FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MANCHESTER, N.H. – Director of Athletics Daron Montgomery is pleased to announce the hiring of Joel Bancroft as the head coach of the Saint Anselm women's soccer program.
Bancroft becomes the 10th head coach in program history, and takes over a Hawks team that posted a 6-11-1 mark during the 2016 season.
"Coach Bancroft brings an impressive background of coaching and playing experience to the Hilltop," said Montgomery. "His enthusiasm and passion for the sport resonated with our search committee, and we are confident he'll make a swift transition into this leadership role for Hawks women's soccer."
Bancroft joins the Hawks after spending the past four seasons on the UMass Lowell coaching staff, including the last three as the program's head coach.
In each of his three years, the River Hawks improved their winning percentage as well as outperformed their America East Preseason ranking, culminating with the program's first America East playoff bid in 2016. Bancroft guided the River Hawks to signature wins over 2015 America East Champion Hartford, 2016 America East Champion Albany as well as rival UNH in 2016.
As a proven recruiter, Bancroft quickly expanded the River Hawks footprint to all across the nation as well as internationally. His recruits included the program's first high school All-American, first club national champion as well as players that have been involved with their youth national team programs.
Off the field, the program was recognized for its academic work as the 2015 squad posted the highest GPA in the America East Conference, while the team was a two-time recipient of the Bob Griffin Cup which recognized the UMass Lowell athletic team with the highest overall GPA.
"I would like to thank Daron Montgomery, Neil Duval, Courtney McGrath and Mitch Capelle for this wonderful opportunity," said Bancroft. "The last three weeks have been a whirlwind for our family and at every step of this process we were blown away by the support of the community at Saint Anselm. This is a special place and we are humbled to be part of it."
"Everything is in place to be successful. The academics are outstanding, the picturesque facilities are second to none, and most importantly, I felt the passion and support for the program from everyone I came in contact with on campus," added Bancroft.
Prior to his time at UMass Lowell, Bancroft was an assistant coach on the 2012 Penn State University women's soccer team that won the Big Ten Regular Season Championship and was the runner-up in the National Championship game. Bancroft was involved in all coaching facets at Penn State including individual coaching sessions, scouting, scheduling, budgeting, recruiting, video analysis and community service.
Bancroft also had several other stops at Bates, St. Joseph's College of Maine, the University of New England, Southern Maine Community College and the University of Southern Maine. While serving as the head coach at St. Joseph's, Bancroft led the team to a program-best 12-7-3 finish and an appearance in the GNAC Championship game, improving the team from a 5-11-3 mark in the previous season.
Bancroft earned his U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) 'B' license in 2004 and was a head coach within the Maine Olympic Development Program from 2005-09. Bancroft earned his Bachelor's Degree in Liberal Arts from the University of Southern Maine.
Bancroft resides in Dover, N.H. with his wife Erin.
Information for this release provided by the Saint Anselm athletic communications staff
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 15 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that is committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 6,500 student-athletes.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
