Clarke’s teams have won 14 state championships, a USYSA Region I Championship and a USYSA National Championship.
Clarke and his wife Kelly live in Glastonbury, Connecticut with their three daughters, Máire, Áine, and Bridget, and their one son, Kevin. Maire graduated from Quinnipiac in June of 2022, Aine graduated from QU in 2024, and Bridget and Kevin will both be seniors this fall.
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