BAKERSFIELD, Calif.- Director of Athletics Jeff Konya has announced that University of Cincinnati assistant coach Gary Curneen has been named the new head coach of Bakersfield Roadrunners women's soccer, making him the fourth head coach in program history.
The announcement was made exclusively on 'Roadrunner Rundown' the official TV program of CSUB Athletics Tuesday morning. Curneen was in studio for the announcement which aired live on Bakersfield.com.
Curneen served as an assistant coach and camp coordinator for the Bearcats women's soccer program for the last year after spending the previous 11 seasons at his alma mater Wingate, serving for two seasons as an assistant with the men's program before taking over as head coach of the women's team where he led the Bulldogs to a 95-48-8 record in nine seasons at the helm.
“We are very pleased to land a coach with the pedigree and background that Coach Curneen will bring to our program,” Konya said. “He has been successful as a head coach and brings a new and exciting approach to the game which I believe will translate into our women's soccer program being a contender in the Western Athletic Conference.”
This will be Curneen's second head coach job and his first at the NCAA Division I level.
Curneen led the 2012 Bulldogs to a 14-3-1 overall record and their first NCAA tournament at-large bid. The Bulldogs went 13-1-1 in the regular season, going 8-1 in conference play for the second straight year and advancing to the South Atlantic Conference championship match for the third straight season.
Twenty of Curneen's student-athletes earned All-SAC honors during his Wingate tenure, including: 2012 SAC Player of the Year Jade Montgomery, who led the nation in goals; 2011 All-America Kelly Adams, who led the nation in assists; and defender Heather Schlick, who was named to the 2006 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America first team.
The 2011 season was a historic year for Wingate, winning a program-record 16 matches. The Bulldogs went 16-4 on the year and defeated fifth-ranked Lenoir-Rhyne in the SAC championship match to earn their first SAC tournament title and, subsequently, their first NCAA Tournament bid. Curneen held the previous program-record mark of 14 wins set in 2008.
In 2010, Curneen led the Bulldogs to a 13-3-3 overall record, and 7-1-1 in the SAC, which was good for a third-place finish in the conference, and their first appearance in the SAC tournament championship game.
Along with an extensive background as a coach, coordinator and recruiter, Curneen's training and game methods have been chronicled in his book The Modern Soccer Coach 2014, A Four Dimensional Approach, which was released in November of 2013.
Aimed at Soccer coaches of all levels and with players of all ages and abilities The Modern Soccer Coach 2014 identifies the areas that must be targeted by coaches who want to maximize a team's potential – the technical, tactical, physical, and mental sides to the game.
In addition to his coaching ledger at Wingate, Curneen has served the Union County Soccer Association as a team trainer for various age groups (U-9 to U-16). He has been an assistant director in the Olympic Development Program for the North Carolina Youth Soccer Association (NCYSA), directing all aspects of training for U-11 girls.
Curneen possesses an "A" coaching license from the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). He holds the premier diploma from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). Curneen was a marketing intern for the Boston Bulldogs of the A League and the Boston Renegades of the W-League for two summers.
As a Bulldog student-athlete, Curneen earned four letters in men's soccer for head coach Gary Hamill. Curneen helped Wingate earn its first NCAA Division II playoff berth in 1999. Curneen earned his bachelor's and master's degree (MBA) at Wingate University.
Curneen, is a native of Omagh, Northern Ireland. He and his wife Erin were married in Northern Ireland in June of last year.
