Adelphi University Men's Soccer

Vic Muntean has extensive experience with collegiate and youth player development programs and has previously served as an assistant coach at Seton Hall University and his alma mater Long Island University. His work with goalkeepers at LIU Post had a lasting impact as his keepers went on to win East Coast Conference Goalkeeper of the Year three times, with the team securing an additional three East Coast Conference titles and two NCAA East Region Championships. Muntean’s dedication to nurturing talent extends beyond collegiate soccer. He has been deeply involved in the Olympic Development Program (ODP) with Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association since 2017 and with the USYS East Region since 2023, focusing on identifying and mentoring high-potential players to help them reach the next level of competition. He is also a goalkeeper coach with the NYCFC Youth Programs and with the NYCFC Girls Academy Programs. Vic’s expertise has also been showcased at the USL-2 (Long Island Rough Riders and Staten Island Monarchs) and NPSL (American Soccer Club - NY) level since 2021, where he has worked with players transitioning to professional careers, including coaching standout goalkeeper Wessel Speel, an All-American and Mac Hermann Trophy semifinalist, and current Minnesota United players (MLS).  A former player himself, Muntean developed his skills at the famed Metropolitan Oval Academy in Queens, N.Y. Later, while continuing his development at Met Oval, he became a four-year varsity starter and three-year captain for his high-school, W.T. Clarke in East Meadow, N.Y. He went on to play at Long Island University, where he helped the team win two East Coast Conference titles and one NCAA East Region Championship.

Originally from England, Newman brings a wealth of experience as a goalkeeper coach.  He began his coaching career in 1999 and has worked with various elite level youth programs and professional teams in England, Australia and the United States. Newman holds an FFA B License and Level 3 U.S. Goalkeeper qualification. 

Vic Muntean has extensive experience with collegiate and youth player development programs and has previously served as an assistant coach at Seton Hall University and his alma mater Long Island University. His work with goalkeepers at LIU Post had a lasting impact as his keepers went on to win East Coast Conference Goalkeeper of the Year three times, with the team securing an additional three East Coast Conference titles and two NCAA East Region Championships. Muntean’s dedication to nurturing talent extends beyond collegiate soccer. He has been deeply involved in the Olympic Development Program (ODP) with Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association since 2017 and with the USYS East Region since 2023, focusing on identifying and mentoring high-potential players to help them reach the next level of competition. He is also a goalkeeper coach with the NYCFC Youth Programs and with the NYCFC Girls Academy Programs. Vic’s expertise has also been showcased at the USL-2 (Long Island Rough Riders and Staten Island Monarchs) and NPSL (American Soccer Club - NY) level since 2021, where he has worked with players transitioning to professional careers, including coaching standout goalkeeper Wessel Speel, an All-American and Mac Hermann Trophy semifinalist, and current Minnesota United players (MLS).  A former player himself, Muntean developed his skills at the famed Metropolitan Oval Academy in Queens, N.Y. Later, while continuing his development at Met Oval, he became a four-year varsity starter and three-year captain for his high-school, W.T. Clarke in East Meadow, N.Y. He went on to play at Long Island University, where he helped the team win two East Coast Conference titles and one NCAA East Region Championship.

A 2015 graduate of Adelphi University, Christian Vazquez arrived back to the Garden City campus to serve as an assistant coach with the Panthers in 2023. Vazquez has spent much of his professional career since graduation at The Knox School, where he started as a teacher and the head varsity soccer coach, before being elevated this past November to the position of Athletic Director. In 2022, Vazquez -- as head soccer coach -- guided Knox to an undefeated season and a PSAA Championship. Vazquez has also held coaching stints with SUSA Academy and Long Island Soccer Club. He possesses a USSF National C License, as well as a National Youth Coaching Diploma and Director of Coaching Diploma from United Soccer Coaches. Vazquez hails from Brentwood, N.Y.  

A 2023 graduate from Syracuse University, Landow joined the Adelphi men’s soccer staff for the 2024 season. Landow began his career at Rochester New York FC when he served as a team operations and gameday intern for the 2022 season. He then served as the head of MLS Next logistics and administration at Cedar Stars Academy Bergen where he managed recordings on match days, club budget and coached pre-academy teams. Landow is a native of Dix Hills, N.Y.

After a nationwide search, Gary Book was announced as the ninth head coach of the Adelphi men's soccer program, effective May 21, 2018. Book's six years have seen the Panthers pick up from where former coach Carlo Acquista left off. 2024 saw a 9-6-4 record for the Adelphi men's soccer team that included a win over nationally ranked Gannon on the road and a thrilling penalty kick victory against Bentley in the NE10 quarterfinals thanks to a clutch Santiago Arango save. The Panthers had six named to all-conference teams including leading the NE10's leading goal scorer Pablo Herrera who received first team honors and was named a CSC Academic All-American. While the results solicited a 9-8-1 season for the 'Cats in 2023, Book placed all three of his leading scorers (Victor Castel, Alessio Consoli, Jesper Mikkelsen) on the NE10 All-Conference Team. The 24 goals allowed were the fewest by the program since the 2019 campaign, when Book's squad was the No. 1 ranked team in the country. The 2022 campaign saw Adelphi's return to the NCAA Tournament after a three-year absence. A pair of shutouts against regional contenders Post and Wilmington to open the year led the way for a 9-5-6 finish for the Panthers. With Book's squad on the tournament bubble, Adelphi was the last team into the big dance as the No. 10 seed in Super Region I.  In Book's inaugural season (2018), Adelphi went 17-4-2 and captured an NE10 Tournament Championship, just the program's second since joining the league back in 2009. The Panthers would earn the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and dispatched LIU Post, 2-0, in the East Region final, before falling to eventual national runner-up West Chester by a 2-0 final in the national quarterfinals. Then, in 2019, Book's squad opened the season on an unprecedented 15-game unbeaten streak (14-0-1), en route to receiving the No. 1 national ranking in the United Soccer Coaches Division II Poll for the first time in program history. That ultimately led to Book getting his first-ever nod as the NE10 Coach of the Year. Despite bowing out in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Adelphi finished the season at 15-3-1 overall and came away with its fourth-consecutive NE10 regular-season title. Book came to Adelphi with over two decades on Division I sidelines, having spent 13 seasons at Hofstra University as both an assistant and associate head coach. Prior to his time in Hempstead, Book was an assistant coach at St. John's University from 1992-2004. "It is a tremendous honor and I am humbled to be selected as the next head men's soccer coach at Adelphi University," Book said. "The program has a rich tradition of success, and I am proud to follow in the steps of Mel Less, Bob Montgomery and Carlo Acquista. I am extremely excited to be a part of furthering that incredible heritage of accomplishment, both on and off of the field. I would like to thank President, Dr. Christine Riordan, and Director of Athletics Danny McCabe for giving me this opportunity." While with the Pride, Book's teams won four Colonial Athletic Association Tournament titles and three CAA regular-season championships. These teams posted a record of .500 or better in 10 seasons, including six consecutive, with Hofstra holding a 120-94-37 record, since Book joined the staff in 2005, and helped lead the Pride to three NCAA Tournament berths. At St. John's, Book was an assistant coach on the 1996 squad that captured the first national championship in Red Storm history in any sport. His teams also qualified for the NCAA Tournament in all 13 seasons, with nine appearances in the Sweet 16 and three Final Fours. In addition, St. John's captured five Big East regular-season championships and six Big East Tournament titles. "We are thrilled to welcome Gary Book as our next head coach to the Adelphi soccer family," McCabe added. "Gary has dedicated his life to the game of soccer and over the past several years, he has done that right here in the New York metropolitan community. He has a great knowledge of the game, to go along with a stellar reputation as a teacher and leader. Gary shares our goal of providing the best possible experience for our student-athletes." Book graduated from the University of Winchester, England with a bachelor of education with honors in Human Development and Coaching. He has also served as a staff coach with the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA, now United Soccer Coaches), the technical director of the Long Island Junior Soccer League, and the director of the Olympic Development Program of Eastern New York.  Book's Year-by-Year Coaching Record 1 NE10 Championship, 6 NE10 Tournament Appearances, 1 NE10 Final Appearance, 3 NCAA Tournament Appearances Year -Overall- -Conference- -Notes- W-L Pct. W-L 2018 17-4-2 .783 10-2-1 NE10 NE10 Champions, NCAA East Region Champions, NCAA National Quarterfinals 2019 15-3-1 .816 10-1-1 NE10 NE10 Quarterfinals, NCAA Second Round 2020 - - - No season due to COVID-19 pandemic 2021 9-7-1 .559 8-4 NE10 NE10 Quarterfinals 2022 9-5-6 .600 5-4-2 NE10 NE10 Semifinals; NCAA Second Round 2023 9-8-1 .528 5-5 NE10 NE10 Quarterfinals 2024 9-6-4 .600 4-3-2 NE10 NE10 Semifinals 5 Seasons (6 Years) 68-33-15 .673 42-19-6 NE10