For the 2017-18 year, Keith O'Connor is ready for his 14th season as head coach of the Centenary Men's Soccer squad and his third year as Centenary's athletic director.
Since becoming the head coach, O'Connor has transformed CU from a program that won just three games the year prior his arrival into a highly competitive program in the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) and the region.
In 2016, O'Connor navigated the Cyclones to their second CSAC Championship and their second appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Centenary posted a program record 13 victories, including seven wins in conference that secured them the top seed in the CSAC Tournament.
Centenary had six All-CSAC selections, including O'Connor earning his second Coach of the Year selection and Kevin Brix '17 being named to the All-ECAC Metro Region First Team.
2015 proved to be a milestone year for Coach O'Connor, as he surpassed his 100th career victory with a 5-0 defeat of Berkeley College (NJ) on Sept. 30, 2015. His leadership once again guided the Cyclones to 11 wins, a fourth place finish in the CSAC and a spot in the CSAC Tournament Quarterfinals.
The Cyclones earned six All-CSAC selections, including Justin White '18, who was named to the All-ECAC South Region Second Team.
2014 was a season of true grit for the Cyclones. Over the course of a tough conference season, the men came out finishing 5th in the CSAC, qualifying for the conference quarterfinals. Against #4 Gwynedd Mercy, a team they had lost to earlier in the season, Centenary took the match to extra time where they kicked in the game-winning goal to pull off the upset against the Griffins and advance to the CSAC semifinals.
In 2013, O'Connor guided the Cyclones to their first-ever NCAA Division III Tournament berth after securing the CSAC title for the first time. Centenary set new school records for longest winning streak (8 games) and longest unbeaten streak (10 games), while placing five players on all-conference teams. The team won 12 matches for the first time since 1999 and earned the second seed in the league tournament after winning a program-record eight conference matches. Reid Meeker '14 and Quinn Khouri '15 were both named Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-Americans.
O'Connor has led Centenary to 99 wins over the last 10 years, while leading Centenary to one Skyline Athletic Conference Tournament (2006) and CSAC Tournament appearances during eight of the last 10 seasons (2008-10, 2012-16). Overall, he owns 119 victories in 13 years at CU.
Under O’Connor, the Cyclones have excelled just as much in the classroom as they have on the playing field. The 2007 team posted the highest combined GPA at Centenary (3.08) of the school's 13 varsity teams. The 2007 and 2009 squads featured players with the highest GPA (3.78 and 3.83, respectively) of all male student-athletes at the college. Individually, Centenary men’s soccer has groomed 41 CSAC All-Academic Team award winners and has delivered 20 NSCAA Scholar All-Region student-athletes and five CoSIDA Academic All-Americans since O’Connor became the head coach.
2012 marked a return to the CSAC Tournament as the Cyclones finished the season with an 8-9-1 record after winning two critical, late-season conference games to earn the sixth seed in the tournament.
Two of Coach O'Connor's Cyclones received postseason honors in 2012 as Khouri was named First Team All-CSAC, and Meeker was named All-CSAC honorable mention. Both Khouri and Meeker were named to the CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-District First Team (District II).
The 2011 team concluded the year with a 9-7-2 overall record, 4-5 in CSAC play. O'Connor played a pivotal role in the development of Andrew Pinella '11 and Jason Rogers' 11. Pinnella became Centenary's all-time leader in goals with 37, points (93), assists (19), and game-winning goals (12) as well as several other categories, while Rogers became the school's all-time saves leader (294) and the all-time leader in wins (27).
In 2010, the team finished the year 10-9-1, including 6-3 in the conference. Centenary earned the fourth-seed in the conference tournament and hosted Keystone in the opening round. CC blanked the Giants 4-0 to advance to its first conference tournament semifinals in program history. Off the field, 12 Cyclones earned CSAC All-Academic status and the program received six National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Scholar All-Region honors for the second-straight year.
The 2009 campaign saw the Cyclones reach the conference tournament thanks to a 3-4-2 CSAC mark, where they fell to Immaculata 2-0. Three student-athletes received All-CSAC accolades, including two second team awards. 12 student-athletes were named to the CSAC All-Academic Team and two earned NSCAA/adidas All-East-Region Scholar-Athlete honors.
Centenary finished the 2008 campaign 10-10-1, earning the fifth seed in the CSAC Tournament with a record of 4-4-0. It did not take the Cyclones long to join the elite teams in the conference as the berth into the CSAC Tournament was its first since joining the conference in 2007. The Cyclones squad also earned an ECAC Metro Region Tournament berth for the second time in three years. Five Cyclones received All-CSAC postseason honors, including two named to the first team, one earning second team accolades, and two claimed honorable mentions.
In 2006, O’Connor led the Cyclones to an 11-10-0 record and placed third in the Skyline Athletic Conference with a record of 6-3-0. That mark earned the program its best conference finish and its first Skyline Athletic Conference tournament berth since joining the league in 2003. The eleven wins also marked the most wins by a Cyclone team since 1999. In the process, the Cyclones earned an ECAC Metro Region Tournament berth, its first-ever appearance. Three team members were named to the Skyline postseason teams, including two First Team awards and one Second Team selection.
Furthermore, Centenary garnered two NSCAA All-Region players and touted its first-ever conference Rookie of the Year. O’Connor was named the Colonial States Athletic Conference Coach of the Year (2013, 2016) Skyline Athletic Conference Coach of the Year (2006) and Centenary University Coach of the Year.
Prior to his arrival at Centenary, O’Connor was the assistant men’s soccer coach at the University of Delaware from 2001-2004. At Delaware, O’Connor was actively involved with the organization and development of a nationally competitive Division I men’s soccer program. He helped guide the Fightin’ Blue Hens to a record of 13-34-10. Their best season was in 2001, when Delaware went 7-11-1.
He also coached the AC Milan club team in 2002 and 2003. During his two years with AC Milan, the team advanced to the U-17 Delaware State Cup finals in 2003 and the U-16 semifinals in 2002. O’Connor also served as a player assessor for the Delaware Olympic Development Program (ODP).
Before taking over the assistant coach responsibilities at Delaware, O’Connor served as the head junior varsity coach at his alma mater, Ridgewood High School. While at Ridgewood, he led the Maroons to a two-season record of 23-9-5 and berths in the Bergen County Tournament semifinals in 2000 and finals in 1999. The team also won the Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League-A title in 2000.
O’Connor enjoyed a successful playing career at the high school, club and collegiate levels. He became the first freshman to start for the varsity squad in Ridgewood High School history and in his four years at Ridgewood and captained the team for two years, while capturing one Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League Championship, two Bergen County Tournament Championships and two New Jersey State Sectional titles. He earned such accolades as all-league, all-area, all-county and all-state. He was also named one of the top 22 players in the state during his junior and senior years. O’Connor completed his high school career as one of the school’s all-time greats and still ranks among the Maroons' career leaders in points (second), goals (third), and assists (first). He was inducted into the Ridgewood High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010.
A former Division I player recruited to Loyola College (Md.) (now Loyola University), O’Connor played four seasons from 1994-1999, helping lead the regionally-ranked men’s soccer team to an impressive 50-29-6 record, two Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championships and two NCAA play-in appearances during the 1994 and 1995 seasons.
In 1999, O’Connor earned his bachelor of arts degree from Loyola College (Md.) in communications, specializing in advertising.
His accreditations include a United States Soccer Federation ‘B’ coaching license and a NSCAA Advanced National Diploma.
