Pat Farrell enters his 23rd season at the helm of the La Salle men's soccer program after guiding the Explorers to 172 victories during his tenure. Farrell became La Salle's winningest coach on Sept. 11, 2004, with a 4-0 shutout of Philadelphia Soccer Seven rival Drexel. The win moved Farrell past longtime coach Bill Wilkinson. Farrell's 2008 squad posted a big home upset over #20 Charlotte by rallying back from a two-goal deficit to win 3-2. His team boasted many academic accomplishments, including earning the NSCAA Team Academic Award for the second straight year after posting a team GPA at least 3.0. Individually, senior goalie Andrew Bernhard - La Salle's Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year - was named to the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team and the Atlantic 10 Academic All-Conference Team. Senior defender Jim Davis finished his career in the top 10 for career assists and was a Soccer Seven All-Star. Bernhard and Davis also earned recognition as NSCAA/Adidas East Region Scholars. In 2007, Farrell coached some of the best and brightest student-athletes at La Salle including two prestigious award-winners: a John McShain winner- given to a graduating senior who has an excellent academic record and has done the most for public welfare at La Salle, along with a George C. Marshall winner- given to the most outstanding cadet in the Army ROTC program. In addition, senior forward Jeremy Ortiz was drafted as the third overall pick by the NJ Ironmen in the MISL college draft and Bernhard finished the season in the top five nation-wide in saves and save-percentage. Farrell had five players named to the NSCAA/Adidas Scholar All-East team, three players named to the A-10 All-Conference teams, as well as a Philadelphia Inquirer All-Star and ESPN the Magazine All-District selection. His career record stands at 172-210-35, with 10 winning seasons in his 22 years. In 2006 his Explorers were named the Philadelphia Soccer Seven `Team of the Year'after impressive wins over city rivals Penn and Temple, along with earning the NSCAA team award- given to teams with a 3.0 cumulative GPA or higher. In 2002, he led the Explorers to the Soccer Seven Championship, which they shared with Drexel. It marked the second time La Salle had seized the local crown, with the Explorers' other title coming in 1994. In 1997, Farrell joined Wilkinson as the second member of the 100-victory club when the Explorers defeated Fordham, 4-3. Farrell earned Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year honors in 1996 after leading the Explorers to a 12-5-2 record and a second-place finish in the conference. In 1994, he was named Midwestern Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year. Farrell earned Soccer Seven Coach of the Year honors in both 1994 and 1991. Under Farrell's guidance, La Salle made it to the A-10 finals in 1997 and reached the semifinals in 2004 and 1996. The Explorers had the A-10 Most Valuable Player in two of their first four seasons in the conference, and the program received its first Defensive Player of the Year honor in 2002, when goalkeeper Stash Graham garnered the award. Under Farrell's leadership, La Salle finished first during the 1987 regular season in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and qualified for the league championship game in 1988, 1989 and 1991. In La Salle's first year in the MCC in 1992, the Explorers played in the conference's championship game. Farrell has been a member of the La Salle soccer program for 34 years - as a player from 1971-74, as an assistant coach from 1976-86, and as head coach since 1987. Teams on which Farrell was an assistant, predominantly under Wilkinson, posted a record of 98-67-20. Farrell also coaches the Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Association summer select team for 16-and-under boys. Farrell holds a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice and a Master's of Business Administration degree in Management. Farrell and his wife, Pat, live in Blue Bell, PA, with their four children - Colleen (24), a 2005 graduate of La Salle and four year letter-winner on the Explorer women's soccer team, Meghan (22), Patrick (20), and Joseph (13). |
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