Gary LaPietra, The College at Brockport head men's soccer coach, stamped his name into the Golden Eagles record book with his 162nd career win. On Saturday, he passed A. Huntley Parker Jr. for the most career wins at the helm of the Brockport men' soccer team.

With a 2-0 win over Oswego, LaPietra stands alone atop the ranks of men's soccer coaches at Brockport in his 16th year leading the program.
“If you do something for long enough and you're passionate about it, good things happen,” LaPietra said.

LaPietra was hired as the coach of the Golden Eagles prior to the 1996 season after becoming the winningest coach in Aquinas High School history. He coached the Little Irish to a 91-49-10 record over eight seasons.

“My favorite part of the job is watching the team on game day,” LaPietra said. “Everything you worked on in practice leads up to it. There's nothing like game day.”

LaPietra passed Parker, who is the namesake for the Brockport soccer field.

“I remember watching games when he [Parker] was the coach because one of my friend's brothers was playing for Brockport,” LaPietra said. “I was told he coached with integrity. I never sat down with him, but it's nice to carry on the winning tradition.”
Since he claimed the record, LaPietra has been hearing about it.

“It's been a lot of fun,” LaPietra said. “I've had former players calling the past couple of days to congratulate me. It's always been about the players.”
Even though the record is credited to his name, LaPietra knows he wouldn't be here without his assistant coach.

“Mike Domm, my assistant, brought in a different level of competitiveness,” LaPietra said. “We do things together, and we're always on the same page. He's my main man, and one of the reasons we've been successful for so long. He really connects with the players.”

Domm served as the assistant from 2000-04. He returned to the team in 2007, and is currently a valued member on the sidelines.

Of the 162 wins, three stick out in LaPietra's mind as the most memorable. In 2009, the Golden Eagles won the SUNYAC Championship. In the first round of the 2010 NCAA Championships, LaPietra remembers coming back from a 2-0 deficit to beat NYU, who had not allowed a goal in conference play all season.
Another win from early in his Brockport career also came to mind.

“When I came in, we had a long losing streak against Cortland, probably around 20 games,” LaPietra said. “In one of my first couple years, we got that monkey off our back by beating them.”

The 16-year veteran isn't one to brag, so many more thanks are in order.

“My dad got me into coaching. He's my biggest fan,” LaPietra said. “I also want to give a big thank you to all the players, coaches, administration and my family. Especially my wife and three kids, who have made all kinds of sacrifices so I can succeed. I just hope we can keep it up.”

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