Marco named NSCAA/Adidas New York Region Coach of the Year

Paul Marco has been named the National Soccer Coaches' Association of America (NSCAA)/ Adidas New York Region Coach of the Year. The award comes on the heels of his leading Binghamton to its first-ever America East Conference championship as well as a trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

"It's nice for Paul to receive this honor," Athletic Director Joel Thirer said. "He and his staff (John Scott and Scott Craig) have done a lot this year to re-establish our program to among the region's elite."

"It's an honor to be selected for this award by my peers," Marco said. "This award is a reflection of not just me, but the entire coaching staff. I thank Binghamton's administration for giving me the opportunity to lead this program."

In just his second season at the helm of the Binghamton program, Marco transformed a team that had won just 12 times over the previous three years into a squad that finished 12-3-7 and posted the top-ranked defense in the nation. The Bearcats had been picked to finish eighth in the 10-team America East Conference this year, but reeled off a school-record 14-game unbeaten streak and finished the regular season in second place.

In the post season, Binghamton beat Hartford and Northeastern to win the America East Conference and followed up with an upset win over then No. 13 Fairleigh Dickinson in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Although the Bearcats' season would end against No. 7 St. Louis in the second round, Marco and the Bearcats were able to force overtime before losing 1-0.

This is the second time in his career that Marco has received a major coaching honor. In 1999 he was named the Big East Conference Coach of the Year while coaching at his alma mater, West Virginia.

Marco is now 18-14-8 in his two seasons at Binghamton.