Colleen Murphy Selected To Lead Scranton Women's Soccer

SCRANTON, Pa. - Toby Lovecchio, director of athletics at The University of Scranton, has announced the appointment of Colleen E. Murphy as head women's soccer coach, effective immediately.

Murphy, a former Royal women's soccer standout and 2004 graduate of the university with a Bachelor of Science degree in management, replaces Lovecchio, who served as interim head coach this past season after veteran head coach Joe Bochicchio passed away on July 24, 2007.  In 23 seasons, Bochicchio led Scranton to 298 victories, including 15 Middle Atlantic/Freedom Conference championships and 11 NCAA tournament appearances.  His 1987, 2001 and 2003 teams also advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III championships.

"I'd like to thank the search committee for doing such a great job," says Lovecchio.  "I'm very excited and thankful that Colleen has returned to our University community.  She exhibits all the qualities we value in a head coach.  Most importantly, she is a wonderful role model, an excellent mentor, a passionate and inspirational leader, very knowledgeable of the game and clearly understands and embraces the traditions of our women's soccer program.  I am very confident that Colleen will continue to build and maintain an environment within this soccer program that is healthy, competitive and successful."

Murphy returns to her alma mater after serving as an assistant women's soccer coach at Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, this past season.  The Greyhounds finished with a 15-6-1 overall record, advanced to the championship match of the Landmark Conference tournament, and received a Pool B at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.  Her responsibilities included practice planning, on-the-field instruction, match preparation and recruiting.  She also served as a trainer for the Lehigh Valley Magic Soccer Club, an under-18 girls' club team.

Prior to her appointment at Moravian, she served as an assistant women's soccer coach at Elmira College in Elmira, New York, from August 2004 through June 2006, including a stint as acting head coach from December 2005 through March 2006, while working on and eventually earning her Master of Science degree in adult education.  The Eagles posted back-to-back 4-3 records in Empire 8 competition and qualified for the league's post-season tournament as the number three seed each year.

Since July 2006, Murphy has also served as an administrative intern for the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators in Wilmington, North Carolina, where she was responsible for office management, assisting with the 2006 NACWAA convention, along with marketing and public relations.

"I'm very excited about the opportunity to come back to The University of Scranton," says Murphy.  "I was very fortunate to play and learn so much of the game from my time with Joe Bochicchio.  He was more than just a mentor; he taught us the value of an education and to always handle ourselves with dignity and respect.  I consider myself lucky to be able to follow in his footsteps.  I also appreciate the university giving me the opportunity to coach this program."

A native of Langhorne, Pennsylvania and a graduate of Neshaminy High School, Murphy was a four-year letter-winner on some of the most successful teams in Scranton history.  She was a four-time all-Freedom Conference selection-first team in 2000 and 2003 and second-team in 2001 and 2002-and earned first-team all-Mid-Atlantic regional honors by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) in 2003.  She started 81 of 83 career matches as the Royals posted a four-year overall record of 71-13-4 (.830), including four Freedom Conference championships and four NCAA tournament appearances.  In her senior year, she served as team captain and was a key member of a Royal defensive unit that posted 21 shutouts en route to a school-record 22 victories on a team that ended its season with a hard-fought 1-0 loss in double overtime to eventual champion Oneonta State University in Oneonta, New York, in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament.  She also played a key role on the 2001 team that lost a 1-0 decision to Wheaton College (Ill.) in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament in Wheaton, Illinois, to put the wraps on a 17-4-1 season.

Scranton defeated Moravian College, 4-2, in the championship match of the first-ever Landmark Conference tournament to finish the 2007 season with a 9-9-2 overall record under Lovecchio.  The Royal coaching staff, which included assistants Nick Bressler and Bryan Hargrove, was selected the Landmark Conference Coaching Staff of the Year in a ballot conducted among the league's head coaches.

Murphy becomes the fourth head coach in University of Scranton women's soccer history.