van Rheenen, who also serves as an assistant coach for the Gannon women’s team, enters his 18th season at Gannon and 22nd overall in 2014 as one of the best head men’s soccer coaches at the NCAA Division II level. The coaching veteran ranks 23rd among active coaches in victories (185). He owns an overall 185-167-18 record in 21 years of head coaching, including a 170-127-14 mark at Gannon.
His 2013 squad excelled in competition and in the classroom. Robbie Bennett and Alex Perri were named to the Capital One Academic All-America first and second teams, respectively. Both student-athletes landed spots on the Capital One Academic All-District first team. On the field, Bennett and Sean Pike were accorded all-conference first-team accolades. The duo went on to capture all-region honors, before Bennett was named to the Daktronics All-America honorable-mention team.
The 2012 season proved to be yet another fruitful one for the Golden Knights under van Rheenen’s direction. Gannon advanced to the NCAA Division II Sweet Sixteen with a 2-1 victory against No. 20 Davis & Elkins during the NCAA Division II Tournament second round, before watching its season come to an end with a 13-6 record. The NCAA Tournament appearance was the ninth in school history and first since 2007. The Golden Knights reached double-digit wins for the eighth time during the previous 11 years. It marked the 12th season that Gannon had reached double digits during van Rheenen’s 16-year tenure at the time.
Individually, Pike became the second Golden Knight to be named Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Athlete of the Year since the program joined the league in 2008. Bennett later became the 11th student-athlete in program history to earn all-america honors from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) with a third-team selection.
In 2011, the Golden Knights post a 4-3-1 record at home. It was capped by a dramatic 2-0 win against rival Mercyhurst. The victory gave van Rheenen his 150th coaching win at Gannon.
van Rheenen’s ability to continually bring fresh talent to the program was again recognized in 2011 as Bennett became the third student-athlete during a five-year span to be named the conference’s top newcomer. The award also marked the third straight PSAC major postseason award for the program.
The 2010 season was a record-breaking campaign for van Rheenen. A 4-1 victory against West Virginia Wesleyan during the home opener gave the head coach his 134th win at Gannon, making him the school’s all-time winningest coach. Gannon posted an eight-match winning streak in 2010, eventually finishing the season with an 11-7 record.
Concluding a stellar four-year career in 2010, Afrim Latifi became the first men’s soccer student-athlete to earn all-america status since Dag Magnusson in 1996.
Several Golden Knights were honored despite a 6-10-2 record in 2009. Jonathan Garrick-Whiley, Dan Howell, Sean Washek and Latifi earned All-PSAC accolades. Garrick-Whiley and Howell also earned all-region honors.
In 2008, Gannon finished with a 10-6-1 overall record that included a four-game winning streak during September. The run included a victory against 12th-ranked Davis & Elkins (3-1). The Golden Knights finished on a high note with a win against rival Mercyhurst (3-0) during the regular-season finale.
van Rheenen’s coaching career hit one of several highs during the 2007 season when the Golden Knights won their first-ever out-right Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) regular-season championship. Gannon then proceeded to win the inaugural GLIAC Postseason Tournament, before participating in its first NCAA Division II Tournament since 1993. The squad finished 16-3-1, equaling the most victories in a season since the 1993 team went 16-3. Only three teams in school history won more matches during a single season.
Gannon was ranked nationally and regionally throughout the 2007 season. The Golden Knights rose as high as 16th in the NSCAA Top 25, fourth in the NCAA Division II Great Lakes regional rankings and second in the NSCAA Great Lakes regional rankings.
The success led to Gannon hosting the inaugural GLIAC Postseason Tournament, which was witnessed by large crowds at a jammed-packed Gannon University Field. A large crowd watched Gannon’s thrilling 3-2 overtime victory against rival Mercyhurst in the semifinals and close to 1,000 fans celebrated the squad’s 2-0 victory over Northwood in the championship match.
van Rheenen picked up his second GLIAC Coach of the Year award in 2007, after earning his first in 2003. He was the second Gannon coach to receive the award as Marco Koolman earned the distinction during Gannon’s first year as a member of the GLIAC in 1995.
As both a player and coach at Gannon, one thing has always come to van Rheenen: winning. He became the second coach all-time at Gannon to record 100 career victories in 2006, reaching the milestone with a 3-2 victory at the University of Findlay on October 20, 2006.
Gannon has reached double digits in victories six times during the last nine seasons and 12 times overall during van Rheenen’s tenure. He also owns the third-highest career winning percentage (.569) in school history.
Gannon players have earned all-region honors 47 times and all-conference accolades 65 times under van Rheenen’s tutelage. In addition, Golden Knights have been honored with major conference postseason awards 12 times during that time.
Khashayar Azizollahi (2004) and Gareth Kolkenbeck-Ruh (2005) captured back-to-back GLIAC Defender of the Year awards. Two years later, Kolkenbeck-Ruh picked up the GLIAC Defender of the Year award for the second time.
Bennett’s 2011 PSAC Freshman of the Year Award saw him join Washek (2009, PSAC), Latifi (2007, GLIAC), Howell (2005, GLIAC) and Ingvi Sveinsson (1999, GLIAC) as student-athletes to be named the conference’s top newcomer under van Rheenen.
Pike and Latifi were named the PSAC Player of the Year in 2012 and 2010 while Asmundur Haraldsson was named GLIAC Offensive Player of the Year in 1998 and 1999.
In addition to all the success and awards, several student-athletes have continued to play soccer on the professional level after playing collegiately under van Rheenen. Howell played in Iceland’s second-highest professional soccer league in 2010. In addition, Andrew Lorei signed a professional contract with the United Soccer League’s Rochester Rhinos in August 2008.
van Rheenen restored the school’s soccer glory in 2003 as the program posted its second consecutive winning season and earned a share of the GLIAC title for the first time since 1995. He guided the Golden Knights to a 12-7 overall record and a 4-1 GLIAC mark. The Golden Knights were ranked regionally and nationally throughout the season, ascending as high as second in the Great Lakes region and 22nd nationally.
The squad was on the brink of a NCAA Division II playoff bid after winning six of seven matches down the stretch, but a 2-1 loss to nationally-ranked Mercyhurst in the season finale before 700 fans dashed playoff hopes.
The climb back to the top began after a 10-7-3 season in 2002. Among the victories was a 3-2 decision at archrival Mercyhurst in the season finale. The Lakers were ranked No. 1 in the nation at the time, but the Golden Knights destroyed any hopes of an undefeated season with one of their best team efforts during van Rheenen’s 16 years.
Gannon finished tied for second place in the GLIAC for the second consecutive season in 2002. Gannon and GLIAC champion Mercyhurst were tied in the loss column with one each, but the Golden Knights’ two ties pushed them into a second-place tie. Mercyhurst eventually advanced to the NCAA Division II Final Four.
The squad finished tied for second in 2001 with a 4-2 conference record. A 2-1 victory over Ashland in double overtime highlighted the GLIAC schedule. The Eagles eventually advanced to the NCAA Division II Regional Finals before bowing to SIU-Edwardsville, 1-0.
van Rheenen became the program’s eighth head coach in January of 1997, replacing Marco Koolman, who departed with Gannon’s second-most career coaching victories at the time.
Before coming to Gannon, van Rheenen served as the assistant men’s soccer coach at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Prior to that, he was the men’s soccer coach at Brockport State. While at those two schools, van Rheenen was the owner and director of the International Soccer Academy in Rochester, N.Y.
As mentioned, van Rheenen’s coaching days have been as successful as his playing days at Gannon. The two-time All-American played in Erie from 1982-85. He currently resides in third place on Gannon’s all-time scoring list with 166 points. That number includes 58 goals, good for fourth place all-time, and 50 assists, which makes him Gannon’s all-time assist leader.
The prolific scorer from Zeist, Holland helped turn the Gannon soccer program from a losing team into a powerhouse. Gannon has recorded only seven losing seasons since his freshman year in 1982. Gannon went 53-9 during his last three years as a player while making its first-ever NCAA appearance in 1984 and earning another berth in 1985.
van Rheenen played professionally with the Toledo Pride in the American Professional Soccer League after leaving Gannon. The longest tenured coach at Gannon, he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Management of Human Resources from Roberts Wesleyan College in 1992 and is a member of Gannon’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
