BALTIMORE - After enjoying the longest tenure of coaching one program in UMBC Athletics' history,
Pete Caringi, Jr. is retiring as head soccer coach on April 1, 2023.
Of all active NCAA men's head soccer coaches entering the 2022 season, Caringi stood 17th with 310 total victories and 39th with a winning percentage of 59.5.
He came to UMBC in the fall of 1991 and posted a 15-5-1 record, tying a program mark for wins in his first campaign. His 1999 team earned the program's first NCAA Tournament bid and led the nation in winning percentage at 93.2 (19-1-2). After winning America East Conference titles in 2010, 2012 and 2013, his 2014 squad captured a fourth crown, advanced via shutout in four consecutive road NCAA contests and earned a trip to the College Cup in Cary, N.C.
Caringi, his staff and squad established many university and America East firsts with the march to Cary. He presided over the first UMBC Division I and league-sponsored squad to reach a national semifinal. The Baltimore native earned National Coach of the Year honors from the sport's governing body, the NSCAA (now United Soccer Coaches) and from its most respected publication,
Soccer America, in the 2014 season.
Caringi just surpassed former UMBC Head Baseball Coach John Jancuska (1978-2011), completing his 32nd season as a Retrievers' head coach. Kathy Zerrlaut totaled 41 years as a head coach on Hilltop Circle, 24 with women's lacrosse (1973-96) and 17 with the volleyball program (1973-89).  Â
During his tenure, Caringi never suffered back-to-back losing fall campaigns. His energy never relented, as evidenced by the 2022 team earning votes in the national polls and finishing tied for sixth in the nation in scoring offense.
Pete Caringi, Jr. - By The Numbers
- Coached the most seasons – 32 – in any one sport in UMBC Athletics History.
- Earned the second-most victories – 320 - in a single sport in school history.
- Program won 71.4 percent of its home games during his tenure.   Â
- Final team grade-point average for Fall, 2022 – 3.46 – the top-performing men's program in Retriever Athletics.
- Guided his teams to 11 conference championships.
- Coached 9 All-Americans, including his son Pete Caringi, III, '14.
- A member of 5 Halls of Fame, including the UMBC Athletics Hall of Fame (2019)
