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Keith O'Connor
Keith O'Connor enters his fifth season as the Head Men's Soccer at FDU-Florham in 2023.
O'Connor has been with the Devils for three complete seasons as the 2020 campaign was canceled due to Covid-19. In 2019, the Devils earned six wins and improved upon that with nine victories during the 2021 campaign which featured the program's first-ever win against crosstown rival Drew University. While in Madison, O'Connor has coached four student-athletes who have earned All-MAC Freedom honors and 43 who have earned MAC Academic Honor Roll accolades. In his 2023 season, he led his team to a 9-5-6 record including an appearance in the MAC Freedom Semifinals.
O'Connor joined the Devils after serving as the Head Men's Soccer Coach at nearby Centenary University from 2004-17, accumulating 128 career victories at the helm of the Cyclones. He guided Centenary to postseason ten times while advancing to the NCAA Tournament on two occasions.
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 third of his career.
The 2015 season 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. In 2013, he guided the Cyclones to their first-ever NCAA Division III Tournament berth after securing the CSAC title for the first time. The team won 12 matches for the first time since 1999 and earned the second seed in the league.
Centenary finished the 2008 campaign 10-10-1, gaining 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.
In 2006, O'Connor led the Cyclones to an 11-10-0 record and placed third in the Skyline Athletic Conference with a mark 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, the team's first-ever appearance.
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 four CoSIDA Academic All-Americans since O'Connor became the head coach.
Before 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 an NSCAA Advanced National Diploma.
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