Led Skyhawks to 61 wins and four NE-10 Tournament appearances
EASTON, Mass. (May 29, 2013) – Stonehill College has announced the resignation of women's soccer head coach Rolando Lopes. The announcement was made today by Brendan J. Sullivan, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at the College.
Lopes departs after leading Stonehill to a 61-58-23 (.511) overall record in eight seasons at the helm, including a 49-46-22 (.513) clip in Northeast-10 Conference action. The Skyhawks made four appearances in the NE-10 Tournament, reaching the semifinal round in 2011 before falling to eventual NCAA Division II National Champions College of Saint Rose. His 61 wins rank second in program history.
"I would like to thank Rolando for his service to Stonehill College athletics over the last eight years," said Sullivan. "I appreciate his work to further the success of our women's soccer program."
Stonehill posted a 6-5-6 overall record during the 2012 season, missing out on a spot in the NE-10 Tournament by just a single point with its 5-5-5 Conference mark putting the Skyhawks in ninth place. Three of the Skyhawks five losses were by just one goal and the team played nine overtime matches, posting four scoreless double-overtime draws.
Junior goalkeeper Amy Wheaton was named the NE-10's Goalkeeper of the Year and collected honorable mention All-America honors from Daktronics as the Stonehill defense that set a new single-season program record for fewest goals allowed with 12, ranking second in the NE-10 for team goals against average (0.65) and fourth in shutouts (8).
Stonehill's best season under Lopes came in 2011 when the Skyhawks posted an overall record of 11-7-2, including an 8-5-2 clip in the NE-10, and were seeded fifth for the Conference Tournament. Stonehill opened with a 3-2 opening round decision over Southern Connecticut State University before falling to Saint Rose. The Skyhawks posted two ten win seasons under Lopes and finished above .500 five seasons.
Stonehill has had 19 All-Northeast-10 Conference performers and ten All-East Region selections during Lopes' eight seasons, with Wheaton's honorable mention All-America selection. The women's soccer team also performed in the classroom, with Elizabeth Belanger becoming the program's first Capital One Academic All-American in 2011, while also seeing five Academic All-District selections and ten Academic All-Conference honorees. The squad also earned the NE-10's Team Academic Excellence Award two years for having the top team GPA in the Conference.
A search for a new women's soccer coach will begin immediately.
Stonehill captured the Northeast-10 Conference Presidents' Cup for the third-straight year and fourth time overall at the conclusion of the 2011-12 academic year, Stonehill finished ranked 68th in the final Learfield Sports Directors Cup standings which recognizes overall athletic achievement in NCAA championships. Stonehill has received the NCAA Division II Presidents' Award for Academic Achievement each of the first two years if the program's existence of honoring programs with an Academic Success Rate (ASR) of 90-percent or better. The athletics program is also ranked sixth in the National Collegiate Scouting Association (NCSA) Power Rankings used to assess the academic and athletic standards of all NCAA and NAIA athletic programs, marking a fourth straight top ten placement.
For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter and Facebook. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks mobile app on iTunes and the Android Market.