MEADVILLE, Pa. -- After leading his alma mater to a postseason berth in Allegheny College's return to the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC), Director of Athletics and Recreation Bill Ross is pleased to announce that John Lichina '14 has been appointed head men's soccer coach on a permanent basis.

Lichina was named interim head coach in the summer of 2022 after spending three years as an assistant coach. The former Gator goalkeeper was elevated after Angelo Panzetta relinquished his coaching duties to take on a new role as the College's Director of Athletic Equipment and Facilities.

"It was not a difficult decision to name John Lichina '14 as the permanent head coach of the men's soccer program," Ross said. "It became abundantly clear during the fall season that we had the right person in the role. We're looking forward to watching the team's continued growth under his leadership."

"I have been working towards this since the school year started," Lichina said. "My commitment is to bring this program into a brighter future. I am pleased Bill Ross and the athletic department have faith in me to continue as head coach."

Under Lichina's tutelage, the Gators qualified for the PAC Championships and hosted a quarterfinal playoff game as the No. 4 seed in the tournament. It marked the first postseason game for the Allegheny men's soccer team since 2011, and the first time the Gators hosted a playoff game since 2004. Allegheny  placed four student-athletes on the 2022 All-PAC Teams, including All-PAC First Team honoree Brady Napoleon.

Off the field, the men's soccer team finished the fall semester with a cumulative 3.39 grade-point average. Four student-athletes finished the fall with a perfect 4.0, and six were named to the 2022 Academic All-District Men's Soccer Team, as selected by College Sports Communicators (CSC).

Lichina was a four-time All-North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) award winner during his playing days. As a goalkeeper, he graduated with the program record for career shutouts (21). Across his four years, he won 35 games with 364 saves and a 1.32 goals-against average. He was a two-year captain and earned Allegheny's Newcomer of the Year Award in 2010-11.