2006 NAVY MEN’S SOCCER Rich Miranda • Head Coach • Second Season at Navy • 16th Overall at Navy • 8-6-2 at Navy • 8-6-2 Career Record • 2005 Patriot League Coach of the Year Rich Miranda begins his second year as the head picked eighth by a near-unanimous decision, despite since 1989. coach of the Navy soccer program after leading the pro- returning 10 starters. Going into the final day of the sea- During his collegiate career at William & Mary, gram to one of its best turnarounds in school history. son, Navy had a shot to qualify for the Patriot League Miranda was a four-year letterwinner for the Tribe. He One year after posting a 3-10-4 record, Miranda guid- Tournament. A 2-2 tie on the final day of the regular sea- earned first team All-Colonial Athletic Association honors ed Navy to an outstanding 8-6-2 record and a tie for fifth son with Bucknell gave Navy an 8-6-2 record, its first and first team All-South Region honors, as well as the place in the competitive Patriot League. The turnaround winning season since 2001. Tribe's Rookie of the Year during his freshman cam- was an improvement of 4.5 games, tied for the 15th-best Miranda has also excelled in the homes of recruits, paign. Miranda also competed on the international level, improvement in NCAA soccer last year. signing one of Navy’s best classes, including several including England's Tottenham Hotspurs, Canada's As a result, Miranda earned Navy’s first Patriot players that turned down high-profile soccer schools to Under-18 National Team and the Toronto Blizzard League Coach of the Year honor. attend Navy. Reserves from the North American Soccer League The Mids did it last year with an explosive offense, Miranda took over the reigns after head coach Dr. (NASL). scoring 27 goals for an average of 1.69 goals per game, Greg Myers stepped down in January of 2004. As a long- “I learned a great deal about the game from a legend Navy’s highest per-game average since 2000 (1.81 time assistant under Myers, Miranda learned from one of of the game itself,” said Miranda. “It is a distinguished goals per game). Navy had scored a combined 22 goals the best and was named the program’s fourth head honor to represent such a respected institute of higher in the previous two seasons. In 2004, the Mids scored 12 coach in its 86-year history. learning as the men's head soccer coach. I look forward goals, giving Navy a 15-goal jump from one year to the Miranda's most recent position was that of assistant to aligning the goals of the soccer program with the goals next — the second-largest jump in school history. Lastly, men's soccer coach at Navy. Under the direction of Greg of the NAAA which will, in turn, create the winning tradi- the Mids scored four goals in a game three times last Myers, Miranda held that position for 14 years. He tion that Navy has enjoyed during its history of athletic season. The last time Navy had scored four goals that helped coach the Mids to a 113-106-24 record during competition. Go Navy!” many times in a season came in 1994. that span, including the 1991 Patriot League regular- Navy’s defense was also one of the league’s best in season title. During that timeframe, Navy advanced to 2005, recording five shutouts and allowing just 16 goals, seven Patriot League Tournaments with three appear- second only to Lehigh’s 11 goals allowed. ances in the finals. Since 1991, Navy has had 42 players In the Patriot League preseason poll released a few earn All-Patriot League honors, including five days before the 2005 season started, the Mids were players that won either Offensive or Defensive Player of the Year or Rookie of the EDUCATION Year accolades B.A. — Business Management (William & Mary, 1985) In the summer of 2005, Miranda, along M.S. — Sports Management (Richmond, 1990) with assistant coach Patrick Kennedy, guided the Maryland State Olympic Development COACHING EXPERIENCE Program (U-16 Team) to it first regional Head Coach — Navy (2005 - present) Championship at the U.S. Youth Soccer Assistant Coach — Navy (1991-2004) Regional Championships held at Rider Head Coach — U.S. Youth Soccer Assn “Top Guns” University in June. The team won the cham- Assistant Coach — William & Mary (1988) pionship in double overtime on penalty kicks Assistant Coach — Olympic Dev. Program (1986-87) over the New York East State Team. Assistant Coach — Richmond (1986-87) Miranda earned his bachelor's degree in Head Coach — Lafayette High School (1983-85, 89) business management from William & Mary in 1985 and his master's degree in sports man- HEAD COACHING EXPERIENCE agement from Richmond in 1990. Career Record: 8-6-2 (.562 / one year) Miranda spent a year as an assistant soc- Year School Record Pct. cer coach at William & Mary and two seasons 2005 Navy 8-6-2 .562 as an assistant at Richmond during the 1986 and 1987 seasons. He has been an active HONORS participant in the Olympic Development • 2005 Patriot League Coach of the Year Program for youth soccer in the local area 6 UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY 2006 NAVY MEN’S SOCCER Patrick Kennedy Assistant Coach • Sixth Year at Navy Navy (1996) Patrick Kennedy enters his second year as an assis- Championships held at Rider University this past June. The team won the champi- tant coach for the Navy soccer program after spending onship in double overtime on penalty kicks over the New York East State Team. the previous four years as a volunteer assistant coach. Kennedy comes from a long line of soccer influences, as his father was the head Kennedy has been a member of the Navy coaching staff for the last four years, while coach at Belmont Abbey College before starting the men's soccer program at Wake working full-time in Washington D.C., as a defense contractor for Naval Criminal Forest University from 1979-1987. His uncle, Matt Kennedy, was a professional goal- Investigative Services. Before working in the government sector, he served seven keeper and played in the now-defunct Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) and the years on active duty in the United States Navy and was stationed in San Diego, National American Soccer League (NASL). He now currently coaches high school and Washington, D.C., and overseas. While serving in the military, he was selected to play youth select teams in Des Moines, Iowa. with the All-Navy and All-Armed Services teams and represented the U.S. Armed Kennedy continues to play competitive soccer on a premier men’s team in Northern Forces Team in Cairo, Egypt, at the World Military Games in 2000 and 2002. His last Virginia Soccer League. The team made it to the amateur U.S. National Cup in 2004 duty station was the Office of Naval Intelligence in Suitland, Md., before resigning his before losing in the semi-finals in double overtime on penalty kicks. active duty commission as a Lieutenant in 2002. Patrick is married to Christine Kennedy (Navy '94). Christine was a former women's Kennedy started his coaching career in youth select soccer in San Diego in 1997, track and field captain at Navy and is currently serving on active duty in the United where he led the Villa Soccer Club. He has coached at a number of elite summer States Marine Corps at the White House Military Office. They reside in Alexandria, Va., camps including Hubert Volgelsinger Soccer Academy, Virginia Tech and Navy. He and Patrick is currently pursuing his master's degree at George Washington University received his "A" coaching license through the United States Soccer Foundation this in crisis and emergency management. past January in Tampa, and has started coaching with the Maryland State Olympic Development Program (U-16). He and Coach Rich Miranda led the Maryland State Team to its first regional Championship at the US Youth Soccer Regional Mark Gower Assistant Coach • Eighth Year at Navy Maryland (1987) Mark Gower returns for his eighth season as an sons ever by a Navy sophomore goalkeeper. assistant coach to Rich Miranda, working primarily with Prior to arriving in Annapolis, Gower spent five seasons as an assistant coach with Navy's goalkeepers. the Georgetown women's team (1994-98). Gower entered the coaching ranks as an Under Gower's tutelege, former standout Brian Steckroth earned All-America hon- assistant coach at Suitland High School (1990-92), taking over the head coaching ors in 2001, Navy's first All-American in 26 years. Steckorth posted a career goals- duties in 1993. Suitland made the playoffs in all four of his seasons after missing the against average of 0.97, breaking the Patriot League career record. He also guided postseason for 30 consecutive years. He has been coaching goalkeepers since he Frank DiFilippo to second-team All-Patriot League honors in 2004, while posting a 0.97 began club coaching in 1986. GAA and 97 saves, the second-highest total in school history. Last season, current jun- Gower, a 1987 graduate of Maryland, recently earned a master’s degree in coun- ior Thomas Jenkins came on in the middle of the year and recorded one of the top sea- seling psychology at Bowie State. The three Navy coaches, Patrick Kennedy, Rich Miranda and Mark Gower, have coached a combined 30 years at Navy. WWW.NAVYSPORTS.COM 7 2006 NAVY MEN’S SOCCER 2006 Navy Men’s Soccer Roster No.