Phil Nielsen

Head Soccer Coach

Years at Smith : 8th Season

Alma Mater: Lyngby Business College

(413) 585-3983

pnielsen@email.smith.edu

Phil Nielsen joined the Smith staff as soccer coach in the fall of 2000. A graduate of Lyngby Business College, Lyngby, Denmark, Nielsen received his masters of arts degree in international economics from the University of Detroit-Mercy in 1998. A soccer player for most of his life, Nielsen began his career in Demark coaching youth groups.

From 1994 to 1998, he coached girls and boys high school varsity teams and assumed the men's head coach position at Oakland Community College in 1996. In 1998 he became the women's head coach at nationally ranked Kalamazoo College. He was a Michigan ODP coach whose U-18 girls' team won the 2001 National Championship. Nielsen also served as an assistant coach for the Kalamazoo Kingdom, USL semi-pro team. He has completed Parts 1 and 2 of the UEFA/Scottish Football Association A license; holds a B License from the Scottish Football Association; C Licenses from both the USSF and the Danish Football Association and a NSCAA Advanced License with Distinguished Pass. He was a Region 2 Staff coach from 2002-05; Assistant Age Group Coach for the 1991 Region II ODP team in 2005-06 and Assistant Age Group coach for the 1990 Region II ODP team in 2006-07. In 2007-08 he will serve as the Head Age Group Coach for the 1990 Region II ODP team. He was voted by his peers the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Women's Soccer Coach of the Year in 2007 and recorded his 100th career win in the final game of last season with his team winning the ECAC New England Women's Soccer Championship title.