|
 With
the tradition of William and Mary as one of the elite academic institutions
in the nation year-after-year, head coach John Daly injects similar
excellence into the College’s women’s soccer program.
Entering his 18th year at the helm of the W&M program, Daly prides
himself in keeping the Tribe as one of the top soccer programs in the
nation and a threat for the sport’s elusive prize - the national
championship.
Daly is one of the most successful coaches in America, ranking in the
top-10 in victories (255) and winning percentage (.719) among his Division
I peers. He has also directed W&M to the NCAA post-season 16 times,
including the last 12 seasons in a row. In 2004 the Tribe advanced to the
NCAA Tournament again, defeating Virginia Tech in the first round before
falling at North Carolina.
On Oct. 11, 2000, Daly achieved his 200th career victory with an exciting,
1-0, overtime win against Richmond.
The Tribe was ranked for 19 consecutive seasons among the country’s
top-20 programs, including a program-high No. 3 ranking during the 1994
campaign. W&M is one of three colleges (along with Connecticut and
North Carolina) to hold the nation’s record of 20-straight winning
seasons since 1982.
On the field during Daly’s tutelage, 11 W&M soccer players have
garnered a total of 24 All-America honors, including two National Players
of the Year in Megan McCarthy (1987) and four-time All-American Natalie
Neaton (1995). In addition, three Tribe players have earned Academic
All-America recognition, including Robin Lotze, a three-time selection, and
Janet Sury, who earned second-team honors in 2001.
Daly has earned three CAA Coach of the Year (1993, 1994, 1999) and VaSID
Coach of the Year (1994, 1998, 1999) honors. His 1994 team set eight school
records, including goals in a season (87) and most goals in a single match
(15). During the 1999 season, with nine freshmen on the roster, the Tribe
turned in a school-record .826 winning percentage (19-4) and earned a trip
to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.
Daly has also earned Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year honors four times
(1989, 1990, 1992, 1997). In addition to the NCAA appearances, Daly led the
Tribe to the prestigious WAGS (Washington Area Girls’ Soccer) title
in 1987 when it defeated North Carolina in a shootout (4-3).
Daly added another honor to his resume during the 2000 season when he was
named the 1999-2000 William and Mary Society of the Alumni Coach of the
Year.
A key figure in the W&M soccer scene long before taking over as head
women’s coach in 1987, Daly was an assistant coach of the
then-women’s club team on a guest basis back in 1979. In 1986, he was
a full-time assistant before ascending to his present position.
Active at many levels of soccer, Daly served as coach of the Region I
(East) team that traveled to Holland and Italy in March 1989. In addition,
he is a Region I Olympic Development coach with the United States Youth
Soccer Association and has coached the Virginia under-19 girls’
soccer team. Currently, Daly is the under-17 Region I Assistant Coach.
In April of 2000, Daly, a native of London, England, recited the Oath of
Allegiance, becoming a United States citizen after residing in America for
the last 20 years.
|
Kevin
Denson begins his fourth season with the Tribe bringing a wealth of
coaching experience from a number of soccer affiliations.