MADISON, N.J. – Brendan Michael C'11 has been selected as the new women's soccer head coach at Drew University, Director of Athletics Christa Racine has announced.
 
Michael replaces Racine, who in January announced she was stepping down from the position of women's soccer head coach after 30 years at the helm but will remain in her role as Athletics Director.
 
Michael comes to the Forest from the University of Southern Maine, where he served as the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator of the women's soccer team since 2020. He is a 2011 Drew University graduate who competed for the men's soccer team for four years.
 
"I am incredibly excited for the opportunity to come back to my alma mater as Drew's next women's soccer coach," said Michael. "I want to thank Christa Racine, the search committee, and Drew University for putting their faith in me to join the department and build on the success of the program, both on and off the field. I'm looking forward to coaching this talented group of players starting this spring!"
 
Over the last two seasons at Southern Maine, Michael helped lead the Huskies to both the Little East Conference (LEC) regular season and conference championship while earning a regional ranking as high as No. 3. This past fall, the team posted its first-ever NCAA Division III tournament victory when it defeated 11th-ranked Rowan University 2-0.
 
Michael spent a total of seven years at Southern Maine, also serving as an assistant coach from 2017-19, and was twice a member of the LEC Coaching Staff of the Year (2018 and 2022). In his three years as associate head coach, he helped lead the Huskies to a 45-10-7 (.782) record and recruited the 2022 LEC Player of the Year, the 2022 and 2023 Goalkeeper of the Year, and 2022 and 2023 Defensive Player of the Year as well as the 2022 LEC Rookie of the Year. In addition, he helped coach the first All-American in program history in 2023.
 
In addition to his coaching role at Southern Maine, Michael also served the USM athletic department in the role of administrative specialist, which included overseeing the federal work-study students for the department and managing camps and clinics for all teams.
 
As a student-athlete, Michael was part of a successful era for Drew men's soccer and began his career during the Landmark Conference's inaugural season in 2007, when the Rangers won the conference title. Playing in 58 games and making 42 starts at defender, he helped Drew qualify for the Landmark Conference tournament four years in a row while gaining a spot in the NCAA playoffs in 2008. In addition, the Rangers reached the ECAC playoffs three times with Michael's help, winning the title in 2009.
 
After graduating from Drew with a degree in economics, Michael worked as an accountant at the American Association for Justice for nearly five years before entering the coaching profession. He gained an MBA from the University of Maine in 2022.
 
Michael inherits a Drew team that finished 12-7-1 and placed third in the Landmark Conference with a 6-2-1 conference record a year ago. The squad stands to return 24 players, including one all-region and all-conference selection. The team has qualified for the Landmark Conference tournament in each of the last two seasons and reached the championship game in 2022.