Donnelly strives for success as men’s soccer coach
- Feb 24, 2015
- 3 min read
MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – What does it take to bring a college men’s soccer team from the bottom of the conference to the top? Coach Seamus Donnelly knows all about it.
Head coach of Penn State Harrisburg men’s soccer team, Seamus Donnelly, was born in Dublin, Ireland. In 1994, as an amateur player in Ireland, Donnelly attended Franklin Pierce College in United States on a soccer scholarship. After a brilliant career in college level and several successful professional years, Donnelly started on the path to being a soccer coach. He served as assistant coach at Elizabethtown College for three years before finally getting the head coaching position for Penn State Harrisburg men’s soccer team.
“It was an exciting program, it was in transition, lots of opportunities and I had the chance to build up the team almost from the ground,” Donnelly said. In his debut year, he took the team to the conference semi-finals by beating two-time North Eastern Athletic Conference Champions, SUNY Institute of Technology, in the first round of playoffs.
In the next year, although Donnelly became the first coach who took the team into the Capital Athletic Conference Competition, the team struggled to perform in the new conference. The Nittany Lions only managed to earn three victories in the entire season and failed to win any games in the conference competition. But, as the team stepped into their third year under Donnelly’s command, Penn State Harrisburg men’s soccer improved their performance dramatically. The Lions maintained a 12-4 record and managed to put themselves at No.2 in the conference. When Donnelly talked about his success in improving the team, he said the experiences of old players and the energy of the new players are key components.
“We have our old team players who took all the defeats last year as lessons. They learned from every single thing and now make sure they do not make the same mistakes again.” Donnelly said. “We also recruited many new talented players. They have given the team countless amounts of energy, as well as providing the team with skill and passion.”
When the team has good performances, fans always come out to support them. Junior player Ricardo Quintana expressed his respect to Donnelly as his coach. “I like the way he keeps every player involved and how he communicates with every player,” Quintana said.
Jumping from a professional footballer to a coach is a challenge, but Donnelly made it looks much smoother and easier than it is. He said the biggest difference between being a player and being a coach is the mentality.
“When you are a player, you can directly affect the game, whether you score a goal or win a good tackle. But, as a coach, you cannot. You have to use your words, experiences and strategy to help the players to affect the game. I have to say it is a hard and constant challenge,” Donnelly said.
Off the pitch, Donnelly is passionate about his family. He has two children and says that his family is what motivates him in everything he does.
“My family is everything to me. They are always there for me, support me when I fail and congratulate me when I succeed,” Donnelly said.
Donnelly is a Liverpool fan, and he admires many great coaches. He especially admires Bill Shankley and Bob Paisley, who are the old Liverpool coaches. Others he admires include Jose Mourinho, who is the current manager of English club Chelsea, and Pep Guardiola, who is the current manager of Bayern Munich club in Germany.
As an experienced soccer coach and a former professional footballer, Donnelly has some advice on what young soccer players should focus on.
“First of all, every player should play soccer games with passion and love. You want to play soccer because you actually enjoy it, not because of anything else,” Donnelly said. “Second, practice your weak foot. I have seen so many young one-footed players, and it will come back to you when the level of playing goes up.”
Donnelly intends to keep the winning streak of Penn State Harrisburg men’s soccer team going and bring even more honors to the school.
Comments