Gonzalez is the first new men's soccer coach since 1991, after Alan Gordon retired this spring following a 35 year career at the reins of the program. Gonzalez brings a wealth of experience in the coaching realm over the last few years and a passion that is a perfect fit for UMPI. He assumed coaching duties in the summer of 2026.
Gonzalez grew up in Utica, New York, before beginning college at Mohawk Valley Community College right in Utica. There, Gonzalez was the team's goalkeeper for two seasons. He then transferred to SUNY Canton and converted to a field player, playing two seasons in the Roos defensive third. After graduating from Canton in 2020, Gonzalez decided to dive into the coaching realm.
Reaching out to many different schools in the Northeast, SUNY Morrisville answered, and gave him the opportunity to become a volunteer assistant coach, working primarily with the goalkeepers starting out. At Morrisville, Gonzalez worked his way all the way up to Associate Head coach for the Mustangs. His hard work paid off into another opportunity beginning in the fall of the 2024 season when he was hired as an assistant coach at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, where he has been for two years. He helped navigate the Eagles to a 13-3-6 season in 2024, en route to an ECAC Conference Championship after a 7-0-2 conference record.
At Morrisville and Juniata, Gonzalez gained invaluable hands-on coaching experience around successful and winning programs. He also gained a lot of recruiting experience at both schools. This experience as an assistant coach will be integral in helping the UMPI Men's soccer program rebuild and seek to qualify for the postseason for the first time since joining the NAC
