After serving as an assistant coach in 2017, Brian Gill took over for Rudy Fuller as the James C. Gentle Head Coach of Men's Soccer in February of 2018, following Fuller's promotion to Senior Associate Athletic Director for Intercollegiate Programs.
2022 was a standout season for the men’s soccer program. Gill was named the unanimous Ivy League Coach of the Year after leading Penn to its first conference title since 2013, guiding the Quakers to a 13-3-2 record (6-1-0 in conference play), and numerous weeks in the Top 25 of the United Soccer Coaches (USC) poll. Those six conference wins included the program’s first wins over Columbia and Princeton since 2011 and 2013, respectively. Stas Korzeniowski and Leo Burney were both named USC second-team All-America, in addition to earning Ivy League Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year awards, the first sophom*ores to earn major award recognition from the Ivies since 1993. Ben Stitz and Isaac McGinnis were All-Region second and third-team selections, respectively, while Nick Christoffersen, Jack Rosener, and Ben Do were all additional All-Ivy selections.
Following a CoVID-cancelled 2020 campaign, the Quakers' 2021 season ended with a 7-6-3 overall record, the program’s third straight season at .500 or better, the first such stretch for the program in more than a decade. Those seven victories included three straight, 2-1 comeback wins at Rhodes Field against Drexel, Dartmouth, and Temple, respectively. Four Quakers earned year-end All-Ivy honors, including freshman First-team defender Leo Burney and Second-team senior midfielders Ben Stitz and Isaac McGinnis. Additionally, Burney was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Northeast Region Third Team, the College Soccer News All-Freshman Second Team, and the Philly Soccer Six Freshman of the Year.
Gill's second season at the helm in 2019 showed continued improvement from his first year, guiding the Quakers to their first above .500 record since the 2011 season with a 7-5-4 tally, and a 3-1-3 record in Ivy League action. In conference action, the squad earned 12 points to take second in the standings following a great four-match ending to the season with two wins over No. 24 Yale and Harvard and draws against Brown and Princeton. The win against Ivy Champion, Yale, was the only loss in the league for the Bulldogs. Awards flooded in for the Quakers after the season, led by junior defender Alex Touche as the Ivy's Defensive Player of the Year. He was joined on first-team All-Ivy with junior midfielder Joey Bhangdia, while freshman Kai Lammers earned a second-team nod and senior Brandon Bartel and junior Jake Kohlbrenner sport honorable mention spots. Touche continued his honors with a United Soccer Coaches (USC) third-team All-Region honor in the Northeast.
In his first year, the improvement began on the field for the Quakers, as Penn notched a .500 record at 5-5-6 for the first time since 2013. Defensively, the Red and Blue boasted their strongest numbers since 2010, posting seven shutouts and holding their opponents to a sub-one goals allowed per game average. Sophom*ore Alex Touche garnered first-team All-Ivy status, while junior Brandon Bartelearned honorable mention league honors with a conference-best six assists.
Gill spent 2017 as an assistant coach for Penn, helping coach four All-Ivy honorees. Prior to his arrival in University City, he spent seven seasons at Georgetown as an assistant. His tenure in the nation's capital was highlighted by five trips to the NCAA Tournament, including reaching the NCAA College Cup final in 2012 and appearances in the Elite Eight (2014) and Sweet Sixteen (2013, 2015). Georgetown won four Big East championships and was nationally-ranked each season from 2010-15.
The Georgetown coaching staff was named the Big East Coaching Staff of the Year three times and four of Gill's recruiting classes were ranked in the top six nationally, peaking at fourth in 2013 and 2014. During his tenure at Georgetown, Gill coached 14 players who signed with a Major League Soccer (MLS) squad, one MAC Hermann Trophy finalist, three Hermann Trophy semifinalists, nine All-Americans, 22 regional All-Americans, nine Big East Players of the Year, and 30 All-Big East honorees, as well as the College Cup Most Outstanding Offensive Player. Additionally, one Academic All-American, one Big East Scholar-Athlete and one Elite 89 Award winner have played under Gill's tutelage.
Two of Gill's players at Georgetown, Keegan Rosenberry and Joshua Yaro, were selected second and third, respectively, in the 2016 MLS Draft by the Philadelphia Union.
Prior to spending time in the nation's capital, Gill spent one season at Seattle University (2009) and two seasons at Lafayette College (2007-08) as an assistant coach.
Gill currently holds a USSF 'B' License as well as an NSCAA Advanced National Diploma and a National Goalkeepers Diploma.
As a player, Gill was a three-time captain and two-time team MVP at Rider University and helped the Broncs reach the MAAC Championship match in 2000 and 2003. He also played goalkeeper for the Brooklyn Knights of USL's Premier Development League from 2001-03.
Gill graduated magna cum laude from Rider in 2004 with a degree in secondary education and history. He earned his master's degree at Georgetown in sports industry management in 2015.
What They Are Saying AboutBrian Gill
"Penn has found a great head coach inBrian Gill. He has great soccer acumen, he's one of the top recruiters in the country and he understands the type of student-athlete that can thrive at an institution like Penn."
Brian Wiese, Head Coach, Georgetown University
"This is a tremendous hire for Penn. I have known Brian for close to 15 years and think very highly of him. He has a sharp soccer mind and is a fantastic recruiter. He will be an excellent mentor to the young men in the Penn soccer program. Exciting times are ahead for Penn."
Sasho Cirovski, Head Coach, University of Maryland
"Congratulations toBrian Gill. He is without question one of the best, if not the best, people in the college game at spotting talent. He has a great ability to find top players and this ability mixed with a very good soccer brain will make him an excellent head coach. He has served a great apprenticeship and is ready to take over the reins."
Bobby Clark, Head Coach, University of Notre Dame (2001-2017)
"Brian is one of the bright young minds in coaching that our country has. His ability to identify talent, and produce professional players, speaks for itself. The character and maturity of the players he has worked with who are currently with the Philadelphia Union is a true testament to the coach he is."
Jim Curtin, Head Coach, Philadelphia Union
"Brian is the perfect choice for Penn. His experience and development under Coach Fuller and prior to that at Georgetown under Coach Wiese have allowed him to build his reputation as one of the top young coaches in the country. The future of Penn men's soccer is in excellent hands under Coach Gill."
John Hackworth, Head Coach, U.S. U17 National Team; former Head Coach, Philadelphia Union
"I am so happy that Coach Gill has received the opportunity to prove himself at the head coaching level. He is one of the hardest-working people I have ever been around, on and off the field. His attitude and love for the game is infectious, yet his authenticity is what I appreciated most. Coach Gill was never one to sugarcoat a mistake, but he was always the first to applaud a triumph or great play. I owe a lot of my success on the field thus far to Coach Gill. However, most importantly, he emulated how to be a great person off of the pitch. The program at Penn is in great hands for years to come!"
JT Marcinkowski, Georgetown (2015-17), goalkeeper, San Jose Earthquakes
"First and foremost, congrats to Coach Gill on such a great achievement. I have no doubt he'll continue to build on the foundation that Coach Fuller has already laid. Coach Gill is one of the most honest, hardworking and dedicated coaches in college soccer, and it was truly an honor playing under him at Georgetown. During my time as a Hoya, he always prepared us for games in ways that gave us a competitive advantage. I'm happy to see him achieve his lifelong dream and can't wait to see him get to work. Penn soccer is fortunate to have him as a head coach. I wish him all the best in this next chapter."
Joshua Yaro, Georgetown (2013-15), defender, Philadelphia Union (2016-18)
