Farmingdale, N.Y. - Our final "Meet the Coach" feature is Head Women's Soccer Coach Chris Roche.
Coach Roche came to Farmingdale State in the summer of 2005. Since then, he has completely turned around the women's soccer program, compiling an overall record of 196-104-27 and leading his team to 12 Conference Championships and 12 NCAA Tournament appearances (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019).
In 2018, Coach Roche guided his team to the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament victory with a 1-0 win over #19 Brandeis in the First Round. The 2018 team also reached a #21 ranking in the Nation during the season.
Prior to FSC, he was the Head Women's Soccer Coach at Briarcliffe for two years. Coach Roche graduated from the University of Scranton in 1985 with a Bachelor's Degree in Economics and Finance. While studying at Scranton, he played one year of soccer and was then hired as the assistant coach.
We asked Coach to answer a few questions:
How did you get into coaching?
I got into coaching as I played my whole life growing up on Long Island and got involved in my daughter's/son's team so it was a natural progression.
What is your favorite coaching moment/moments of your career?
I have had many favorite moments here at Farmingdale over the past 16 years. However, the two that really stand out is our first Skyline Championship win over Bard, 1-0, on the old grass field. The second is just looking back at our first practice with nine players and then seeing where we are today.
What makes Farmingdale State such a great place to work?
Farmingdale State is a great place to work as the facilities are second to none and most importantly the support we get from the President, AD's and the entire staff.
What would you consider your greatest accomplishment as a coach?
My greatest accomplishment is as I said before is turning a program around that on year one struggled for players to where we are now. We now can compete on a national level.
How would you best describe your coaching style?
My coaching style has definitely evolved over the years. Today, I feel I'm pretty laid back but still very passionate about the program.
What are the values of your program?
We try to instill that we can accomplish anything if we are willing to work hard for it.
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