HEAD COACH:
Danny Gilbertson
Office: (585) 389-2191
E-mail: dgilber5@naz.edu
Now in his sixth season as Nazareth's men's soccer coach, Danny Gilbertson has rapidly established himself as one of the area's top coaches after guiding the Golden Flyers to post-season tournament appearances in three of the past four seasons, including NCAA Tournament berths in 2005 and 2006.
Under Gilbertson's direction, the Golden Flyers made a surprise appearance in the NCAAs in 2005 (despite a 6-10-5 overall record) after claiming the Empire 8 Conference co-championship.
They followed that up with a record-breaking 15-5-3 season in 2006, which featured another conference championship and a berth in the national quarterfinals.
The back-to-back NCAA berths marked the first two appearances in the Golden Flyers' history. The 15 wins in 2006 also were a school record.
Gilbertson was honored for his team's unparalleled success by being named Northeast Region Coach of the Year by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
Nazareth enjoyed another competitive season in 2007 as the Golden Flyers finished 8-9-2 overall, qualified for the Empire 8 Tournament and were selected to compete in the ECAC Upstate Tournament. In 2008, Nazareth fell one game short of a conference playoff berth with a 7-8-2 overall record and 3-3-1 conference showing.
A native of London, Gilbertson was named Nazareth's head coach in 2004, succeeding the legendary Doug May, who died suddenly in April of that year.
He was an assistant coach for four seasons at Hobart, where he teamed with head coach Shawn Griffin to transform the Statesmen into one of the top programs in the region. Hobart finished 6-11-2 in Gilbertson's first season there in 2000, then 14-7-1 in his final season in 2003. Hobart was chosen as the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association's Coaching Staff of the Year for '03.
As a player, Gilbertson was a four-year starter and three-year captain while playing sweeper and center midfield at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire. He led the Panthers to three NCAA Tournament appearances and an undefeated regular season in 1998. He earned regional All-American honors in '98 and was a three-time Little East Conference all-star selection.
After graduating with a degree in physical education, Gilbertson played one season for the Vermont Voltage of the USL's Premier Development League.
Gilbertson played for Griffin at Plymouth State and served as an assistant coach there in 1999. He followed Griffin to Hobart in 2000.
Gilbertson's coaching qualifications include certification from the United European Football Association and a national advanced coaching diploma from the NSCAA.
Just the third men's soccer coach in Nazareth's 29-year history, Gilbertson resides in Geneva with his wife Emily and two young children.
ASSISTANT COACH:
Ben Cross
Office: (585) 389-2191
E-mail: bcross3@naz.edu
A former standout player at the University of Rochester, Ben Cross joined the Nazareth staff in 2007 as a part-time assistant coach.
Cross graduated from UR in 2004 with degrees in biology and political science as well as a handful of accolades as a soccer player for the Yellowjackets. He earned a Master's degree in biology in 2006.
Cross set a single-season school record in 2002 with 13 assists as the Yellowjackets finished 14-4-2. He also ranks second in career assists with 27 to go with 16 career goals for 59 points.
Cross was a first-team University Athletic Association all-star in 2002 and 2004 and a second-team Northeast Region all-star in '04. He was the UAA's Rookie of the Year in 2001.
Cross played scholastically at Pittsford Mendon High School, where he earned second-team all-Greater Rochester all-star honors as a senior.
Cross' coaching experience includes one season as an assistant coach at UR (2005), where he helped the team win the UAA title and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. He helped the staff gain recognition as UAA Coaching Staff of the Year. He also has coached the Rochester Junior Rhinos U-13 and U-12 teams.
ASSISTANT COACH:
Jim Delaney
Office: (585) 389-2191
After coaching with the Golden Flyers in 2006, Jim Delaney returns to the sidelines in 2008 as a part-time assistant coach.
Delaney, former head coach at St. John Fisher, will work extensively with the Golden Flyers' goalkeepers.
He coached the Cardinals for three seasons and in 1994 guided them to their first winning season (9-8) in 10 years. They followed that with a 10-6 record in 1995.
Delaney's coaching experience includes two seasons as an assistant coach at Fisher and one season as an assistant at the University of Rhode Island. He also has coached youth soccer in Rochester and Rhode Island.
A native of Rochester, Delaney played scholastically at McQuaid and went on to earn a degree in Social Science from Fredonia.
