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Joe Mallia
Joe Mallia, the winningest head coach in Loyola University Maryland women's soccer history, returned to the Evergreen campus in December 2018 to lead the Greyhounds' program for a second time, and he has quickly reestablished a winning culture during his first three seasons back at the helm.
Loyola posted its highest-ever finish in the Patriot League standings during the 2021 fall campaign while returning to the conference tournament for a third-straight season. The Greyhounds earned a result in 8 of 9 Patriot League matches, ultimately finishing third out of 10 schools in the conference with a 5-1-3 record. Their 18 points were just two back of first place, and it was five points above the program's previous Patriot League high of 13.
Included in the 2021 season was a milestone victory for Mallia, as Loyola’s 2-0 win at Howard was his 100th victory at Loyola and 150th overall as a head coach. Loyola’s eight wins overall in 2021 were the program’s most in nine seasons.
Seven of the eight victories came via shutout, and junior Paige Sim was honored as the program's first Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year after leading the conference in both goals-against average (0.95) and save percentage (.809). Sim later added United Soccer Coaches Third Team All-Region and CoSIDA Second Team Academic All-America accolades.
The team also continued to excel in the classroom, as Sim, Sarah Bayer and Chloe Kuminkoski gave the Greyhounds a conference-high three Academic All-Patriot League selections. A total of 17 Greyhounds posted a GPA above 3.60 during the 2021 spring semester, with six managing perfect 4.0’s.
The Greyhounds made a return trip to the Patriot League semifinals during that shortened 2021 spring campaign, placing second in the South division standings and allowing just three goals in six games overall. Loyola had five standouts earn All-Patriot League recognition for a second-straight season, including first team accolades for Claire Beath and Ada Clare Tempert.
Loyola earned results in 12 of 19 games during Mallia’s first season back in 2019, finishing with an overall record of 7-7-5 (3-2-4 Patriot League) and clinching the program’s first Patriot League tournament appearance since 2015. The Greyhounds earned a thrilling double-overtime victory over Lafayette in the quarterfinal round before being edged on penalty kicks at top-seeded Navy in the semifinals.
Loyola’s seven victories were the program’s most since 2012, and its five All-Patriot League honorees were the most since joining the conference prior to the 2013 season. Hannah Hoefs, honored as the conference’s Midfielder of the Year, led the Patriot League in both goals (9) and points (21).
The Greyhounds showed marked improvement as the season progressed, going 5-2-5 over their final 12 contests and surrendering only seven goals during that stretch. Academically, 19 student-athletes posted a 3.50 GPA or higher during the Fall 2019 semester.
Mallia, who spent time at UCLA, Loyola Marymount, Tennessee and Navy prior to returning to Baltimore, guided the Greyhounds to an 87-45-8 record over seven seasons from 1998-2004. During that stretch, Loyola compiled a 54-4-5 record in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), winning MAAC Championships and earning NCAA College Cup bids in each of his last five seasons.
In his first seven seasons as head coach at Loyola, Mallia's teams won a minimum of nine total games and at least six in MAAC play each year. In addition, the Greyhounds posted 12-or-more wins in five of those seasons, while his 2004 team posted a school-record 16 wins and set marks for most goals (59) and points (160) in a season that stand today. Mallia mentored 29 All-MAAC honorees, eight MAAC players of the year and nine regional All-Americans.
Prior to taking the lead as Loyola's head coach, Mallia was an assistant at Loyola from 1994-97 to the Greyhounds' inaugural head coach, and current associate athletic director, Dave Gerrity. In those four seasons, the Greyhounds went 47-27-7 with three MAAC titles.
After leading Loyola to a school-record 16 wins in 2004, along with an unblemished 9-0-0 MAAC record, Mallia moved to the West Coast as the assistant head coach at UCLA.
There, Mallia helped the Bruins win 86.2 percent (43-6-2) of their games in 2005 and 2006. UCLA earned berths in the NCAA College Cup Championship Match in his first season in Westwood and a semifinal appearance the following year. On the recruiting trail, he was key in bringing in classes ranked first and second nationally, inducing Lauren (Cheney) Holiday, a U.S. National Team member.
After his time at UCLA, Mallia moved back to the head-coaching chair at nearby Loyola Marymount University. From 2007-11, he helped the Lions amass a 50-34-11 record and reach the verge of three NCAA College Cups.
In 2012, Mallia accepted a role as assistant coach at the University of Tennessee where he again established his bona fides as a top-level recruiter. As the Volunteers compiled a 39-27-15 record from 2012-15, Mallia helped bring in recruiting classes touted as No. 3 (2015) and 11 (2014) in the nation. Tennessee's defense had a 0.96 goals-against average in the four seasons Mallia was in Knoxville.
Mallia and his family returned to the East Coast in 2016 when he joined the staff in Annapolis as an assistant coach for the Midshipmen. Over his final two seasons with the program, Mallia helped Navy post a 27-10-4 overall record, win the 2017 Patriot League Regular-Season Championship and post the program's best two-year record in conference action since the Patriot League expanded to 10 teams in 2013, going 15-2-1 in League games.
In 2017, he helped Navy's defense record 13 shutouts and rank 12th in NCAA Division I in shutout percentage. Under his tutelage, Sydney Fortson was named the Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year in 2017, and she earned Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year for women's soccer and Google Cloud CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team recognition in 2018.
Mallia has also served as a goalkeeper coach for the U.S. Girls' National Team program. He holds a U.S. Soccer National "B" License and an NSCAA Advanced National Diploma.
As a collegiate player, Mallia was a standout goalkeeper at Old Dominion University where he helped the Monarchs to a 33-15-13 record as a starter from 1987-90. He led the Norfolk, Virginia, school to its first NCAA College Cup appearance in 1989. The Syosset, New York, native finished his Old Dominion career as the school's career leader in saves (206) and shutouts (20). He posted a 0.68 goals-against average in 1992.
Mallia and his wife, Amy, currently reside in Severna Park with their three daughters, Kaitlyn, Reagan and Addison.
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