BUFFALO – D'Youville University and the Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, Ona Halladay, announced on Friday that Sean Hallas will be the next head coach of the men's soccer program.
 
"Coach Hallas has proven experience recruiting players from a global market to build a program," Halladay said. "He has implemented a culture in the past that breeds winning in the classroom, in the community, and on the field. I look forward to the work Coach Hallas will put in to rebuilding our men's soccer program while producing respectful leaders that will positively impact our world."
 
"I chose to pursue this position for a number of reasons," Hallas said. "I have called Buffalo home now for more than eight years. I am both familiar with the landscape and the Buffalo Soccer environment. The project of building the program to be a contender within the East Coast Conference and eventually regionally is something that interested me right from the start. After hearing the ambition from the Athletics Department and how Staff Members foresee D'Youville in the next five years it is exciting to be a part of, I would like to thank Ona Halladay and Rebecca Capinera for entrusting me in being the face of the program and I can't wait to get started. Go Saints!"
 
Hallas comes to D'Youville after serving as the Director of Player Development & Operations for Syracuse University's men's soccer program since June of 2023. In that role he led international recruitment, conducted data analysis and film, and created scouting reports.
 
Prior to Syracuse, Hallas served as head coach of Medaille University's men's soccer program. In his two years at Medaille, he led the Mavericks to a 25-6-7 record. In 2021, he was named AMCC Coach of the Year after the Mavericks tallied a 13-4-1 record and appeared in the conference championship game. In 2022, Hallas led Medaille to a 12-2-6 record, the program's lowest number of losses since 2006, a conference championship and an NCAA Tournament appearance. In his two seasons there, he placed 15 student-athletes on All-Conference teams, four student-athletes on All-Region teams, and had one All-American selection. Hallas served as an assistant coach for Medaille for a year before taking over as head coach during the 2020 season.
 
Before his coaching roles at Medaille, Hallas served as Head Coach & Assistant Director of Soccer at Global Premier Soccer in Buffalo. There, he coached 12 teams of from ages U7 through U19 and coached the Regional U17 Girls team at the USYS National Tournament.
 
Hallas graduated from William Carey University in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science in exercise science. At William Carey, he played soccer for three years, where they made two NAIA National Tournament appearances. Hallas also played soccer for two years at Genesee Community College prior to William Carey.
 
Coming to D'Youville, Hallas will look to have a direct focus on the players to create the best version of themselves on the field and in the classroom. "My vision for the program moving forward is fairly simple, to win soccer games. The program transitioning into the Division II environment has proved to be a difficult one but something I am excited to improve. My coaching style will be direct and player centered, can we get the best version and maximum effort out of the Student Athlete both on the field and in the classroom? If we can, I believe this program has no limits and can be a contender within the East Coast Conference for years to come."