April 13, 2010
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt soccer coach Ronnie Woodard has announced the addition of former Rice and Memphis goalkeeping coach, Sebastian Vecchio to the Vanderbilt soccer program. Vecchio will take over similar responsibilities for the Commodores.
“We feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to add Sebastian to our staff,” Woodard said. “He is a well respected goalkeeper coach who helped put Memphis’ soccer where it is today. I think he brings a competitive mix to this program as well as a hard working spirit that will help our goalkeepers flourish under him.”
Vecchio joins the Commodores after a one-year stop at Rice where he worked primarily with the goalkeepers. While at Rice, Vecchio assisted in coordinating the program’s recruiting efforts, as well as scheduling and budget management. Rice’s junior goalkeeper Meghan Erkel flourished under Vecchio, leading Conference USA in save percentage (.845) and saves per game (5.17).
Prior to coaching at Rice, Vecchio was the assistant and goalkeeper coach at Memphis from 2005 to 2009. In four seasons with the Tigers, Vecchio coached athletes who posted 33 shutouts and 54 victories.
In 2008, the Lady Tigers shared the Conference USA lead in shutouts (9) and finished second in goals-against average (0.93) and fewest goals allowed (20). The Memphis keepers posted a .787 save percentage to win the C-USA Tournament for a second year in a row, while also advancing to the NCAA Tournament.
In the summer of 2009, Vecchio served as the interim assistant director of Coaching for the Alabama Youth Soccer Association in Birmingham while assisting in the Olympic Development Program.
During Vecchio’s stop at Memphis, he also served as the interim assistant director of coaching as well as the goalkeeper coach for the Alabama Olympic Development Program where he evaluated and coached the top goalkeepers in the state. He was part of the ODP Region III staff that traveled to Monterrey and Guadalajara, Mexico.
From 2003-2008, Vecchio trained and evaluated young goalkeepers while serving as the head coach of the Memphis Germantown Fury Soccer Club.
As a player, Vecchio was a two-year starter for the Tigers after transferring to Memphis from Mid-Continent College in Kentucky. He allowed just 12 goals in over 1,500 minutes of play during the 2004 season for a school record 0.69 goals-against average en route to being named the C-USA Defensive Player of the Year and a first team all-Conference USA selection. The native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, ended his Tiger career with a school-low 1.02 goals-against average and 21 wins in two seasons. Prior to his collegiate playing days, Vecchio played with the Argentinean U-16 National Team.
Vecchio earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Memphis in 2005 and a bachelor’s in sports and leisure management in 2008. He is currently working on attaining his master’s degree in sport and leisure commerce from Memphis. Out of the classroom, he has a USSF National C. License and NSCAA National Goalkeeping diploma.
After completing his playing career with the Memphis men’s soccer team in 2004, Vecchio stepped over into the coaching ranks with the women’s program as an assistant coach in charge of goalkeepers. He also assisted with recruiting.
Vecchio is excited to be back in the state of Tennessee and is looking forward to the opportunity of working with the Vanderbilt staff and student-athletes.
“I think Ronnie Woodard has put together a great staff here and I am looking forward to working with Ronnie and Derek Greene,” Vecchio said. “We have a great opportunity to accomplish a lot of things at this school and one of our goals is to get this program back into the NCAA Tournament on a regular basis.”
