Men’s Soccer Program Breeds Success

Fall 2017 Issue

It is often said that success breeds success, and Head Men’s Soccer Coach Jim Findlay is a believer. In his 20 seasons as head coach of the men’s program (he also coached eight seasons for the women’s team), he has seen more than a few quality assistant coaches come through the program.

“Of the last nine assistant coaches that have been here at Susquehanna, eight of them are still involved in college soccer and seven are still coaching,” Findlay says. “I think that says a lot about the tradition of excellence that we strive for here. A lot also has to do with the amount of time we spend stressing the fundamentals of the game with our players.”

The most recent assistant to continue his career is Brandon Kates ’13, who recently accepted a position as assistant coach at NCAA Division I Lafayette College. Kates, however, is just one of many former Susquehanna players taking what they learned and extending their coaching career.

Several former players were assistant coaches under Findlay before moving on. Justin Makar ’08 went from Susquehanna to Lafayette, and is now the director of soccer operations at the University of Michigan. Nick Hoover ’06 moved from assistant coach under Findlay to the head coaching position for the women’s team, and BJ Merriam ’08 took his knowledge and talents to the administrative side of athletics to become director of compliance at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC).

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