Stony Brook University has named Ryan Anatol its new head men’s soccer coach, Stony Brook Athletics Director Jim Fiore announced Friday. A winner everywhere he has been, Anatol comes to Stony Brook with a polished résumé that includes 10 years of coaching experience at college soccer’s highest level, most recently serving as an assistant coach at the University of South Florida.
“Building a nationally recognized soccer program is a high priority at Stony Brook, and the first step in that process was to identify the right person to lead our student-athletes,” Fiore said. “I chose Ryan to lead our program because I am confident that with his coaching and playing experience, he will have an immediate impact on our student-athletes, alumni, faculty, staff and broader Stony Brook community.
“Coach Anatol is committed to creating an environment where our success on the field will equal the university’s extraordinary success off the field, and he has our full support in those efforts. I am thrilled that he has agreed to take on the challenge of building a consistently successful soccer program within the very competitive America East Conference and on the national level.”
“I would like to thank Jim Fiore, Donna Woodruff and everyone involved in the search,” Anatol said. “I am truly honored for the opportunity to be the head men’s soccer coach at Stony Brook University. My family and I are excited to be moving to Long Island, and I am looking forward to working at such a fine academic institution, building a program that the community will be proud of and leading it to success on and off the field.”
Anatol recently completed his sixth season as an assistant under head coach George Kiefer at USF, helping the Bulls to an impressive 74-33-18 (.664) record, five NCAA Tournament appearances and one BIG EAST championship. In a conference that has sent seven teams to the NCAA Tournament in four of the last six seasons, the Bulls compiled a 36-18-10 (.641) mark in BIG EAST games during his tenure. Anatol helped guide the Bulls to the Elite Eight of the 2008 NCAA Tournament, the program’s best-ever finish.
Anatol also served as USF’s recruiting coordinator, helping bring in several top recruiting classes, all six of which were ranked in the top 25 in the nation, according to College Soccer News. Since his arrival at USF, the Bulls have had 23 All-BIG EAST selections, nine All-Region picks and two NSCAA All-Americans (Yohance Marshall and Jeff Attinella). Eight of Anatol’s players have gone on to be drafted and/or currently play in Major League Soccer.
Anatol has garnered multiple honors for his efforts. He was named one of College Soccer News’ Top Assistant Coaches for 2011, one of just 20 assistant coaches in the country to receive the honor. He also was one of only 12 assistants to receive the honor after the 2008 season. In 2009, he was named the NSCAA Northeast Region Assistant Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the Glenn “Mooch” Myernick National Assistant Coach of the Year.
In addition to his work on the field, Anatol has been a mentor to his student-athletes off the field, helping the Bulls earn the NSCAA Team Academic Award for four consecutive years from 2007-10. Two of his student-athletes, Zak Boggs and Francisco Aristeguieta, were named BIG EAST Scholar Athlete of the Year.
Prior to working at USF, Anatol spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Akron, helping lead the Zips to the NCAA Tournament in both seasons, winning the 2004 Mid-American Conference championship and compiling a 28-10-5 record. His efforts helped lay the groundwork for a Zips program that has now won four straight MAC championships and won the NCAA National Championship in 2010.
Anatol played his college soccer at USF from 1997-2000, serving as team co-captain his senior year. He was a member of back-to-back Conference USA championship teams in 1997 and ’98, advancing to the Elite Eight of the ’98 NCAA Tournament. He graduated from USF with a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications in 2002 and then earned his masters degree in Sports Science/Coaching at Akron in 2010. Anatol also has international experience, playing for his native Trinidad and Tobago’s Under 20 National team from 1995-96.
Anatol takes over a flourishing Stony Brook men’s soccer program that won America East championships in 2005 and 2009 and had a 10-7-3 mark in 2010, a third-place finish in America East and a berth into the conference tournament semifinals. The Seawolves will return 19 lettermen from last season’s team, including 2010 America East Midfielder of the Year sophomore Leonardo Fernandes (North Babylon, N.Y.) and leading scorer sophomore Raphael Abreu (New York, N.Y.).
What They are Saying about Stony Brook Head Men's Soccer Coach Ryan Anatol:
“Amongst his peers, Ryan has been voted one of the top assistant coaches in the country for the last three years now, and that’s an honor he has rightfully deserved. I value everything he’s done here at USF, and he was a big part of how we have become a program that consistently reaches the NCAA Tournament. He’s going to be a great head coach, and he’s going to be a great fit at Stony Brook University.”
- George Kiefer, University of South Florida Head Men’s Soccer Coach
“Coach Anatol is a player’s coach, and a mentor to all of us at USF. On the field, he made sure we were technically sound, and off the field he made sure we were doing all of the right things. He’s been there for me from the first day I was recruited to even now, years after I graduated. I’m proud to call him my coach and friend, and I wish him all the best.”
- Zak Boggs, former USF player (2007-09) and current member of the New England Revolution
“As a former player and proud alum, I was honored to be included in the search process for Stony Brook’s next men’s soccer coach. Coach Anatol has very impressive experience as both a player and a coach, and I know he is prepared and excited to lead Stony Brook back to a conference title and NCAA Tournament. I wish I had another four years of eligibility to play for him as I am sure that Stony Brook men’s soccer is headed towards great success with him as the head coach.”
- Rob Fucci ’06, former captain of Stony Brook men’s soccer and current member of the New York Fire Department
