Men's Soccer | June 28, 2016

PHILADELPHIA – Pat Farrell, the winningest head coach in La Salle men's soccer history, has announced his retirement after 45 years being associated with the program, Interim Director of Athletics Bill Bradshaw announced today.
 
"After much thought and consideration, I have decided to move on from the men's soccer program," Farrell said. "I feel very fortunate to have spent my career coaching generations of hard-working, honest and humble student-athletes in the sport that I love. I'd like to thank La Salle University, the student-athletes, the assistant coaches and the loyal alumni for their support during my time here. I'd also like to express my gratitude to the athletic department support staff, especially athletic training, academic advising, athletic communications and strength and conditioning. I wish the best for the program and the university in the future."
 
"Pat has been a staple of the men's soccer program for nearly half a century," Bradshaw said. "His program has represented La Salle well on the pitch by producing postseason appearances, players of the year and professionals. In the classroom, his student-athletes have received national and regional recognition for their grades, have graduated and moved onto successful careers. We will miss him on 20^th and Olney."
 
Farrell recently completed his 29^th season as the head coach of the Explorers after succeeding Bill Wilkinson in 1987. His association with La Salle began much earlier, first as a player from 1971-74 and then as an assistant coach under Wilkinson from 1976-86.
 
He won 223 games as the Explorers head coach, the most in program history, surpassing Wilkinson's 140 victories in 2004. His teams won ten or more games 12 times, led by the 1996 contingent that had 12 victories. His 223 wins rank him 45^th among active coaches following the conclusion of the 2015 season.
 
Farrell was twice named the Atlantic 10 and NSCAA Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year in 1996 and 2010. He was named Midwest Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year in 1994 and was inducted into the North Catholic Soccer Hall of Fame (2012) and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Soccer Hall of Fame (2011).
 
He has produced four All-Americans and 24 Regional All-Americans. His first All-American came in 1990, when Georg Montag earned NSCAA Second Team All-America honors. A few years later, La Salle's all-time leading scorer Cesidio Colasante earned All-America honors in 1997. Stash Graham earned the honor from College Soccer News in 2002, followed by Kevin Coleman snagging NSCAA All-America honors in 2004.

Farrell's players have also received 38 All-Conference awards between the MAAC, MCC and Atlantic 10. Five players were named their conference's Player of the Year a total of 12 times, with Jason Plumhoff earning the most recent honor in 2011 as the A-10 and Philadelphia Soccer Six Offensive Player of the Year.
 
Montag was the Philadelphia Soccer Seven MVP in 1990, while Colasante was the Soccer Seven MVP three times, the A-10 Offensive Player of the Year twice and the MCC MVP once. Graham earned A-10 Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2002. Ryan Richter was the two-time Soccer Six Player of the Year and the A-10 Offensive Player of the Year.
 
In the Philadelphia Soccer Six/Seven, Farrell was named Coach of the Year three times (1991, 1994 and 2010) and the Explorers won city title in 1995, 2002 and 2006.  
 
Numerous Explorers have moved onto professional soccer, including five players who are currently playing: Jeremy Ortiz (Baltimore Blast), Richter (Bethlehem Steel), Plumhoff (Jacksonville Armada), John McCarthy (Philadelphia Union) and Pat's son, Joey Farrell (Rochester Rhinos).
 
Academics have always been a tenet of Farrell's coaching philosophy. Five Explorers have earned a total of eight Academic or Scholar All-America honors, including two each by Colasante and Nick Dundon. In addition, Richter was a First Team Scholar All-American in 2010 and McCarthy received the award in 2012 and 2013.
 
Forty-five La Salle players have earned Academic All-Region or Academic All-District recognition. Six times his teams have received NSCAA Team Academic Award since 2006, including the past four seasons. The 2015-16 team GPA was an impressive 3.37.
 
Under Farrell's guidance, La Salle made it to the A-10 finals in 1997 and 2010, and reached the semifinals in 1996, 2004, 2011 and 2013. In his first season at the helm, La Salle won the 1987 regular season Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference title and qualified for the league championship game in 1988, 1989 and 1990. In La Salle's first year in the MCC in 1992, the Explorers played in the conference's championship game.
 
As a player, Farrell helped the Explorers win 34 games from 1971-74. He earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice in 1975 and later earned a master's in business administration from La Salle.
 
He is married to his wife Patricia, who played field hockey at La Salle. The couple has four children: Colleen, a 2005 La Salle graduate and women's soccer player; Meghan, a 2007 Princeton graduate who played women's soccer; Patrick, a 2009 Princeton graduate who also played men's soccer and Joey, who recently graduated in May as a four-time all-region standout for the Explorers men's soccer team.