SUNY University at Buffalo Women's Soccer

Burke enters his third season at the helm of the womens soccer program after leading the squad to their second straight MAC Semifinals in 2015 after guiding the Bulls to their first-ever Mid-American Conference Tournament Championship and NCAA Appearance in 2014, his first season as head coach. Burke helped lead the Bulls to a 11-7-3 overall record in 2015 as well as a 7-3-1 mark in MAC play while helping UB advance to their second straight MAC semifinals. With a career coaching record of 27-10-6 through two seasons at Buffalo, Burke has the highest winning percentage (.698) through two seasons out of any coach in UB women's soccer history. The Bulls placed five players on the All-MAC squad as Jackie Hall and Kassidy Kidd were named first team while Julia Benati and Celina Carrero earned second team and Brianna Shingary earned All-Freshman team honors. UB also had a strong season in the class as the Bulls placed seven players on the Academic All-MAC squad while Julia Benati, Jackie Hall, Kassidy Kidd and Andrea Niper were all named to the MAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete list. UB was the second most improved team in the country in 2014 in Burkes first season at the helm, going 16-3-3 after a 6-9-3 record in 2013. Burke revived a program that won just 11 games over the past two seasons in 2014 as he was awarded the MAC Coach of the Year award and All-Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year after leading his team to a program-best 16-3-3 overall record to go along with a perfect 9-0-2 MAC record, just the third unbeaten MAC regular season in conference history. Burke made a lasting imprint on the UB womens soccer program as he led the squad to a regular season MAC Championship, first-ever MAC Tournament Championship and first-ever NCAA appearance last season. The Bulls broke many school records including shutouts in a season (14) and unbeaten streak (14). The defensive-minded Bulls finished the 2014 season with an 11-0-1 home record, breaking the program record for home wins and recording the first unbeaten home mark since 1995. Burke finished the 2014 campaign tied for the NCAA lead in wins (16) for a first-year head coach and he had the highest winning percentage (.833) out of all first-year head coaches in the country. He helped the Bulls earn a sweep in all MAC major awards following the season as UB won Offensive Player of the Year (Katie Roberts), Defensive Player of the Year (Jackie Hall), Freshman of the Year (Laura Dougall) and Coach of the Year (Burke). The 2014 UB Bulls became the first program in MAC history to sweep all four major awards. Inheriting basically the same squad from 2013 that won six matches, Burke fine-tuned the Bulls roster to turn them into a nationally recognized program. One of the most noticable changes that Burke made was changing MAC Defensive Player of the Year, Jackie Hall, from midfield to center back. Hall blossomed into one of the premier center backs in the country under Burkes tutelage and prowess as a defensive oriented coach, becoming the first division I All-American in UB Womens Soccer history. Prior to taking over as head coach, Burke served five years as assistant coach. Serving as the teams liaison to academic services, Burke  helped the Bulls reach new heights in the classroom. Over his five seasons, the UB womens soccer program has been one of the top teams on campus, accumulating over a 3.20 team grade point average in each season. Following the 2011 season, junior defender Shannon Algoe was named to the Capital One Academic All-American second team, becoming the first Bull to do so under Burkes guidance. Algoe earned a 4.0 GPA and was one of 33 players recognized on the All-American teams. During his five seasons as an assistant coach at Buffalo, Burkes defense proved to be one of the best units in the Mid-American Conference, averaging seven shutouts a season over the last three years. Burkes defense recorded a school record 12 shutouts during the 2011 season, compiling a record of 12-5-4 on the season and advancing to the MAC Tournament semifinals. The successful 2011 season helped the Bulls jump 200 spots in the RPI rankings from the previous season, the biggest jump of any team in the country. Prior to joining the Bulls in 2009, Burke served as an assistant coach for the Canisius College mens soccer team for two seasons. Burke was a standout player at Mercyhurst College from 1998-2002, winning five straight GLIAC Championships. In 2002, Burke was named Great Lakes Conference Defensive Player of the year. He was also a three-time first-team All-Conference and two-time All-Region player selection. In his final year of play at Mercyhurst, Burke helped lead the Lakers to the Division II Final Four and the schools first and only #1 national ranking.  Burke graduated from Mercyhurst in 2002 with a degree in elementary education and graduated in May of 2013 with his Masters degree  in Higher Education Administration from the University at Buffalo. Burke holds a USSF A license as well as a US Soccer National Goalkeeping. Burke also holds a National Youth License and currently works with the local Black Watch Soccer Club.

Danny Lowton is in his second season with the Bulls after being hired by head coach Shawn Burke in July of 2023. Lowton comes to Buffalo from Gannon University where he served as an assistant coach with the mens and womens programs, running all aspects of goalkeeping including recruiting, training, and video analysis of in-game performances. Off the pitch, he was also accountable for all aspects of nutrition and strength and conditioning. On the womens side, he helped guide the Knights to a 38-16-9 overall record, including two NCAA National Tournament entries, a 2022 PSAC Regular Season Championship, the PSAC West Offensive Player of the Year and the PSAC West Freshman of the Year honors. Individually, the women produced a United Soccer Coaches All-American, multiple D2CAA Atlantic All-Region and USC All-Region honorees and placed nine student-athletes on PSAC All-Conference teams. With the Gannon men, he helped lead the Knights to a 50-15-5 overall record, including two NCAA National Tournament appearances, a 2019 PSAC Regular Season Championship, three-time PSAC Defensive Player of the Year honors, two PSAC Freshman of the Year honors and the 2019 PSAC Offensive Player of the Year while also being a part of the 2020 NCAA DII Atlantic Regional Staff of the Year. Individually, the men produced four USC All-Americans, one D2CAA All-American, D2CAA Atlantic All-Region and USC All-Region honorees and placed 12 student-athletes on PSAC All-Conference teams. A native of England, Lowton was a goalkeeper at Loughborough University where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Sport and Exercise Science in 2013. He then went on to play at Mercyhurst University, where he earned his Master of Science in Exercise Physiology.

Emily Kelly is in her first season on the Bulls' coaching staff after being hired by head coach Shawn Burke in January of 2026. "We are thrilled to welcome E...