Cornell University

Cornell University Ithaca, NY 14853

Division 1 New York Northeast

Private Large Competitive team

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Coaches

Email coach

John Smith

Honors & Accomplishments

NSCAA Far West Region Assistant Coach of the Year – 2014

Heartland Conference Coach of the Year – 2006, 2007

Education

B.A., History, Rollins, 1996

M.A., Curriculum and Instruction, Cal State Bakersfield

At Cornell

Entering his his eighth season on East Hill, John Smith has guided Cornell men’s soccer to four consecutive 10-win seasons, a feat never accomplished in program history.

During the four-year window with at least 10 wins, Cornell has posted a combined record of 46-18-5 (.703), including a 16-8-4 mark (.643) in Ivy League action.

The 2022 campaign was Cornell's best under Smith as it registered a .763 win percentage thanks to a 14-4-1 overall record. In Ivy League play, Cornell finished in second place for the second consecutive season after going 5-1-1 in Ancient Eight play. Offense was the Big Red's strong suit as it established program records in assists (40) and points (120). Cornell's 40 goals scored were the fourth time in program history it had reached the 40-goal plateau, joining the 1971, 1995, and 2012 campaigns.

Along with its offensive success, Cornell averaged a shade over one goal allowed per game (1.01), leading to freshman Ryan Friedberg in being named the Ivy League's Rookie of the Year — the fourth first-year goalkeeper to be awarded the top newcomer by the Ivy League. Due to the Big Red's stout defense, Cornell made its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2012, reaching the Third Round of the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship where it lost to Syracuse, 1-0. Prior to its setback to the Orange, Cornell defeated Maryland, 2-1, in a second-round match at Berman Field. Then-sophomore Danny Lokko scored twice in the victory for Cornell. Prior to the NCAA Tournament, Cornell had seven players receive All-Ivy distinctions, including Connor Drought, Emeka Eneli, and Brandon Morales being named First Team All-Ivy selections.

In 2021, the Big Red posted an 11-3-2 overall record and a 4-2-1 mark in Ivy League play, highlighted by Tyler Bagley's 14 goals and finishing the year as the Division I leader in points per game. Bagley was a unanimous All-Ivy League first team selection. Joining Bagley in earning All-Ivy League first team honors were Emeka Eneli and Wilson Eisner. For the second straight year, Cornell finished unbeaten at Berman Field, posting a 6-0-2 record.

Cornell turned in a strong 2019 campaign despite a number of injuries to key players throughout the year, finishing the season with a 10-5-2 record and a 3-2-2 mark in Ivy League competition. The Big Red went undefeated at home, going 6-0-1 at Berman Field. Cornell placed five members of the All-Ivy teams, including Ryan Bayne (first team), John Scearce (first team), Connor Drought (second team), Emeka Eneli (honorable mention) and Harry Fuller (honorable mention). Scearce earned second team all-region honors before signing a professional contract with Union Omaha of the USL One league.

In his third season, Smith led the Big Red to an overall of 11-6, an impressive turnaround from a team that won one game is first season at the helm. Despite a large amount of youth on the Big Red’s 2018 roster, the Big Red managed to win 11 games, the program’s most since 2012. Of the 28 members of the team, 21 were underclassmen. The Big Red navigated through its lack of experience and led the Ivy League in goals per game with an average of 1.77.

After having a 1-14-2 overall record in his first year at the helm of the Cornell men's soccer program in 2016, the team saw a tremendous turnaround in 2017, emerging with a 7-8-2 record and a 2-4-1 showing in Ivy League play. Under Smith’s guidance, the Big Red earned a signature victory over No. 11 Syracuse in overtime, giving Cornell its first win against the Orange since 2001. The squad also saw a massive improvement in its offensive production, netting 22 goals — the third most in the Ivy League — to mark a 10-goal improvement from the previous season. His guidance on the sidelines was also crucial to the team’s success in tight overtime games, as the Big Red went undefeated in five of the six overtime contests they played in.

In his seven years on East Hill, Smith has coached 19 players who have combined for 27 All-Ivy honors, including Emeka Eneli and Ryan Friedberg being named Ivy League Rookies of the Year in 2018 and 2022, respecetively. Along with All-Ivy honors, Charles Touche (2018 All-Northeast Region Third Team), John Scearce (2019 Second Team All-Northeast Region), and Eneli (First Team All-Northeast Region) are the lone Big Red players to garner regional awards under Smith.

Email coach

Drew Hutchins

Coaching Experience

Associate Head Coach, Cornell University (2016-present)

Education

B.S., Science, Technology and Society, Stanford University (2014)

At Cornell

Entering his eighth season on John Smith's coaching staff at Cornell, Drew Hutchins joined the Cornell men's soccer program in April 2016. During his time with the Big Red, Hutchins has aided the team in incrementally improving each year while also posting four consecutive 10-win seasons, a feat never accomplished previously in program history.

During the four-year window with at least 10 wins, Cornell has posted a combined record of 46-18-5 (.703), including a 16-8-4 mark (.643) in Ivy League action.

The 2022 campaign was Cornell's best with Hutchins on staff as it registered a .763 win percentage thanks to a 14-4-1 overall record. In Ivy League play, Cornell finished in second place for the second consecutive season after going 5-1-1 in Ancient Eight play. Offense was the Big Red's strong suit as it established program records in assists (40) and points (120). Cornell's 40 goals scored were the fourth time in program history it had reached the 40-goal plateau, joining the 1971, 1995, and 2012 campaigns.

Along with its offensive success, Cornell averaged exactly one goal allowed per game, leading to freshman Ryan Friedberg in being named the Ivy League's Rookie of the Year — the fourth first-year goalkeeper to be awarded the top newcomer by the Ivy League. Due to the Big Red's stout defense, Cornell made its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2012, reaching the Third Round of the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship where it lost to Syracuse, 1-0. Prior to its setback to the Orange, Cornell defeated Maryland, 2-1, in a second-round match at Berman Field. Then-sophomore Danny Lokko scored twice in the victory for Cornell. Prior to the NCAA Tournament, Cornell had seven players receive All-Ivy distinctions, including Connor Drought, Emeka Eneli, and Brandon Morales being named First Team All-Ivy selections.

In 2021, the Big Red posted an 11-3-2 overall record and a 4-2-1 mark in Ivy League play, highlighted by Tyler Bagley's 14 goals and finishing the year as the Division I leader in points per game. Bagley was a unanimous All-Ivy League first team selection. Joining Bagley in earning All-Ivy League first team honors were Emeka Eneli and Wilson Eisner. For the second straight year, Cornell finished unbeaten at Berman Field, posting a 6-0-2 record.

Cornell turned in a strong 2019 campaign despite a number of injuries to key players throughout the year, finishing the season with a 10-5-2 record and a 3-2-2 mark in Ivy League competition. The Big Red went undefeated at home, going 6-0-1 at Berman Field. Cornell placed five members of the All-Ivy teams, including Ryan Bayne (first team), John Scearce (first team), Connor Drought (second team), Emeka Eneli (honorable mention) and Harry Fuller (honorable mention). Scearce earned second team all-region honors before signing a professional contract with Union Omaha of the USL One league.

Despite 21 of the 28 members on the 2018 roster being underclassmen, the Big Red posted an overall mark of 11-6 and went 4-3 in Ivy League play. For just the 11th time in program history, Cornell posted double-digit win numbers. Cornell placed four members on the All-Ivy teams, in addition to Emeka Eneli taking home Ivy League Rookie of the Year honors and Charles Touche earning all-region accolades. The team also led the Ivy League in goals with 30 goals.

In 2017, Hutchins helped the squad improve to a 7-8-2 overall record and a 2-4-1 showing in Ivy League play – an impressive turnaround from its one-win season the year before. Hutchins’ presence on the sidelines proved to be valuable as the team’s offensive productivity nearly doubled from the previous season. Cornell’s 22 goals were the third most in the league that year.

He was also instrumental in guiding the team to a monumental overtime victory over No. 11 Syracuse, marking the first time that the Big Red had defeated the Orange since 2001.

In his seven years on East Hill, Hutchins has helped coach 19 players combine for 27 All-Ivy honors, including Emeka Eneli and Ryan Friedberg being named Ivy League Rookies of the Year in 2018 and 2022, respectively. Along with All-Ivy honors, Charles Touche (2018 All-Northeast Region Third Team), John Scearce (2019 Second Team All-Northeast Region), and Eneli (First Team All-Northeast Region) are the lone Big Red players to garner regional awards in the timeframe.

Playing Career

Hutchins was a goalkeeper for the Cardinal from 2010 to 2013, playing under Smith, who was serving as associate head coach at Stanford. In 2013, Hutchins was named an All-Pac 12 Honorable Mention and earned his second consecutive Pac 12 All-Academic Second Team nod, while also being honored as a member of the Capital One Academic All-District 8 Team. Hutchins appeared in every game his senior season, posting a 1.13 goals-against average and recording five shutouts, including one in a win over Cal State Northridge the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Personal

Since graduating from Stanford in 2014, Hutchins has been working alongside Smith, coaching Under-17 and Under-18 boys teams for the Palo Alto Soccer Club. Hutchins is a native of Morrisville, Pa.

Updated June 2023

Email coach

Luke Staats

Coaching Experience

Assistant Coach, Cornell University (2022-present)

Associate Head Coach, Chowan University (2021)

Assistant Coach, Chowan University (2018-20)

Education

B.A., Criminal Justice, Lees-McRae (2012)

M.S., Organizational Leadership, Chowan University (2022)

At Cornell

Luke Staats enters his second season as an assistant coach with the Cornell men's soccer program.

His first season at Cornell was a successful one as the Big Red posted its fourth consecutive 10-win season, registering a .763 win percentage thanks to a 14-4-1 overall record. In Ivy League play, Cornell finished in second place for the second consecutive season after going 5-1-1 in Ancient Eight play. Offense was the Big Red's strong suit as it established program records in assists (40) and points (120). Cornell's 40 goals scored were the fourth time in program history it had reached the 40-goal plateau, joining the 1971, 1995, and 2012 campaigns.

Along with its offensive success, Cornell averaged a shade over one goal allowed per game (1.01), leading to freshman Ryan Friedberg in being named the Ivy League's Rookie of the Year — the fourth first-year goalkeeper to be awarded the top newcomer by the Ivy League. Due to the Big Red's stout defense, Cornell made its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2012, reaching the Third Round of the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship where it lost to Syracuse, 1-0. Prior to its setback to the Orange, Cornell defeated Maryland, 2-1, in a second-round match at Berman Field. Then-sophomore Danny Lokko scored twice in the victory for Cornell. Prior to the NCAA Tournament, Cornell had seven players receive All-Ivy distinctions, including Connor Drought, Emeka Eneli, and Brandon Morales being named First Team All-Ivy selections.

Prior to Cornell

Staats arrives on East Hill after a four-year tenure at Chowan University, serving as an assistant and associate head coach.

In 2021, his first season as associate head coach, Staats helped lead the Hawks to a historic season. The program posted its most wins in Division II history (13-4-2), along with a number of firsts: a Conference Carolinas Tournament championship, NCAA Tournament bid, NCAA tournament win and NCAA Sweet 16 appearance, as well as its highest final national ranking (No. 14).

Chowan went 7-2-1 overall and 4-1-1 in the conference en route to a fourth straight Conference Carolinas semifinals appearance during the COVID-rescheduled spring 2021 season. Staats would assist in the development of five Conference Carolinas all-conference selections. In 2019, he helped lead the program to an 11-5-1 overall record and 8-1-1 to help earn the conference's regular season title, the first in program history. During his first season with the Hawks, Staats helped the program to an 11-4-2 overall record and 7-3-0 mark in Conference Carolinas play and the program's first-ever appearance in the Conference Carolinas Championship Final.

In four seasons in Murfreesboro, N.C., Staats helped Chowan to a 42-15-6 overall record, including a 28-6-3 league mark.

Prior to beginning his coaching career, Staats played professionally in the Netherlands for SV Spakenburg and FC Volendam as a defender. He is still active as a player within a USL League Two summer league at Lionsbridge FC in Newport News, Va.

Staats played four seasons of soccer at Lees-McRae (2008-12). He guided the team to three conference regular season and tournament titles, four straight NCAA Appearances, two trips to the NCAA Division II Sweet 16 and a national championship finalist appearance. His efforts named him an All-America and all-region nod, as well as three-time all-conference accolades.

Personal

A native of Almere, the Netherlands, Staats earned his bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Lees-McRae in 2012 and a master's degree in organizational leadership from Chowan in 2022.