Men's Soccer
Coaches
Head Coach P.J. Gondek
P.J. Gondek has guided the Blue Devils for the past 10 seasons. His conference coaching won-loss percentage of .661 (58-28-7) and his overall percentage of .633 (116-63-20) rank third in the storied history of Fredonia State men's soccer.
Over his 10 seasons, Gondek has coached three All-Americans, 16 All-Region players, 41 All-SUNYAC players and one SUNYAC Tournament MVP. This year ended to a string of 16 straight non-losing seasons -- among the longest non-losing streaks in NCAA Division III.
Three seasons during Gondek's coaching tenure stand among the finest in program history.
For sheer drama, the 2005 season will forever rank near the top of any Blue Devil all-time list. Following a penalty kick shootout loss to Brockport in the SUNYAC semi-final game, the Blue Devils were awarded an NCAA at-large bid -- the start of an improbable run on the strength of three straight overtime wins. First came a 4-3 victory over Carnegie Melon at the John Carroll Regional, then a 1-0 win over regional host John Carroll. Next up was another Regional host, Calvin College, in snowy Grand Rapids, Mich. The teams play scoreless soccer through two overtimes before the Blue Devils claimed a 3-2 victory in penalty kicks and advance to the national quarterfinals, where they fell 2-0 to to eventual NCAA finalist Gustavus Adolphus. The Blue Devils finished with an 17-4-4 record, the third time the men have reached the 17-win plateau. At the conclusion of the tournament Fredonia State was named as the #15 team in the final regular season poll.
Despite losing the SUNYAC championship game in 2006, that season also will be remembered for another penalty-kick victory. It came in the 2006 ECAC Upstate New York championship game against host Oneonta (which was playing its first season at the NCAA Division III level after several seasons as a Division I team). The Blue Devils outperformed the Red Dragons in the PK-round, 3-0, to reclaim the ECAC Upstate title for the first time since 1999.
The 2007 season saw the Blue Devils post a 9-1-1 SUNYAC regular season record (12-7-2 overall and earn the tournament's top seed and a first-round bye. The Blue Devils edged Cortland 1-0 in the semifinals and moved on to meet Plattsburgh for the title, the Blue Devils' second straight SUNYAC championship game appearance and the fourth during Gondek's nine-year tenure. The Blue Devils and Cardinals battled to a scoreless tie after 110 minutes. Fredonia State then claimed the SUNYAC title with a 4-2 advantage in the penalty-kick round and earned an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. But unlike their phenomenal NCAA run two years prior, the Blue Devils were ousted by Hobart, 3-0, in the University of Rochester Regional. SUNYAC awards rained down nonetheless. Gondek being named 2007 SUNYAC Coach of the Year while six players were chosen to the All SUNYAC Team. Three of the six -- seniors Lee Wilson, Trevor Ianni, and Rob Esposito -- were All-Northeast Region selections.
The loss of those three and three other senior starters from 2007 prefaced the 2008 season. The result was a 9-9 overall record and a rare vacation from post-season competition. In 2008, after suffering a rash of injuries, the Blue Devils again came up just short of the SUNYAC play-offs. In 2010, the team will retunr 24 players
Gondek's familiarity with soccer in New York State extends beyond his nine seasons at Fredonia State. He played collegiately at Cortland State, where he earned a bachelor's degree and master's degree in physical education. After receiving his college degree, Gondek was hired as boys' head soccer coach at Seton Catholic High School in Plattsburgh, N.Y., where he inherited a team that had been below .500 the season before he took over. In 1995, Gondek guided Seton Catholic in the New York State Class B quarterfinals.
He then returned to Cortland State to complete a master's degree in physical education which led to a position a as the men's assistant soccer coach at Cortland starting in the spring of 1999. He then returned to Plattsburgh -- this time as an assistant coach of the Plattsburgh State Cardinals -- and was on the coaching staff when the Cardinals won the 1999 SUNYAC championship and advanced into the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Gondek has received coaching licenses from two organizations. He has a national diploma and an advanced national diploma from the National Soccer Coaches of America. He also holds a prestigious Class A license from the United States Soccer Federation. To further familiarize himself with international soccer, Gondek has traveled to England in order to attend training sessions conducted by English professional clubs, including Manchester City.
Gondek has coached for Western Region in the men's open division of the Empire State Games and won gold medals in 2005 and 2006. He is the coaching director of the Chautauqua County-based affiliate of the Black Watch Southern Tier soccer club (formed in 2009). He teaches classes in the Fredonia State Department of Sport Management and Exercise Science, and resides in Fredonia with his wife, Alison, the director of guidance at Silver Creek Central School, and their 4-year old daughter Annie.
716-673-3366
Assistant Coach Jake Harrison
Jake Harrison joined the Fredonia State men's soccer coaching staff
prior to 2010 season. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to
the staff. He has coached the game of soccer for 14 years, first as
Assistant Director at Beaumont in London, England, where he served for
two years as a mentor and multi-sport coach for over 800 players of all
ages. He served as Sports and Physical Education Teacher at The Rowans
School in England for eight years.
In 2005, Harrison moved on
to serve the same position at Marymount International School at
Kingston College where his teams were ISSA Champions, ISSA finalists
and won multiple sportsmanship trophies between the years of 2005 and
2007. Simultaneously, Harrison coached the varsity team at King’s
College, where he went on to secure the Worth Shield. He also served as
director of the Grassroots Sports Academy, where he oversaw all
financial aspects of the academy, sponsorship deals, customer accounts,
staff training/coaching, and developed the entire player development
program training programs. More recently, he served as a head coach for
the Dynamo Elite Academy and Player Development Program within the
Webster Soccer Association in Webster, N.Y., and coaches with the YLS
academy.
He completed his “A” levels in Sport Science in England and went on
to study Sports and Exercise Science at the University of Surrey.
Harrison received his Advanced Health and Safety Certification in 1996
from St. John’s Ambulance Association at Roehampton University. He
received his Junior Team Manager diploma, Intermediate Coaching Diploma
and Advanced Coaching Diploma from the British Football Association
between 1997 and 1999. Prior to becoming a coach, he attended the
Manchester United School of excellence during his development years as
a player. He also played with the Wimbledon Youth F.C., the Rochester
Rhinos (1999-2000), the Rhode Island Stingrays (2000-2001), and
numerous county and town teams (2002-2006).
Harrison lives in Fredonia with his wife, Brynne, a professor in the Department of Communications.
Assistant Coach Dan Smith
Dan Smith is in his sixth season as a Blue Devil assistant coach. A graduate of Buffalo State, Smith was a two-year starter for the Bengals including participating in the NCAA tournament twice during that time. He owns a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial technology. Prior to college, he attended Lewiston-Porter High School, where he was a First Team All Western New York selection and was chosen for the Western New York Select team.
Smith holds a United States Soccer Federation coaching license. Operations for the local chapter of Black Watch Southern Tier Soccer Club, Smith resides in Dunkirk with his wife, Carol, and their two children, Ian and Rachel.
Volunteer Assistant Coach Brett Gould
The Program
The Fredonia State men's soccer program is truly one of the Northeast's premier college programs. With a .700+ winning percentage over the program's 50-year history, Fredonia carries a long tradition of success. Fredonia State appeared in the NAIA tournament from 1971 through 1976, the ECAC Upstate tournament in 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1994, 2000 and 2001, and 2006, and won the ECAC championship in 1981, 1998 and 1999, and 2006. Fredonia was crowned SUNYAC champions in 1984, 1986, 1987 and 1995, 1996, 1997, 2007 and received NCAA tournament bids in 1984, 1985, 1987 and 1995, 1996, 1997, and 2005, 2007 including trips to the Final Four in 1985 and 1986 and an Elite Eight appearance in 2005. Since their first year of competition in 1959, the Blue Devils have placed 125 players on the All-SUNYAC team, earned 68 All-Region titles and crowned 15 All-Americans. A Fredonia State player has received the SUNYAC Player of the Year award eight times, and the SUNYAC Coach of the Year award has gone to a Fredonia State coach five times. In 2009, the Blue Devils received the "First Year Player of the Year" award from the SUNYAC conference for the second time (2000).