Rob Irvine named head coach at La Salle

A coach with strong ties to soccer in Philadelphia has been given the reigns of the La Salle men’s soccer program.

Rob Irvine spent the past two seasons running the program at Division III Kean University but was an assistant at Penn for eight years and was the head coach of Continental FC Delco’s U15/U16 Development Academy team from 2008-10.

“Rob impressed us with his passion, energy, recruiting connections and plan for the future of La Salle men's soccer," La Salle interim director of athletics Bill Bradshaw said in a press release. “He helped Penn to three NCAA Tournaments during his time as an assistant there before reviving the Kean program to one of the top programs in Division III in a short period of time. We believe that Rob will build upon the strong tradition of men's soccer at La Salle that was developed by Bill Wilkinson and Pat Farrell."

The Toronto native, who was born in Leeds, England and played college soccer at Syracuse University, has big shoes to fill at La Salle.

Pat Farrell, the winningest coach in program history, announced his retirement in late June, opting not to continue on with the program for what would have been his 30th season as head coach. Farrell played for the Explorers in 1971-74 and was an assistant under Bill Wilkinson from 1976-1986.

“It is an honor to continue to build upon the hard work and strong foundation that Coach Pat Farrell and Coach Bill Wilkinson have created at La Salle,” Irvine said in the release. “I'm looking forward to working diligently with our staff, players, and proud Explorer alumni to continue to push the program forward." 

La Salle was 6-10-2 last season and hasn’t had a winning season since 2012. Their 2016 campaign opens on the road at Loyola on August 26.