GOALS GALORE SOCCER SCHOOL
with Hobart College Head Coach Shawn Griffin
STAFF
Shawn Griffin
Camp Director
Just the fifth man to guide the Hobart soccer program, Shawn Griffin is entering his 14th season at the helm. Prior to joining the Statesmen in 2000, Griffin served nine seasons on the soccer staff at Plymouth State (N.H.) University, including eight as head coach.
Last season, the Statesmen finished the year with a 10-6-0 overall record, logging their seventh consecutive winning season.
In 2011, Griffin led the Statesmen to their fifth NCAA Tournament berth in the last six years. Hobart notched a 16-4-0 overall record and a 6-2-0 mark in Liberty League play. The Statesmen's 16 victories put them second on the Hobart list for wins in a season, and the Statesmen earned an at-large bid into the NCAA tournament, making their sixth apperance in the tournament in program history.
In 2010, Hobart posted a 7-6-4 overall record, for the program's fifth consecutive winning season. In 2009, Griffin led Hobart to the its first Liberty League Championship and fourth straight NCAA Tournament berth. The Statesmen posted a 15-4-2 overall record after advancing to the second round of the NCAA tournament.
In 2008, Griffin led the Statesmen to a record-breaking season. Hobart posted an 18-1-3 record, setting new program standards for wins in a season (18) and longest unbeaten streak (21). The Statesmen won the Liberty League regular season title, earned the program’s third straight NCAA Tournament berth (fourth overall), and advanced the the third round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. Nationally ranked in the top-10 for the majority of the season, Hobart finished the campaign at No. 12.
Griffin led Hobart to a pair of NCAA Tournament bids in 2007 and 2006 as well. In 2007, the Statesmen dispatched Fredonia 3-0 in the first round, marking Hobart's first NCAA Tournament win. The Statesmen ranked 20th in the final national poll.
In 2006, Griffin guided the Statesmen to an unbeaten 5-0-2 record in the Liberty League. The Statesmen were nationally ranked all season long, climbing as high as seventh, and advanced on penalty kicks to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. They finished the year as the 19th-ranked team in the country.
An outstanding motivator and recruiter, Griffin was tabbed the 2008 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Northeast Region Coach of the Year, and was named the Liberty League Coach of the Year in 2006 and 2003. He has mentored 64 All-Liberty League selections, including 2012 Rookie of the Year Jacob Fox, the 2008 Player of the Year Dan Riso '09, and the 2003 Player and Rookie of the Year. Building Hobart soccer into a national power, Griffin's recruiting efforts and contacts have attracted players from across the United States and countries such as France, Germany, Scotland, Switzerland, and Sweden.
Griffin holds a national advanced coaching diploma from the NSCAA and was selected as the NSCAA’s New England Region Coach of the Year in 1998. During his tenure at Plymouth, Griffin was named the Little East Conference Coach of the Year four times.
A 1988 graduate of Plymouth State, Griffin played on three NCAA Tournament teams, helping the Panthers amass a 52-14-16 (.732) record. As head coach, he led Plymouth State to the NCAA Division III Tournament in 1995, 1997, and 1998, and to the ECAC Tournament in 1993, 1994, and 1999. He coached six national All-Americans and seven Little East Conference Player of the Year recipients while at PSU.
Overall, Griffin has compiled a career record of 231-129-34 (.630) in 21 years as a head coach. He has mentored 46 NSCAA All-Region and 116 all-conference selections.
Griffin lives in nearby Canandaigua with his wife, Carol, and their three children, Olivia, Connor, and Emily.
Danny Gilbertson
Men's Soccer Coach
Now in his 10th season as Nazareth's men's soccer coach, Danny Gilbertson has established himself as one of the area's top coaches after guiding the Golden Flyers to post-season tournament appearances in six of the past eight seasons, including NCAA Tournament berths in 2005 and 2006.
Under Gilbertson's direction, the Golden Flyers have become recognized for peaking toward season's end. The Golden Flyers rode a 10-game unbeaten streak to an 11-5-2 overall record (and a 5-0-2 conference mark) in 2009 and the regular-season Empire 8 Conference title. The Golden Flyers hosted the E8 title match and dropped a tough 2-1 decision to Stevens.
A seven-game winning streak in 2010 enabled Nazareth to return to the conference title match, but the Golden Flyers again lost to Stevens, 1-0, for the coveted automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. Then in 2011, Nazareth won six of its last seven regular-season matches before falling in penalty kicks to Elmira in the E8 Tournament to finish 10-6-1 overall.
Nazareth has posted double-digit victory totals in three of the past four seasons to extend Gilbertson's career record to 79-69-17 through nine seasons.
In Gilbertson's second season, the Golden Flyers made a surprise appearance in the NCAAs in 2005 (despite a 6-10-5 overall record) after claiming the Empire 8 Conference co-championship.
Dale Jordan
Assistant Coach
Hobart College Soccer Head Coach Shawn Griffin recently announced that Dale Jordan will serve as his assistant coach for the 2014 season.
Jordan replaces Jack Burgasser, who after working with the Statesmen for three seasons accepted an assistant coaching position at the University of Rochester.
Jordan comes to Hobart after serving as an assistant coach for the men’s soccer program at Nazareth College for the last two seasons. He also worked as the Director of Coaching at Rochester FC and Global Premier Soccer. Jordan coached the Monroe Community College men’s soccer team from 2011-12 and was an assistant coach for the Rochester Institute of Technology women’s soccer team from 2010-11. His coaching experience also includes time as a soccer center of excellence coach for the football association of Ireland and an assistant coach/strength and conditioning coach for the Pegasus Soccer Club, both located in Dublin, Ireland. Jordan also worked in team operations and as a sponsorship manager for the Rochester Rhinos professional soccer team from 2009-10.
Jordan holds a U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) “B” License, a Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) “B” License, Football Association of Ireland (FAI) Level 1 and 2 coaching licenses as well as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Coaching License (CSCS).
Jordan earned his master’s degree in sports management and coaching from Springfield College in 2009. While pursuing his master’s he served as the graduate assistant soccer coach for the Pride. Jordan earned a bachelor’s degree in sport and exercise science from Dublin City University in Dublin, Ireland, in 2005