The upcoming women’s soccer season is poised to be one with many new faces including incoming first-year athletes and most especially a new head coach for the Stags. It was announced on Tuesday, Jan. 16 that David Barrett will take over the leadership of the women’s soccer team, serving as their new head coach. Barrett has built himself quite the resume as he previously spent the last 17 seasons as the head coach for Illinois Wesleyan University, earning National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament bids in eight of the last nine years.
“I am absolutely thrilled to become the women’s soccer coach at Fairfield University,” stated Barrett. “This is an amazing opportunity for me, both professionally and personally. I view the Fairfield women’s soccer program as one without limits in terms of what can be accomplished in our conference and beyond. I’ve always set high standards for my program, and that will continue here at Fairfield. We have a lot of hard work in front of us, but I am ready for the challenge to lead the program to new heights,” added Barrett.
Barrett got his coaching start at Yale University as an assistant men’s soccer coach between 1997-2000. One of his best seasons at Yale came in 1998 when the Bulldogs finished with a 13-5-1 record. In that same season, the Bulldogs were ranked No. 18 in a national poll and went on to the NCAA tournament, reaching the Sweet 16. While serving as an assistant, Barrett also held the role of associate professor of physical education and the director of intramurals at Yale.
After his time at Yale, Barrett moved on to become the head coach of Illinois Wesleyan where he enjoyed much success. Barrett’s teams have reached the postseason every year since 2002, appearing in the conference tournament finals 10 times and the NCAA 10 times. The last four seasons at Illinois Wesleyan have been four of the best in school history. Each year the program either won the conference title or finished as the runner-up, which was followed by a trip to the NCAA tournament. In 2014, Barrett led the Titans to the NCAA Division III semifinals, finishing with an overall record of 18-7-1 and a final ranking of No. 4 in the national poll. One year later, his squad broke their own single season wins record with 20 victories, which included a trip to the NCAA Division III Sweet 16 and a No. 9 ranking in the final national poll. In the classroom, Barrett’s student-athletes averaged a 3.30 GPA over the past 10 years.
“It is with great excitement that we announce David Barrett as the next head coach of our women’s soccer program,” stated Director of Athletics Paul Schlickmann. “Coach Barrett emerged from an extensive national search for his proven ability to lead and develop a program into a perennial conference and national contender, for his clear alignment with our institutional core values and for the type of educator and mentor he will be to our student-athletes. Coach Barrett has an exceptional track record of success at every stop in his educational and professional journey. His soccer acumen and his knowledge of the national soccer scene will serve him well as the leader of our program. I am pleased to welcome Dave and his family to the Fairfield community,” added Schlickmann.
Expect many great strides to be made in the coming months as the 2018 Fairfield University women’s soccer team prepares for the upcoming season and looks to bounce back under new leadership in Barrett.
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