Feb. 27, 2013
SEATTLE -- Washington head coach Lesle Gallimore has announced the hiring of Brendan Faherty as an assistant coach. Faherty comes to Washington from Massachusetts where he was the Associate Head Coach. "It is with great enthusiasm that we welcome Brendan to the University of Washington women's soccer staff," said Gallimore. "We had a terrific pool of candidates for this position which made the process difficult, but Brendan rose to the top." "We feel fortunate to be getting a coach for our assistant position with the breadth of experience that Brendan possesses. He's been a Division II head coach and is currently an Associate Head Coach who has had a terrific impact in a short period of time for the UMass women's program." Faherty spent three seasons at UMass, the last in which he was promoted to Associate Head Coach. During his time in Amherst, the Minutewomen went 31-26-3, including 14-5-2 in 2011. The 2011 team also advanced to the Final of the Atlantic-10 Tournament, losing to Dayton. Faherty came to UMass after serving as head coach at New Haven for eight seasons where he became the winningest coach in program history with 82 career victories. He led the Chargers to six straight postseason berths and the school's first two appearances in the Division II NCAA Tournament, including a trip to the Sweet 16 in 2005. That season, Faherty was recognized as the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year after also leading the team to the league's regular season crown. "I am grateful to Lesle Gallimore, Amy Griffin, and the entire search committee for giving me this great opportunity to be a part of the University of Washington family," said Faherty. "From the moment I stepped on campus, it was obvious that Lesle and Amy have built a special program at UW and I am excited to now be a part of it. I am looking forward to the challenge of competing in the Pac-12 and helping the Huskies win championships." As a player at Northeastern, Faherty was a four-year starter and three-year team captain for the Huskies. The team MVP earned America East All-Conference and All-Tournament honors as a senior and participated in the New England Senior Bowl. Following college he played one year with the Cape Cod Crusaders of the USL. Faherty replaces former assistant Jim Thomas who left to become the head coach at Boise State. "In addition to his experience, Associate Head Coach, Amy and I felt that Brendan's energy and enthusiasm for being a part of the Pac-12 conference and our winning traditions at Washington lead us to choose him as our next assistant coach," said Gallimore. "He has enjoyed recruiting success at UMass and has extensive international ties. He will certainly be able to hit the ground running here at UW and we look forward to our players and the rest of the Husky family getting to know him." "Brendan will bring a fresh perspective to our program and at the same time embrace what we have established here. We couldn't be more excited to have him on board." Included in the Washington's search committee were strength coach Rose Baker and athletic trainer Chris Melton. Each had nothing but high praise for Faherty. "Coach Faherty is going to be a great fit for this staff and for this team," said Baker. "He's a guy who understands the inter workings of collegiate soccer and also our style and our mission here at UW. He's a great addition and I know he will play a big role in our future successes." "I'm excited for Brendan to arrive and begin to work with him," said Melton. "It's clear that he has the passion, energy, and knowledge to help this team reach its goals." Faherty graduated from Northeastern with a Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training in 2001 and spent a year coaching in England while earning a postgraduate degree in football industries at Liverpool University in 2002. He currently holds a USSF "B" License and a NSCAA Advanced National Diploma. In March 2012, Faherty was named the Director of Player Personnel for The New England Mutiny in the newly-formed WPSL Elite League. Off the pitch, Brendan is the Founder and Editor of Soccer Banter (www.soccerbanter.org). Faherty will join the Dawgs officially on March 4. Washington has already begun its spring practice and will play its first friendly of the spring on March 14 when Seattle U. comes to the Husky Soccer Stadium. |
