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Phone: 570-577-3083
The 2008 campaign marks Brendan Nash's 10th as head coach of the Bison and his 13th overall at Bucknell. Nash was appointed in 1999 as the 13th head coach of the Bison men's soccer program after serving as the assistant coach for three seasons. Nash, who owns the highest winning percentage (.537) in program history, and is second on the wins list with 81, has been successful throughout his tenure at Bucknell. The squad has finished at least .500 in Patriot League play five straight seasons under his direction and Nash helped the team to double-figure victories in at least two consecutive seasons for just the third time in program history. While the Bison success under Nash has been impressive, it reached a new high in 2006 when Bucknell won the Patriot League Tournament and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament thanks to an overtime goal that gave it a 1-0 first-round victory at George Mason. One year after advancing to the NCAA Tournament, Nash orchestrated an impressive turnaround from his charges. The Bison were winless in their first five matches, but proceeded to lose just twice after Sept. 15 to finish the regular season 9-5-4. Nash's teams have long been known to focus on defense, but in 2007 Bucknell defeated Lehigh and American at Varsity Soccer Field by a combined 6-1 score to close out the regular season and clinch the third seed in the Patriot League Tournament. The 2006 campaign, which was highlighted by a program record-tying eight-game unbeaten streak, was the third time in four years Bucknell qualified for the Patriot League Tournament. The year prior to that string of success, Nash led the Bison to a school-record 13 wins. The next year they won 11 for a two-year win total of 24, which is a school record. The last three years the Bison have piled on 26 more wins against their normal daunting schedules that always feature a handful of ranked foes. On its way to the 11 wins in 2003, Bucknell went undefeated in Patriot League play to claim its second Patriot League regular-season title and first since 1990. Highlighting the campaign was a 1-0 win over second-ranked Maryland, the highest-ranked team Bucknell has defeated in its 78-year history. As a result of the successful season, Nash was named Patriot League Coach of the Year for the second time and NSCAA Mid-Atlantic Coach of Year for the first time. During the record-breaking 2002 campaign, Bucknell posted a 13-5-1 record. The team also showed off its defensive skills, tying the Bison standard for shutouts in a year with 10. The team posted its second win over a nationally ranked program under Nash's tutelage, defeated No. 18 Pittsburgh on a penalty kick. In his first year at the helm of the Orange and Blue, Nash coached his team to the first winning season in six years, posting a 9-7-1 mark in 1999. He followed that impressive debut with a 9-10-2 season in 2000, taking his team to the Patriot League playoffs for the first time in seven years. As a result, Nash was tabbed the Patriot League Coach of the Year, marking only the second time a Bucknell men's soccer mentor has garnered the award. Along with on-field success, Nash's teams have excelled in the classroom. He has coached two Academic All-Americans, including 2005 graduate Jonathan Hemmert, who earned the prestigious award twice. Additionally, the Bison have earned the NSCAA Team Academic Award 10 of the last 13 years. A 1994 graduate of Trenton State College (now College of New Jersey) with a degree in communications, Nash was hired by Bucknell after acting as assistant coach at his alma mater for three seasons. While playing for the Lions, Nash appeared in the NCAA Division III national championship in 1991. His senior year concluded by being named the recipient of the John Heslin Award (leadership, commitment and sportsmanship). During his last two seasons as an assistant for the Trenton State squad, Nash helped post a 34-6-5 record for the school, including a 19-2-2 mark in 1994. The Blue and Gold finished third in the nation in Division III that season. Prior to attending TSC, Nash was a member of the men's soccer team at Longwood College. As a sophomore, he was named First Team All-Conference as well as the Defensive Player of the Year in the conference. Nash is currently the Director of the Bison Soccer Camps and has also worked numerous other summer camps around the country. He has been instrumental in organizing several youth clinics throughout the Susquehanna Valley. He holds the USSF "B" license and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Advanced National Diploma. In addition, Nash is the chairman for the Patriot League men's soccer, the Patriot League representative on the Division I Men's Soccer College Coaches Committee, and is a member of the Top-25 rankings committee and the All-America Committee. Nash hails from Neptune, N.J., and attended high school at Christian Brothers Academy, which is renowned for its perennial soccer talent and is the alma mater of current Bison senior Alex Russo. In addition to his bachelor's degree, he received his masters degree from the College of New Jersey for Sports Administration in 1997. Both of Nash's brothers, Jamie and Brian, also coach soccer. Jamie is in his ninth year as the head mentor of the men's soccer team at Caldwell College, while Brian coaches the boys' junior varsity soccer team as well as the highly regarded girls' basketball squad at Marlboro High School in New Jersey. |
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