NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Brendan Faherty, a Guilford, Conn., native, has been named the Loring Family & Rudolph L. Meredith Head Coach of women’s soccer at Yale. The announcement was made by Vicky Chun, the Thomas A. Beckett Director of Athletics.

Faherty, the sixth women’s soccer coach in school history, comes to Yale from Stony Brook University where he and his staff were named America East Coaching Staff of the Year in 2016 and 2018.  Prior to Stony Brook, he was the assistant coach at the University of Washington for three seasons. 

“I am thrilled to have Brendan as the next leader of our women’s soccer program,” Chun said.  “His national reputation and credentials made him immediately stand out, but it was his vision for the future of Yale women’s soccer, his deep commitment to success both academically and athletically, his unwavering passion for student-athlete development, and the respect and love from his former student-athletes that made him the clear choice.  Brendan’s core values align perfectly with those of our university and department.” 

Under his leadership, Stony Brook experienced record-setting success.  During his three seasons, he guided the Seawolves to three straight winning seasons and conference tournament appearances, a regular season championship, a conference tournament championship and a berth in the 2017 NCAA Tournament, the school’s first NCAA appearance since 2012. 

"I am grateful to Vicky Chun and Ann-Marie Guglieri for the opportunity to lead the women's soccer program,” said Faherty.  “Yale University is a special place, and I am humbled to be able to work with some of the best student-athletes in the world.

“I would also like to thank Shawn Heilbron, Patrick Muffley and Stony Brook athletics for their support and guidance the past three years.  I was fortunate to work with a fantastic group of young women and I am forever thankful for their trust in me along with their investment in the women's soccer program. 

“I look forward to working with the incredible student-athletes, faculty, staff and alumni at Yale and making sure we do everything to ensure a `best in class’ experience for everyone associated with women’s soccer. Go Bulldogs!” 

Faherty has been successful everywhere he has coached.  In his first season at Stony Brook, his team earned its first America East playoff appearance since 2013 after notching a Division I era record six straight conference wins. He became the first first-year head coach to earn America East Coach of the Year honors and saw six players earn all-conference accolades, including two on the first team.

With a win over Hartford in the quarterfinal round of the America East Championship in 2017, Faherty recorded his 100^th career win as a collegiate head coach.

Before his arrival at Stony Brook, Faherty spent three years as the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of Washington.  During his tenure, the Huskies received two at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament, including a No. 4 seed and Sweet 16 appearance.  In addition, Faherty played a large role in securing the fifth-ranked recruiting class in the nation by TopDrawerSoccer.com. 

 

Prior to Washington, Faherty served as an assistant coach at the University of Massachusetts, where he was quickly promoted to Associate Head Coach after just two seasons.

 

Faherty’s coaching career began at the University of New Haven, where he served as the head women’s soccer coach for eight seasons, leading the Chargers to two Division II NCAA Tournament appearances.  He was named the NYCAC Coach of the Year in 2005.

In Faherty’s first year, the program finished with a record of 4-14-1. Three seasons later, New Haven had its best season in school history (17-4-1) and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time.  In 2006, the team earned another trip to the NCAA Tournament.  In both of those seasons, the program enjoyed a top 25 NSCAA Division II Ranking.  During Faherty’s tenure at UNH, the school saw its first four All-America honors, three straight conference Player of the Year awards, 13 All-Region selections, and 27 All-Conference honorees.

Faherty, who played at Northeastern University from 1996-99 and a season professionally with the Cape Cod Crusaders in the USL, holds a United States Soccer Federation “A” License and an NSCAA Advanced National Diploma. He graduated from Northeastern University with a Bachelor of Science in 2001, earned a Postgraduate Degree in the Business of Football from the University of Liverpool in 2002, and received a Master of Science in Management of Sports Industries from the University of New Haven in 2016.

Faherty will be joined in New Haven by his wife Therese and their 8-month-old daughter Ellie.

 

What They Are Saying About Brendan….

“When Brendan was hired as our new head coach, I had just finished my senior season and was weighing the options of taking my medical redshirt year or moving forward. I am so happy that I stuck around to play for Brendan, even if just for one season, because he instantly provided the structure and leadership that our team had been needing. He worked with our team’s individual and collective talents to implement a specific style of play that led us to the conference playoffs after a two-year drought. The following year, he led the team to an America East Conference title in just his second season. In addition to being a great leader and mentor on the field, he continues to be an advocate for me and my teammates in our professional lives, and for that I am incredibly grateful.”

-       Priscilla Wiggins, Stony Brook University, Captain & 2016 First Team All-America East

 

“Playing for a coach that has a will and a desire to win is always great but playing for a coach that can GIVE you the will and desire to win is on a different level. With his work ethic, communication, and passion, Coach Faherty gets you to buy into his program and gets stuff out of his players that no one else thought was possible.”

-       Selina Moylan, University of New Haven, 3-Time NSCAA All-American, Former Ireland International

 

“Brendan is one of the best coaches I’ve had in my career!  He joined the University of Washington coaching staff during my junior year and made an immediate impact.  What I really appreciate about Brendan is that he was always willing to help my teammates and I improve our individual game, whether it be by practicing free kicks before or after practice, or running through film teaching us the more tactical side of the sport. Not only is Brendan a great coach, he is a great motivator and he knows the correct balance of being serious and delivering constructive feedback and having fun. Following my collegiate career at UW, Brendan was an amazing mentor and helped me get connected and prepare for a career in NWSL and Toppserian (Norwegian professional league).  I learned so much from Brendan and I cannot say enough about his abilities as a coach. “

-       Kate Bennett, University of Washington, U-17 United States National Team, Seattle Reign & Portland Thorns

 

“Coach Faherty did everything in his power to make the team better and closer to reaching our goals. He carried out his vast knowledge in a way that everyone understood, appreciated and was inspired by. But to describe Brendan only as a soccer coach would not do him justice. I came to America with no friends and family, but the way he welcomed me from day one was far beyond what I could have ever expected. Brendan not only saw us as soccer players, but also as people. Having a coach that cared about us off the field made us more comfortable on the field. Coach Faherty’s ability to inspire me to improve both as a soccer player, but also as a person game me a new definition of a great coach.”

-       Moa Mattsson, University of Massachusetts, 2012 1^st Team All-Atlantic 10, Sweden U17-19 international

 

“Brendan was so instrumental to my transition from club soccer to college soccer. He was really thoughtful in understanding my development and pushing me to realize my full potential. He was always the first person I looked for after games, and even when the conversations were tough I never once doubted that he had my best interest at heart, both on and off the field.  Brendan was always invested in my entire self while at the University of Washington, which to me embodies what a student-athlete experience should be.”

-       Havana McElvaine, University of Washington, 2018 Marshall Scholar recipient

 

“Coach Faherty was the most inspiring coach that I had the privilege to work with during my playing career. He was an exceptional leader that pushed me to find success on and off the field. It wasn’t just about winning (though that was very important), but it was also about believing in yourself and the team.  He was focused on us believing in ourselves to find success on and off the field, and in life.”

-       Crystal Lindsay, University of New Haven, 15^th all-time in goals in Division II, 2006 NSCAA All-American, Inducted into the University of New Haven Hall of Fame in 2014