Ian Hennessy - Men's Head Coach, University of Delaware

Ian Hennessy is currently head coach of the University of Delaware men's soccer team and a former All-American soccer player at Seton Hall who has served as an assistant coach at Boston College the previous four seasons. In just one season, Hennessy made big strides in helping the Blue Hen men's soccer team return to respectability in the Colonial Athletic Association. His 2006 team posted an overall record of 6-8-2, the most wins by a UD team since 2001, and placed ninth in the CAA standings with a mark of 4-7, the program's best CAA finish since joining the league in 2002 and most league wins since 2001.

A native of Cork, Ireland, Hennessy earned his bachelor’s degree from Seton Hall University in 1990 and earned his doctorate in molecular biology from Columbia University in 2001.

He began his collegiate coaching career as an assistant at Rutgers in 2001, leading the Scarlet Knights to 15-7-3 record, a No. 9 final national ranking, a No. 1 ranking in the Mid-Atlantic region, and a berth in the NCAA Sweet 16. He then moved on to Boston College where he has served as an assistant to head coach Ed Kelly for the previous four seasons. While at Boston College, the Eagles have posted a combined record of 42-26-8, won the 2002 Big East title, advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight in 2002, and moved on to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2004. Boston College spent numerous weeks in the national Top 20 during his tenure and moved as high as No. 6 during the 2002 season. This past fall, the Eagles went 5-9-2 in their first year as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

He has also coached the New Jersey Imperials in the Premier Developmental League and was an assistant for the New Jersey Stallions in the United Soccer League. He coached at the Player Development Academy in New Jersey before moving to Boston and has served as the Olympic Development Program head coach for the states of New Jersey and Massachusetts. He currently works as a Region I ODP staff member and also holds a USSF “A” coaching license.

As a player, Hennessy excelled at both the collegiate and professional level. A former Republic of Ireland Youth International, Hennessy was recruited to Seton Hall by then head coach Ed Kelly, and played four seasons in 1986-89, leading the Pirates to three Big East titles. He earned Big East Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors in both 1986 and 1987, scoring a goal in every Big East Tournament appearance, and earned a spot on the National Soccer Coaches Association All-American team in 1987. He completed his career at Seton Hall as one of the school’s all-time great players and still ranks among the school’s all-time leaders in points (No. 2 with 134), goals (No. 2 with 52), and assists (No. 4 with 30). He was inducted into the Seton Hall Athletics Hall of Fame on Feb. 9, 2006.

He began a 12-year professional playing career with the Boston Bolts of the American Pro Soccer League in 1990-91, played with the United States Indoor Soccer League’s New York Fever (1993-94) and New Jersey Stallions (1995-96), was a member of the Major League Soccer’s New York/New Jersey MetroStars in 1996-97, and played for the Connecticut Wolves of the A-League in 1997-98. He also played for the Reading Rage of the United Soccer League.




Bryan Vitagliano - Men's Assistant Coach, University of Delaware
Bryan Vitagliano is a former standout player at the University of Maryland and currently is the assistant coach at the University of Delaware men's soccer program. A native of Scottsdale, AZ, Vitagliano served the last two seasons as a volunteer assistant coach for the Maryland women’s team under Brian Pensky, leading the squad to a 9-7-4 record and a berth in the NCAA Tournament in 2005 and a 5-9-4 record last season. He also doubled as a volunteer assistant with the Terrapin men’s program in 2004 under head coach Sasho Cirovski. The Terrapins went 17-6-1, captured the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season title, and advanced to the NCAA semifinals.

An All-American and three-time All-State player at Horizon High School in Scottsdale, Vitagliano, 25, was a four-year standout defender at Maryland, helping the Terrapins post a four-year record of 61-26-2 and advance to the NCAA Tournament his final three seasons.

He captained the 1982 Sereno club team, which is credited for the start of the club’s national dominance, ranking No. 3 nationally, No. 1 in Region IV, and No. 1 in Arizona. He was a three-year captain and starter for the Region IV Olympic Development Program (ODP) team.

Vitagliano is the current assistant coach for the Maryland Boys (1990s) ODP team that won the national championship in 2006. That team also won the regional title in the summer of 2006. He is also United States Soccer Federation licensed.

Jeff Kinney - Men's Assistant Coach American University

Jeff Kinney in 2007 is in his fifth season at American University on the coaching sidelines. In his first two years he served as the graduate manager but was elevated to assistant coach prior to the 2005 season. A 2003 graduate of AU, Kinney was one of the toughest players on the squad, playing in the midfield.

"Jeff is an outstanding person and I am excited that he will continue his soccer career, all be it in a new capacity, here at American University," West said of his former player. "Not only does he excel on the soccer field, he carried a 3.6 grade-point average in physics. Jeff will be a valuable asset to the program, especially during training. He will certainly be one of the better players on the field and the players will learn from his example and also be able to draw from his experiences as a two-time NCAA participant."

Kinney was named to the Verizon Academic All-America Men's Soccer Second Team in 2002 as well as the Verizon Academic All-District II Men's Soccer Team. He was named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll in 2001 and 2002. Kinney started 21 matches for the Eagles and was named to the Penn State/Nike Classic All-Tournament Team. After an impressive performance in the backfield against Lehigh, Kinney was named Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week and also to the Soccer America Team of the Week.

In 2001, Kinney played in 22 matches, scoring a goal and adding an assist. His goal came in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Ohio State as part of a 2-1 AU victory. Prior to coming to American, Kinney started every game as a freshman and sophomore at James Madison. He was named a Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Scholar-Athlete and GTE Scholar-Athlete.