Dan Dolan, the longest-tenured and winningest coach in the history of the Daemen University women's soccer program, is entering his 16th season at the helm in 2024. He has successfully overseen the program’s transition from National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) to National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II and taken the program to new heights in recent years.
Taking the job in 2009, Dolan inherited a program that had posted just one winning season in its first nine years of existence. He quickly established Daemen as one of the top programs in the Northeast. Dolan has guided the Wildcats to postseason play in nine of the previous 14 seasons (excluding the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season) and has developed numerous all-conference players.
The Wildcats went 11-6-1 in his second season as head coach in 2010 and in 2011 he guided Daemen to a program record 15 wins (15-4-0) and the American Mideast Conference (AMC) regular-season championship--program’s first ever conference title. During the 2011 season Dolan's veteran squad won eight consecutive games in an undefeated month of October, including victories against ranked opponents such as Point Park (4-3 in double overtime), Roberts Wesleyan (4-3 in double overtime), and Houghton (1-0), the latter of which was ranked No. 15 in the NAIA national poll at the time. Additionally, Daemen gained NAIA national poll votes for the first time in team history during that stretch. As a result, Dolan was named AMC Coach of the Year, and six of his players earned all-conference honors, including AMC Player of the Year Lindsay Miller, who also garnered honorable mention All-American status, along with teammate Samantha Engel.
Daemen began transitioning to NCAA Division II in 2012 and over the next three seasons the Wildcats averaged nine wins per season and advanced to the championship game of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) championship tournament each year—claiming the national title in 2012. The 2012 season included three victories over NCAA Division II opponents, which helped Daemen earn the No. 6 seed in the USCAA tournament. The team went on to win three successive games against higher seeds, defeating No. 3 Penn College (2-0), No. 2 Carlow (2-1), and No. 1 Maine-Fort Kent in overtime (1-0) to capture the USCAA National Championship. Daemen's win in the title game snapped the two-time defending champs, Maine-Fort Kent's 33-game winning streak.
The 2015 season marked Daemen’s first as a full NCAA Division II member. The Wildcats won seven games overall and finished in fifth place in the East Coast Conference (4-5-0), narrowly missing out on a bid to the four-team ECC Championship tournament in their first season of eligibility. The program’s first ECC Tournament bid came in 2018 and the Wildcats have qualified for the conference tournament four of the past five years.
The 2019 season was Daemen's most successful overall since transitioning to NCAA Division II. The team finished with an impressive 11-4-3 overall record, a 4-2-2 mark in ECC play and earned its first-ever bid to the NCAA Division II tournament. Four players from the 2019 team were recognized for their outstanding performances, earning spots on the All-ECC teams. Among them was senior forward Jamie Boyar, who capped off her career as Daemen's all-time leader in goals, with an impressive total of 55.
Dolan skillfully guided the program through the challenges and uncertainties brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the disruptions, Daemen managed to have a shortened 2020 season played during the Spring 2021 semester. Dolan led a young Wildcats squad to an even 2-2 record, achieving his 100th career victory with a 4-0 shutout of D'Youville on April 11.
With the team returning to somewhat normal operations in the fall of 2021, Dolan led the Wildcats to a 9-6-1 overall record and a 7-1-1 mark in conference play--the program's best ECC campaign since joining the league. The 2021 season also included the program’s first-ever win over a nationally ranked team since gaining full NCAA stats, as they posted a 3-1 victory over No. 24 Molloy. A record seven players earned All-ECC honors, including freshman Alyssa Diaz, who was named the ECC Rookie of the Year.
The 2022 season presented Dolan with yet another challenge. Picked to finish third in the preseason ECC coaches’ poll, the Wildcats went winless early in the year while playing a very challenging non-conference schedule. Daemen rallied late in the year and went 5-1-1 over its final seven games and earned a bid to the four-team ECC Championship tournament. Six players would earn All-ECC honors.
The Wildcats got back on track in 2023. Ranked as high as eighth in the East Region by the United Soccer Coaches this season, Daemen went 9-2-3 over its final 14 games and finished 9-5-3 overall and 6-1-1 in the ECC. The Wildcats finished second in the final ECC regular season standings, which ranks as the program's highest finish since joining the conference in 2013. The Wildcats also put together a program record 11-match unbeaten streak during the season. Seeded second in the ECC Championship tournament, the Wildcats defeated Mercy in the tournament semifinals to earn their first-ever appearance in the ECC championship game. The season came to an end following a loss to Molloy in the title game.
Dolan was appointed as the third women's soccer coach in Daemen's history on March 6, 2009. Prior to joining the Daemen staff, he served as the lead assistant coach at Niagara University in 2008, contributing to their successful 12-6-1 season. Before his tenure at Niagara, Dolan spent six years as the head coach of the boys' varsity soccer team at Cardinal O'Hara High School, where he also coached the girls' varsity team in 2004.
Dolan currently holds the position of Chair of the East Coast Conference and serves on the East Region Coaches Ranking Committee. He has earned multiple coaching certifications, including the National "C" License and National Youth License from U.S. Soccer Federation, as well as the National, Advanced National, and Premier Diplomas from NSCAA. He has also obtained the English FA Psychology for Soccer - Level 1, NYSW Intermediate certificate, and various other minor certificates. In addition, Dolan has coaching experience at the Olympic Development Program (ODP) from 2009-2018 and has been coaching with the premier club Empire Buffalo Stallions since 2004, where he currently holds the position of Girls Director of Coaching since 2018. He also briefly served as Daemen's head men's soccer coach in 2015 alongside his duties with the women's program. In 2012-14, he also worked as the Director of Facilities for the Daemen Athletic Department.
Originally from North Tonawanda, N.Y., Dolan currently resides in Amherst.
Career Timeline
| Year |
Position |
School |
Location |
Level |
Overall Record |
Conference Record |
Accomplishments |
| 2008 |
Assistant Coach |
Niagara University |
Niagara University, N.Y. |
NCAA Div. I |
12-6-1 |
5-4-0 MAAC |
|
| 2009 |
Head Coach |
Daemen College |
Amherst, N.Y. |
NAIA Div. II |
7-8-1 |
5-5-1 AMC |
|
| 2010 |
Head Coach |
Daemen College |
Amherst, N.Y. |
NAIA Div. II |
11-6-1 |
5-4-1 AMC |
|
| 2011 |
Head Coach |
Daemen College |
Amherst, N.Y. |
NAIA Div. II |
15-4-0 |
11-1-0 AMC |
AMC Regular Season Champions |
| 2012 |
Head Coach |
Daemen College |
Amherst, N.Y. |
NAIA Div. II / USCAA |
11-9-0 |
N/A |
USCAA National Champions |
| 2013 |
Head Coach |
Daemen College |
Amherst, N.Y. |
NAIA Div. II / USCAA |
10-10-0 |
1-8-0 ECC |
USCAA National Runners-Up |
| 2014 |
Head Coach |
Daemen College |
Amherst, N.Y. |
NCAA Div. II / USCAA |
6-14-1 |
0-8-1 ECC |
USCAA National Runners-Up |
| 2015 |
Head Coach |
Daemen College |
Amherst, N.Y. |
NCAA Div. II |
7-10-1 |
4-5-0 ECC |
|
| 2016 |
Head Coach |
Daemen College |
Amherst, N.Y. |
NCAA Div. II |
4-10-2 |
1-6-1 ECC |
|
| 2017 |
Head Coach |
Daemen College |
Amherst, N.Y. |
NCAA Div. II |
9-7-1 |
3-5-0 ECC |
|
| 2018 |
Head Coach |
Daemen College |
Amherst, N.Y. |
NCAA Div. II |
8-8-1 |
5-4-0 ECC |
ECC Tournament |
| 2019 |
Head Coach |
Daemen College |
Amherst, N.Y. |
NCAA Div. II |
11-4-3 |
4-2-2 ECC |
NCAA Tournament |
| 2020 |
Head Coach |
Daemen College |
Amherst, N.Y. |
NCAA Div. II |
2-2-0 |
N/A |
|
| 2021 |
Head Coach |
Daemen College |
Amherst, N.Y. |
NCAA Div. II |
9-6-1 |
7-1-1 ECC |
ECC Tournament |
| 2022 |
Head Coach |
Daemen Univ. |
Amherst, N.Y. |
NCAA Div. II |
5-10-2 |
5-3-0 ECC |
ECC Tournament |
| 2023 |
Head Coach |
Daemen Univ. |
Amherst, N.Y. |
NCAA Div. II |
9-5-3 |
6-1-1 ECC |
ECC Tournament Finals |
Career Head Coaching Record
| School |
Years |
Overall Record |
Win Pct. |
Conference Record |
Win Pct. |
| Daemen |
2009-Present |
124-113-17 |
.522 |
57-53-8 |
.512 |
| TOTALS |
15 SEASONS |
124-118-17 |
.522 |
57-53-8 |
.512 |
