ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – St. Bonaventure University Vice President and Director of Athletics Bob Beretta has announced the hiring of Ray Leone as new head coach of the Bonnies women's soccer program. One of the most decorated women's soccer coaches in the nation, Leone brings over three decades of experience and 300-plus wins to the Enchanted Mountains.

"We are incredibly excited to name Ray Leone as head coach of our women's soccer program. Coach Leone embodies the spirit, vision, and relentless pursuit of excellence that will elevate the St. Bonaventure women's soccer program to new heights," Beretta said. "He is highly respected within collegiate coaching circles, is a proven winner and boasts an exceptional coaching pedigree.

"Coach Leone is widely regarded as a man of great integrity, character and principled leadership. He has achieved tremendous success at the highest levels of collegiate women's soccer, leading his teams to competitive excellence while representing the institutions for which he has worked with tremendous class, dignity and distinction."

During his legendary coaching career, he's led Division I powerhouse programs at Harvard, Arizona State, Creighton, Clemson and Maryland. His 309 overall victories rank 34^th among all active Division I head coaches to go along with a career winning percentage of better than 58 percent.

He compiled a 90-49-18 record over nine seasons at Harvard. While there, he led the Crimson to five Ivy League championships and NCAA Tournament appearances while directing 38 All-Ivy selections including three Ivy League Players of the Year. He was crowned the Ivy League Coach of the Year in 2014 following a 12-4-2 season.

Among his impressive list of career accomplishments: Winning Coach of the Year honors in the Ivy League and ACC, and coaching over 30 players who have gone on to play professionally including Olympic gold medalist Amy Lepeilbet and Midge Purce, the 2023 NWSL Championship MVP. As a head or assistant coach, Leone has been part of 14 NCAA Tournament squads including three Elite Eight runs.

Most recently, he served as recruiting coordinator and coach at FC Sarasota in Florida and associate head coach at New College of Florida.  

"I am very grateful to Bob Beretta and the entire St. Bonaventure family for the opportunity to lead the Bonnies women's soccer program. St. Bonaventure represents everything I believe in —community, character, and a relentless commitment to excellence on and off the field," Leone said. "I am incredibly honored and I will pour my heart and soul into these student-athletes, and together we will build something truly special.

"I can't wait to get to work, embrace the passion of Bona Nation, and represent this university with pride every single day. I am also thankful to have the support from Coach Serge Lipovetsky and Athletic Director Mariano Jimenez and all the New College players I was able to coach. Let's Go Bonnies!"

From Harvard, the Maryland native returned home to the University of Maryland where he directed the Terps from 2016-21. During his tenure at Maryland, the Terps captured their first-ever Big Ten Tournament appearance in 2019.

No stranger to coaching at the highest levels, he directed Arizona State for six seasons where his Sun Devils squads recorded 60 wins and reached the NCAA Tournament twice including rising to a national ranking of No. 9 in 2004. He guided nine All-Pac 12 selections during his time in Tempe.

Back on the East Coast, Leone served on staff at Clemson from 1994 to 2000, first in an assistant role for five seasons before posting a 33-10-3 record as head coach between 1999-2001. Serving as co-head coach in 1999, his Tigers won 19 matches and captured the ACC regular season championship that year and then shined to a 19-3-1 mark the following fall. During his time at Clemson, the Tigers finished in the national top-15 in each of the seven seasons and recorded 20 All-ACC honorees. He was part of an ACC regular season championship team which finished the year ranking No. 5 nationally.

Earlier in his coaching career, he started the program at Creighton in 1989 and within five years had the Bluejays soaring to a top-five regional ranking including a 14-3-2 final record in 1994.

His head coaching career path began at Berry College (Ga.) where he became the first coach to take a first-year program to a national championship game in college soccer history. The next year, the team won the NAIA national title and Leone was crowned as the national Coach of the Year.

Along with unquestioned success on the soccer pitch, his student-athletes have excelled in the classroom as well.

While at Maryland, his Terps squad collected the President's Cup for achieving the highest GPA among all women's athletic programs on campus. At Harvard, he coached 11 Ivy League All-Academic Team selections and two Academic All-Americans.

Also in recent seasons, he served a stint as an assistant at Northern Arizona University and also was assistant coach at IMG Academy where he worked with the U-19 women's program that won the school's first-ever national championship in 2022.

Leone was a three-year letterwinner and All-Conference player in soccer at UNC-Charlotte and was part of a Sun Belt Conference championship team.

"Coach Leone places a premium on relationship-building and will serve as a trusted mentor and role model to our student-athletes," Beretta added. "Throughout the interview process, he displayed a remarkable passion and desire to join our St. Bonaventure community, making him an outstanding fit for our University, Athletics Department and Women's Soccer program. We could not be more thrilled to welcome Ray Leone into the St. Bonaventure community."

What they're saying about Ray Leone
"Ray is an amazing coach and a proven leader. He invests in his student-athletes, building a culture that drives performance on the field and growth off it. The impact he makes on them will be lifelong, and the program will most certainly rise with him at the helm."
- Beth Goetz
Director of Athletics, University of Iowa

"Ray was foundational to my development as a player and a person during a critical time in my soccer career. He has a unique ability to serve the person behind the player while also working to bring out the best performance possible. He is an obvious choice for any coaching position and I'm grateful to have played for him."
- Midge Purce
MVP of NWSL 2023 Championship for Gotham FC, member of US National Team and played for Coach Leone at Harvard

"St. Bonaventure made a great hire with Ray Leone. Having worked with him at Harvard and Arizona State, I've seen firsthand the passion, work ethic and care Ray brings to a program. A lifelong teacher, coach and mentor, his impact goes far beyond championships. He shapes people as much as he does players. I'm excited for Ray and the future of the Bonnies program."
- Mike Calise
Associate Head Coach, Harvard

"I've had the privilege of learning from Ray Leone for over 14 years. I know no one better to lead the St. Bonaventure program to this next chapter. His dedication and integrity to the game of soccer is unparalleled. Go Bonnies."
- Kerry O'Malley Baldwin
St. Bonaventure Women's Soccer Class of 2007

"Ray is simply a fantastic hire for the Bonnies. The players are going to be so happy because happiness comes from growth and they will have the opportunity to grow as a team and as individuals under his leadership. Ray is fantastic in team building and has a tremendous passion for the game. He loves helping players become the best versions of themselves and he is one of the very best at it."
- Bob Warming
Leone's collegiate soccer coach at Charlotte who retired as the winningest active NCAA Division I men's head coach