Southern Connecticut State University Women's Soccer

SCSU Women’s Soccer Head Coach Adam enters his 20th year as the Owls’ head coach in 2024. Adam Cohen Highlights Third most career wins among active Northeast 10 coaches and sixth most overall 2014 ECAC Champion Two All-American selections 52 All-Northeast 10 selections 41 All-New England selections 13 Northeast 10 Academic All-Conference selections 11 NSCAA/United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award   One of the top programs in the region continues to develop under the watch of Adam Cohen, who enters his 22nd season as head coach of the Southern Connecticut State University women’s soccer team in 2025. Cohen has posted a 149-143-53 (.509) mark leading the Owls and has won at least 10 games in a season on five occasions. Cohen has also led the Owls to the last two Northeast 10 Conference Championship Game in 2019 and 2021 while guiding the Owls to nine NE10 Conference Tournament bids in the last 10 years, through 2023. 52 players have earned All-Conference honors under Cohen, along with two Northeast-10 Rookies of the Year. 24 NEWISA Senior Bowl participants and 36 All-New England honorees have also suited up for SCSU with Cohen at the helm, along with two All-Americans. His teams have also been recognized with the NSCAA/United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award in each of the last 13 years. In 2022, the Owls finished fourth in the NE10 standings, which was their highest regular-season finish since 2016 (third). Amanda Dustin and Taylor Hennig earned NE10 Second Team honors  while Kelsey Burr was named to the Third Team. In 2023, the Owls snagged the final spot in the conference spot. Led by Burr and Alexie Rosado, both named to the NE10 First Team, the Owls also placed Caileigh Driscoll and Hennig on the NE10 Third Team. All four also received NEWISA All-New England Honors while Burr was also named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Atlantic Region squad.  After missing the 2020 season due to the pandemic, the Owls bounced back in 2021 to reach the conference championship game for the second-consecutive season. The Owls featured five all-conference selections in second team picks Amanda Dustin and Nadine Hilkert; third team selections Kaitlyn D'Amico and Allie Smith and an all-rookie nod to Kylee Slavik. Hilkert also earned all-region honors as well as being named to the Academic All-Conference Team and being selected as the 2021-22 SCSU Athletics Female Athlete of the Year. Greta Brunello was also honored as a recipient of the prestigious Barnard Award which is given to four Southern Connecticut students each year.    The 2019 season started off with an exclamation point as Southern upset the defending Division II National Champions and No. 2 nationally ranked University of Bridgeport in the season opener. Southern finished the season 10-7-4, their most wins since the 2014 season. Despite being the seven seed entering the NE10 Tournament, the Owls advanced to the Championship Game for just the second time in program history, and first since 2000. Nadine Hilkert and Kaitlyn D’Amico earned All NE10 team selections and, along with Paula Nunez, NEWISA All-New England Team selections. Hilkert was also an All-ECAC Team selection. Hilkert and Nunez were named to the NE10 Academic All-Conference Team as well.    During the 2018 season, the Owls five-game winning streak, their longest since 2014, propelled the Owls to a nine-win season and an appearance in the NE10 Conference Tournament. Paula Nuñez Escobar was selected to ECAC First-Team and NEWISA All-New England, while Johanna Wahlen also earned NEWISA All-New England honors. Nuñez Escobar and Wahlen also were selected to All-NE10 Teams, and Greta Brunello, Kaitlyn D’Amico, and Kelsey Burr earned NE10 All-Rookie laurels. Mikaela Magee and Wahlen were named to the NE10 Academic All-Conference Team. The Owls are coming off a 2017 campaign in which they registered two victories, along with a tie against nationally ranked Southern New Hampshire. Nadine Hilkert earned NE10 All-Rookie honors, and Gabby Arruda was tabbed as All-New England. The squad was also recognized again by the United Soccer Coaches for its academic success. The 2016 campaign culminated with a 9-7-3 mark and included Cohen's 100th win on the Owls' sideline, a 3-2 triumph over LeMoyne on Oct. 12. Five Owls were named All-Conference, with a quintet also tabbed to play in the NEWISA Senior Bowl. In addition, Caroline Staudle was also tabbed as the second CoSIDA Academic All-American in program history (both have come under Cohen's watch). The Owls capped the 2015 season with six victories and a berth in the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament, where they lost to the eventual champ, Adelphi. SCSU had three student-athletes earn All-Conference honors. Southern Connecticut finished the 2014 season with an 11-6-2 mark and won the first ECAC Championship in school history. On the individual front, six Owls earned conference honors, along with three All-New England picks. Sarah Brochu also collected All-America honors for her play on the pitch.   The Owls enjoyed a strong 2013 season but narrowly missed out on a berth in the Northeast-10 Tournament. The team finished the year with seven wins. Suzane Pires was named as just the third All-American in program history, while two Owls were named All-Conference, All-New England and All-ECAC.   The Owls also excelled in the classroom, as they were once again honored by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America with a Team Academic Award for posting a cumulative team grade point average of higher than 3.0. The 2012 campaign featured nine wins and a trip to the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament for the Owls. Two student-athletes were named All-Conference, with two honorees also for the All-New England and All-Region squads. The Owls also excelled in the classroom and in the community. SCSU earned the NSCAA Team Academic Award for the fourth year in a row. Individually, Sarah Brochu was tabbed for the NE-10 Women’s Soccer All-Academic Team. Southern Connecticut was ranked as high as No. 25 in the nation in 2011 and finished the year with a 10-5-3 overall mark and an appearance in the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament. Following the conclusion of the year, the Owls were honored extensively both on the team and individual fronts. Jackie Fede was selected as both the NE-10 and ECAC Goalkeeper of the Year. Four Owls were named to both the All-Region and All-New England teams, with six individuals earning honors from the Northeast-10 Conference. From the academic standpoint, the Owls were honored with the NSCAA Team Academic Award for the third year in a row. Jackie Fede was named an Academic All-American, while Fede and Sarah Brochu both earned NE-10 Women’s Soccer All-Academic Team honors. Nineteen student-athletes were also named to the NE-10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll. The Owls posted an 8-6-3 campaign in 2010, one in which the club was regionally ranked for most of the season. On the individual front, Jenna Mallico was named All-New England, All-Region and All-Conference, while Sarah Brochu collected All-New England and All-Conference laurels. Southern Connecticut was honored with the NSCAA Team Academic Award, while 14 student-athletes were named to the to the NE-10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll. Cohen also guided the Owls to an eight-win season in 2009, one that included a perfect non-conference mark and a home triumph over a nationally-ranked C.W. Post squad. Following the season, two student-athletes earned All-Conference and All-New England laurels, while three Owls were picked to play in the NEWISA Senior Bowl. In the classroom, the Owls were honored with the NSCAA Academic Team Award for overall team success. In addition, 18 student-athletes were recognized on the NE-10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll. The Owls posted a 12-5-2 mark in 2008 and narrowly missed out on qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. In the process, SCSU reached the semifinals of the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament and posted its highest single-season win total since 2004. Southern Connecticut was ranked as high as No. 5 in the region during the course of the year. The Owls enjoyed a resurgence in 2007 and were ranked as high as No. 10 in the region. SCSU was poised for post-season action before a late slide pushed the club on the outside of the Northeast-10 Tournament field. After an 11-win campaign in his inaugural season, a series of injuries and an inexperienced club dropped Cohen’s side back to a 5-9-3 record in 2006. The Owls rebounded in 2007 to improve their win total by two. Prior to taking over as head women’s coach at SCSU, Cohen spent three seasons (2001-03) as an assistant with the Owls’ men’s program. During that stretch, the club posted a 49-9-5 (.818) record and reached the NCAA Tournament three times. In addition, Cohen coached six players that earned All-America honors. Hired as just the second head coach in the history of the program, Cohen has also developed an impressive coaching resume around greater New Haven, directing numerous area high schools and working as the Assistant Director of Coaching with the South Central Premier soccer program. He has an “A” coaching license to go along with a National Youth coaching license and a NSCAA Premier Diploma. In 2024, Cohen also earned the USSF "A Senior" License.  Cohen is also a former member of the Olympic Developmental Program (ODP) staff and is a former assessor for the United States Youth Soccer regional staff. As a collegiate student-athlete, Cohen attended Quinnipiac University and was a three-year member of the squad and earned All-Conference honors during his career. Cohen is a native of Guilford, Conn. and a former All-State goalkeeper at Guilford High School. Cohen earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Quinnipiac in 1995. He completed his master's degree in exercise science/sports psychology at Southern Connecticut in 2016. He and his wife, Kristin, currently reside in North Haven with their sons, Braden and Tyler.     Adam Cohen Career Coaching Record            Wins         Loss         Ties             WL%    2005 Southern Conn. St. 11 5 3 0.658 2006 Southern Conn. St. 5 8 3 0.382 2007 Southern Conn. St. 7 9 2 0.444 2008 Southern Conn. St. 12 5 2 0.684 2009 Southern Conn. St. 8 9 1 0.472 2010 Southern Conn. St. 8 6 3 0.559 2011 Southern Conn. St. 10 5 3 0.639 2012 Southern Conn. St. 9 6 3 0.583 2013 Southern Conn. St. 7 9 2 0.444 2014 Southern Conn. St. 11 6 2 0.632 2015 Southern Conn. St. 6 10 1 0.382 2016 Southern Conn. St. 9 7 3 0.553 2017 Southern Conn. St. 2 12 3 0.206 2018 Southern Conn. St. 9 10 0 0.474 2019 Southern Conn. St. 10 7 4 0.571 2020 Southern Conn.St.  COVID 2021 Southern Conn. St.  7 8 4 .474 2022 Southern Conn. St. 7     7 3 .500 2023     Southern Conn. St.  5 7 5    .441 2025 Southern Conn. St.  6 6 6 .500 149 14353 53 0.509

DiDio is in her fourth season as an assistant coach at SCSU in the 2016-17 academic year. DiDio was a four-year starter for the Owls as a keeper from 2007-10. During that stretch, she recorded 29 victories, which ranks third all-time at SCSU. DiDio also holds the Southern Connecticut record with 311 saves and is second with 21 career shutouts (16 solo). She also ranks fourth in goals against average. She has also gained coaching and clinic experience at the youth and high school levels, as well as through an internship with the Owls program. She has also served as the Program Coordinator for Youth and Teen Sports at the Hamden/North Haven YMCA. DiDio holds a bachelors degree in recreation and leisure studies from SCSU.

Chris LeGates joined Southern Connecticut's coaching staff in 2015 and enters his 10th season on the Owls' bench in 2024. LeGates is head coach Adam Cohen's top assistant and is also Southern's goalkeeping coach.  LeGates served as the head women's soccer coach at the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) from 1997-2015. During that time, he was a five-time Conference Coach of the Year and was the all-time winningest coach in conference history. LeGates helped guide the Blue Jays to a conference regular season title in 2012 along with a ECAC Tournament finals appearance. USJ also qualified for the conference playoffs 15 straight years under his watch. He also handled an array of additional duties at USJ and served as an Assistant Athletic Director, Physical Education Instructor and Coordinator of Athletic Retention and Recruiting. LeGates has additional coaching experience on the collegiate level at Quinnipiac University, with the New England Mutiny of the WPSL and with the Academica Futebol Club. LeGates and his wife, Jill, have two children, Jack and Gabriella, and a dog, Savannah, and currently reside in Springfield, Mass.