Coaches
Don D’Ambra, Head Coach
Don D'Ambra enters his 10th season as the head coach of the Saint Joseph's men's soccer program in Fall 2019. One of the most decorated former SJU student-athletes to be named a head coach on Hawk Hill, D'Ambra was introduced as the fourth head coach in the program's history on April 15, 2010. D'Ambra's current nine-year record on Hawk Hill stands as 42-97-22.
The Hawks are coming off of a memorable 8-7-3 season in 2018, with a 2-3-3 mark in Atlantic 10 action. Saint Joseph's eight wins were the most in program history since 2003 and the most in D'Ambra's nine-year tenure. SJU also closed the 2018 season with six wins at home, the most in program history since 2003, and turned in the program's first unbeaten home season since the 70s.
D'Ambra coached then-junior forward Leon Maric to Atlantic 10 First Team honors and Philadelphia Soccer Six Player of the Year recognition, and Saint Joseph's earned historic wins over Navy, the Hawks' first win over the Midshipmen in the 10-match series, and Fordham, ranked 21st nationally at the time of the meeting. Additionally, D'Ambra coached then-sophomore defender David Grana, the program's first CoSIDA Academic All-American in 2018.
The Hawks went 3-11-4 in 2017, with a 1-6-1 mark in A-10 action. D'Ambra coached then-freshman midfielder Ritchie Barry to A-10 Rookie Team honors, and Saint Joseph's earned wins over Temple, Manhattan, and George Mason and draws with Hartford, VMI, Central Connecticut, and UMass. SJU's win over Temple was the program's first since 2013.
The Hawks went 6-11-1 season and 3-5-0 in the A-10 in 2016. D'Ambra coached then-senior midfielder Bliss Harris and then-junior midfielder Matt Crawford to A-10 Second Team honors, marking the first time the program had earned any type of All-Conference recognition since 2003. Saint Joseph's earned non-conference wins over Howard, Hartford, and Central Connecticut State, improving to 4-0 all-time against Howard and earning the first wins in program history over Hartford and Central Connecticut State. SJU opened A-10 play with three consecutive wins for the first time since 2007.
Saint Joseph's improved upon a 2015 season in which the squad went 4-12-2; D'Ambra coached then-freshman forward Derek MacKinnon to A-10 Rookie Team honors while then-senior forward Emmanuel Temeh and Harris earned Philadelphia Soccer Six All-Star Team accolades.
In 2014, D'Ambra coached the Hawks to an overall record of 7-7-4 to reach the program's highest single-season win total since 2003. Saint Joseph's jumped out to a 5-1-2 start to kick off the season, which marked the program's best record over its first eight matches since 2002. Over a six-match stretch from September 5-24, the Hawks went 4-0-2, which was the program's longest unbeaten stretch since 1994.
In 2013, D'Ambra led the Hawks to just their third A-10 postseason appearance in program history and their first since 1994. Saint Joseph's held a scoreless tie with George Mason before the Patriots advanced on penalty kicks. With the draw, D'Ambra coached the Hawks to a 5-8-6 overall record for a .421 winning percentage, the program's highest since 2003, and to a 2-4-3 conference record, marking the first time since 2007 that the men's soccer program had notched more than two league wins in one season.
The 2012 season marked tremendous growth of the Saint Joseph's men's soccer program as the Hawks posted a 5-11-2 overall record while going 1-6-2 in the Atlantic 10. The Hawks recorded the same amount of wins as in their previous three seasons combined en route to putting together a pair of ties late in the season to prevent losses against La Salle and Fordham for the first time since 2008 and 2006, respectively.
In 2011, D'Ambra compiled identical overall and conference records as in his inaugural season, putting together a two-year record of 4-30-0 overall and 2-16-0 in conference play.
In his first season at SJU, D'Ambra led the 2010 Hawks to an overall record of 2-15-0 and 1-8-0 in the A-10 as the squad snapped a 24-game losing streak with a 1-0 win over Iona and won its first conference match since 2008 in a 2-0 victory over Rhode Island.
Through nine seasons, D'Ambra has coached one A-10 All-Conference First Team selection, two A-10 All-Conference Second Team picks, three A-10 All-Rookie Team honorees, and four A-10 Academic All-Conference standouts as well as 13 Philadelphia Soccer Six All-Stars and 11 Philadelphia Soccer Six All-Rookie selections.
D'Ambra returned to Saint Joseph's after a successful coaching and playing career with the Philadelphia KiXX of the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL). He played a total of 16 seasons in the MISL, the last 14 seasons with the KiXX, and served as team captain, assistant coach, and head coach. In 2002, he assumed duties as the head coach of the KiXX and served as the vice president of soccer operations/head coach until 2009-10. D'Ambra helped the KiXX to two MISL championships, as a player in 2002 and player/coach in 2007. A four-time All-Star selection, D'Ambra is the KiXX's all-time leading scorer with 388 goals and 905 points. In eight seasons as head coach, he totaled 119 wins, the most in the team's history.
While at Saint Joseph's from 1990-94, D'Ambra was a Regional All-America First Team selection and Philadelphia Soccer Seven Player of the Year and remains the only player in Hawk history to earn the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year award, winning it in 1993. D'Ambra holds the SJU career records for goals (41) and points (102), as well as the marks for goals (15) and points (38) in a season, set in 1993. He was inducted into SJU's Men's Soccer Hall of Fame in 2000.
"We are pleased and honored to welcome back Don D'Ambra as our new head men's soccer coach. Don is committed to the SJU mission to enhance the overall student-athlete experience," said former director of athletics Don DiJulia. "Don's passion and commitment to excel will encourage the success of our student-athletes and the soccer program from its solid foundation built by his predecessors - Tom Turner, Jack Ruggero and Jack Dunn. He brings energy and a vision for the future of the Hawk soccer program. Don made us proud during his playing days here and will make us even more proud during his tenure as our head coach."
D'Ambra owns a USSF "A" coaching license and has been involved with coaching youth teams, conducting coaching clinics and organizing skills and development programs for over 14 years.
He possesses international playing experience, having been a member of the United States National Futsal Team from 2002 through 2008. With 15 international caps, D'Ambra has participated in the World Championships and the Pan American Games.
D'Ambra replaced Tom Turner, who retired after 23 seasons as the Hawks' head coach and had been an assistant coach on Turner's staff at SJU from 1996-99.
A native of Philadelphia, D'Ambra attended North Catholic High School and graduated from Saint Joseph's in 1994 with a bachelor's degree in business administration and concentration in food marketing. D'Ambra and his wife, Leslie, have three daughters - Samantha, Kylie and Milana. Kylie is a senior on the Saint Joseph's women's soccer team.
Steve Wacker, Assistant Coach
Steve Wacker enters his seventh season as an assistant coach on Hawk Hill in Fall 2018. Wacker played professionally with the MISL's Philadelphia KiXX from 2005-08 and was a member of the KiXX 2007 championship team.
The Hawks are coming off of a 3-11-4 season in 2017, with a 1-6-1 mark in Atlantic 10 action. Wacker coached freshman midfielder Ritchie Barry to Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team honors, and Saint Joseph's earned wins over Temple, Manhattan, and George Mason and draws with Hartford, VMI, Central Connecticut, and UMass. SJU's win over Temple was the program's first since 2013.
The Hawks went 6-11-1 season and 3-5-0 in the A-10 in 2016. Wacker coached senior midfielder Bliss Harris and junior midfielder Matt Crawford to Atlantic 10 Second Team All-Conference honors, marking the first time the program had earned any type of All-Conference status since 2003. Saint Joseph's earned non-conference wins over Howard, Hartford, and Central Connecticut State, improving to 4-0 all-time against Howard and earning the first wins in program history over Hartford and Central Connecticut State. SJU opened A-10 play with three consecutive wins for the first time since 2007.
In 2014, Wacker helped coach the Hawks to an overall record of 7-7-4 to reach the program's highest single-season win total since 2003. Saint Joseph’s jumped out to a 5-1-2 start to kick off the season, which marked the program's best record over its first eight matches since 2002. Over a six-match stretch from September 5-24, the Hawks went 4-0-2, which was the program’s longest unbeaten stretch since 1994.
In 2013, Wacker helped coach the Hawks to their first Atlantic 10 postseason appearance since 1994. Saint Joseph's held a scoreless tie with George Mason before the Patriots advanced on penalty kicks. With the draw, the Hawks concluded their season with a 5-8-6 overall record, marking the first time since 2007 that the men's soccer program had notched more than two league wins in one season.
Wacker earned his bachelor's of science degree from Temple University in 2005. At Temple, the Adidas All-American earned multiple Atlantic 10 and Philadelphia All-Soccer honors and was named the 2005 Temple University Male Athlete of the Year. He was also selected as an Academic All-American by ESPN the Magazine and earned the Soccer-Seven Student-Athlete of the Year award, both in 2005.
A graduate of Northeast Catholic High School, Wacker is a former Philadelphia Catholic League MVP and member of the Northeast Catholic Soccer Hall of Fame. He holds a USSF National "C"?Coaching License and currently coaches youth soccer for the South Jersey Elite Barons Soccer Academy and trains various teams throughout the Tri-State area.
Rich Ongaro, Assistant Coach
Rich Ongaro enters his first season as an assistant coach on Hawk Hill in time for the 2020-21 season.
Ongaro replaces former assistant coach Pat Morris, who took a position as the newest men's soccer head coach at Penn State Abington after spending 10 seasons with the Crimson and Gray.
"I have known Rich for a few years, and I believe he will be a great addition to our coaching staff," said head coach Don D'Ambra. "He brings Division I coaching experience and will be asked to manage different aspects of our program. I am confident he will fit in well and introduce innovative ways to enhance our program."
Ongaro arrives on Hawk Hill by way of Fordham University, where he was an assistant coach with the Rams for the 2019 season. Ongaro worked directly with Atlantic 10 All-Tournament Team goalkeeper Konstantin Weis, who finished the season ranked third in Fordham goalkeeper history in single-season minutes played (1,919) and sixth in single-season shutouts (7).
Prior to that stop, Ongaro spent a season as a volunteer assistant coach at Old Dominion University. Working with the goalkeepers, he coached Mertcan Akar, who earned Third Team All-Conference USA honors, while as a team, the Monarchs finished second in the regular-season standings for Conference USA.
Before joining the ODU staff, Ongaro was an assistant coach at both Rutgers-Camden and the University of Northwestern Ohio, where he worked with the women's teams.
A collegiate goalkeeper from 2012-15, Ongaro played his freshman year at VCU before transferring to Holy Family University for his final three years. He was a three-year starter for the Divison II school and collected nine shutouts and 191 saves throughout his three years playing for the Tigers.
Ongaro is a native of Columbus, N.J.
Pat Morris, Head Coach - Penn State Abington
Morris joins the Nittany Lions from Division I Saint Joseph's University where he assisted the program for the last 10 years. In 2018, Morris helped the Hawks to an 8-7-3 season which were the most in program history since 2003. That season, he developed Leon Maric into an Atlantic 10 First Team selection and Philadelphia Soccer Six Player of the Year. In 2018, Morris helped coach then-sophomore defender David Grana, the program's first CoSIDA Academic All-American.
Prior to his time at Saint Joseph's, Morris played professionally in the Major Indoor Soccer League. He started his career with the Philadelphia KIXX and was one of the most decorated players during his time there. He was a two-time MISL Champion with the Kixx over his 11 years with the team, and earned All-League honors eight times. Morris was also honored as the Defender of the Year twice with the Kixx. In 2011, he moved on to the Baltimore Blast where he continued his outstanding form by being named the 2011 Defender of the Year. While playing in the MISL, Morris was also a member of the USA National Futsal team where he earned 40 caps for the United States, and was featured in two Futsal World Cups.
Morris was a standout athlete in high school and college, being named the Player of the Year for Jefferson University (then Philadelphia Textile and Science). At North Catholic High School, Morris was inducted into the Soccer Hall of Fame in 2008, and later joined the school's Hall of Fame in 2018. He was inducted into the Jefferson University Hall of Fame in 2006 and well as the South Eastern Pennsylvania Hall of Fame nine years later.
Morris received his bachelor of finance degree in 1999.
Saint Joseph's University
© 2024 SJU Soccer Camp. All rights reserved
© 2024 Oasys, Inc. All rights reserved