Sharon Soccer Director of Coaching
Paul Vasconcelos is in his twelfth year as head coach for the women's soccer team at Lesley University. He is the all-time winningest coach in Lesley soccer history and posts an 169-44-15 overall record (84-2-1 NECC).
Vasconcelos and his staff guided the Lynx to their sixth New England Collegiate Conference title in 2017 and returned to the NCAA Tournament. 2017 also marked the seventh time (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2017) in Vasconcelos' career that he was voted Conference Coach of the Year by his peers.
Under his direction, Vasconcelos has turned the Lynx into a premier program in the region. He has compiled a .771 winning percentage which puts him in the top 10 winningest-active coaches in NCAA history and appeared in ten straight NECC Championship games.
His teams have also excelled in the classroom as they are annually honored by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America with the Team Academic Award, a distinction that recognizes programs that compile a combined grade-point-average of 3.0 or higher.
In September of 2014, Vasconcelos was appointed to the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Advisory Committee. Within this position, Vasconcelos is heavily involved in the evaluations of regional programs throughout the season and provides input regarding regional rankings, seedings, and the bracketing process for the NCAA Divsion III Women's Soccer Championship.
In his first year on staff, the women's program made a remarkable turnaround, improving to 14-4-1 in the 2007 season and getting into the record books as the NCAA All-Time Most Improved Division III program in the country. As a result, Vasconcelos was selected as the 2007 North Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year.
The Lynx returned to the title game again in 2010, when Vasconcelos was named NECC Coach of the Year for an unprecedented third consecutive season. He has now coached a total of 35 All-Conference players, including four Conference Players of the Year, six All-New England selections and two Conference Rookies of the Year.
This past 2017 season the Lynx ended the year ranked in the Top 10 in New England, losing in the NCAA tournament to eventual National Champions Williams College.
Prior to his time at Lesley, he was the assistant coach at Milton Academy where he stayed on for just one season, before leaving to become the men's assistant coach at Emerson College. At Emerson he helped lead the Lions to their best record in the programs history in just his first year. He stayed at Emerson for three seasons, leading the Lions to two straight Great Northeast Athletic Conference semifinals matches.
He holds a USSF National B License, KNVB Dutch Advanced License, NSCAA Director of Coaching Diploma and Portuguese Level III. He also coached in the Massachusetts ODP system for over 8 years.