Matt Verni enters his third year as head women's soccer coach at his alma mater. He returned to Oyaron Hill after being introduced as head coach on March 19, 2007.
In his first year with the Hawks, he guided his squad to a 7-12 mark and posted two two-game win streaks during the campaign. Verni coached Kristen Mellan and Marissa Mackay to all-Empire 8 Conference accolades. In 2008, Verni's Hawks recorded a 5-10-3 record and he guided Brittany Pine, Gina Troy, and Mackay to conference postseason honors.
Verni, a 1998 Hartwick graduate, returned to his alma mater after serving as the head men's soccer coach at the University of New Haven for the past three years. During his time with the Chargers, Verni piloted them to a 16-36-4 overall mark on the Division II level, including a 6-11-3 record in 2006. That season, the Chargers took then #20 ranked C.W. Post into double overtime before winning the contest in penalty kicks. Verni was named the 2006 East Coast Conference Coach of the Year for his team's improvement. In 2005, his squad tied #12 ranked New York Tech, a team that advanced to the elite eight in the Division II tournament, 2-2. Overall, he coached five all-conference performers while at New Haven. Among his other duties included serving on the Northeast Regional Advisory and Northeast Region Ranking Committees.
Prior to his stint at New Haven, Verni served two years (2002-04) as an assistant coach for the men's program at the University of New Hampshire, where the Wildcats posted an 18-14-2 mark in his two years at Durham. He was instrumental in back-to-back top five New England rankings (5th in 2002, 2nd in 2003).
Verni played four years of men's varsity soccer at Hartwick from 1994-97, lettering in 1996. During his playing career, he was a member of the Hawks' 1995 squad that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a 3-2 victory over St. Johns in the opening round of competition. After being out of soccer for a few years, Verni returned to the game in 2000 as an assistant coach for the women's program at St. Bonaventure for one year. In June 2001, he returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach for the Hawks' men's program for one year. In 2001, Hartwick finished 12-8 overall and was ranked as high as second in the region and 16th in the country at one point.
"I'm excited for the opportunity to be returning to Hartwick College and the Oneonta community," said Verni. "I'm thrilled to be the person responsible for guiding the women's soccer program at Hartwick. Hartwick is a special place for me and I'm looking forward to working with the players and helping provide them with a positive experience similar to my own."
"We are challenged with making this program competitive with the elite colleges in the Northeast and ultimately compete in the NCAA tournament," continued Verni. "I can't wait to begin this process."
