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Justin Serpone
Having shaped Amherst into one of the premier teams in NCAA Division III men’s soccer, Head Coach Justin Serpone returns to the sideline for his 15th season in his 16-year tenure in 2022 (the 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
Serpone also serves as the director of Amherst LEADS, Amherst's leadership development program that features a variety of symposia, workshops, speakers and interactive experiences to educate the College's student-athletes about becoming strong, ethical and influential leaders.
Since taking the reins in 2007, Serpone has amassed a superb 231-33-40 overall record. His .822 winning percentage ranks fourth among all active coaches in the NCAA, regardless of division. Amherst has won six NESCAC championships (2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2022) and played in the NCAA Division III Tournament in all 15 seasons of Serpone's tenure, reaching the round of 16 in each of the last 13 straight seasons, as well as six quarterfinals, four semifinals, three national championship game appearances and the program's first national championship in 2015.
Serpone has guided the Mammoths to the last two NCAA Division III national championship games, reaching the title tilt in 2019 and 2021. The Mammoths were ranked second in the final United Soccer Coaches Division III poll in 2019 and 2021.
The 2019 campaign was also a season of program records as the 19 wins sits as the highest win total in a season in Amherst history. Additionally, Amherst's 58 goals were the most goals ever scored in a season by the Mammoths.
German Giammattei ’22 became the program's first-ever National Player of the Year and tied the NESCAC goalscoring record with 26 goals in the 2019 season, then became the first player ever to win back-to-back Division III National Player of the Year awards in 2021.
2015 was a historic season that culminated in the program’s first-ever national title. Serpone’s squad opened the memorable campaign undefeated and untied in its first 14 games of 2015 and earned a first-round bye in the NCAA Division III Tournament. Amherst earned three straight victories at home to secure a trip to the national semifinals in Kansas City, Missouri. Amherst battled SUNY Oneonta to a 0-0 deadlock and eventually won the thrilling contest on penalty kicks, 4-3, to advance to its first-ever national championship match, where Amherst completed the amazing journey with a 2-1 victory over Loras College.
Guiding his team to an 18-1-2 record (9-0-1 NESCAC), Serpone was named the 2015 NSCAA, D3soccer.com, and HeroSports.com Division III Coach of the Year.
In 2014, Serpone guided Amherst to an impressive 14-1-6 ledger and a 7-1-2 mark in conference play. Amherst extended its conference unbeaten streak to 37 games dating back to 2011 and spannign four seasons (Oct. 29, 2011 to Oct. 18, 2014). The stretch, which included NESCAC tournament games, resulted in the seventh-longest run of that kind in NCAA Division III history.
An historic 2012 campaign saw Amherst finish with an unblemished 17-0-3 mark, closing out the season having never trailed in a match. Racking up a 56-3 goal differential, Amherst enjoyed the best season of goal prevention in NCAA history, regardless of division. In 2013, the Purple & White increased their unbeaten streak to 40 straight games (30-0-5) dating back to 2012, which still stands as the ninth-longest streak in Division III history, en route to their second consecutive appearance in the Division III quarterfinals. Amherst earned its first ever No. 1 national ranking during the year and finished with an 18-1-2 overall mark.
The 2007 season marked Serpone’s debut at Amherst, and his team was immediately in the spotlight after rattling off 11 consecutive wins on the way to a 15-2-1 mark. The 2008 season brought even more success as his team advanced to the national semifinals for only the second time in program history (first time since 1997). The Purple & White ended the 2008 season with a No. 3 ranking in the NSCAA national poll and has maintained its elite status ever since.
Prior to his arrival in Amherst, Serpone served as the assistant men’s soccer coach at Duke University in 2006, helping to lead the Blue Devils to an 18-4-1 record, the ACC regular season and tournament championships, and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Prior to Duke he worked as a head assistant coach at Lafayette College (2001-02) and Northwestern University (2003-05).
Serpone served as president of the student body and earned a B.A. in economics at Drew University while competing for nationally-ranked men’s soccer team as a goalkeeper. Since graduating from Drew, Serpone has earned an “A” coaching license from the United States Soccer Federation as well as a Premier Diploma from the National Soccer Coaches Association (NSCAA).
In keeping with the academic spirit of Amherst and the NESCAC, Serpone has completed five graduate degrees:
Master of Arts in Sports Administration from Northwestern University (2010)
Master of Business Administration from Bay Path University (2012)
Master of Arts in Higher Education from Bay Path University (2012)
Master of Science in Labor Studies from the University of Massachusetts (2020)
Master of Science in Leadership and Negotiation from Bay Path University (2020)
He is currently enrolled in three more Master’s Degree programs:
Sociology (with a focus in Diversity and Inclusion) at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
Creativity and Critical Thought at the University of Massachusetts
Strategic Fundraising and Philanthropy at Bay Path University
A proud native of Winchester, Massachusetts, Serpone and his wife, Angela McMahon-Serpone, reside in Hadley with their daughters, Lily and Annabelle, and their son, Tyson. Angela is a faculty member and head girls lacrosse coach at Deerfield Academy and previously spent 12 seasons as head women's lacrosse coach at the University of Massachusetts, winning eight Atlantic 10 championships. Both Justin and Angela rank among the all-time top 10 winningest coaches by percentage in their respective sport and division. Angela was also named head coach of the first-ever Italian national team, which competed at the 2017 FIL World Cup with Serpone serving as co-head coach.
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