University of Vermont Athletics

Brad Cole returns to Vermont in 2023 after three years honing his craft in the Ivy League and West Coast Conference. With a strong background in recruitment, player development and team management, Cole has established himself as a prominent figure in the collegiate soccer landscape.

44th ranked 2025 recruiting class by Top Drawer Soccer. First time UVM has had a nationally ranked recruiting class.

2024 National Championship
The 2024 season was a historic and unprecedented success in Division 1 soccer, culminating in a remarkable treble-winning campaign for the Catamounts. UVM captured the America East regular-season title, showcasing their dominance throughout conference play. They followed up this achievement by winning the America East Conference Tournament, securing a thrilling 2-1 victory over Bryant University in front of a sold-out home crowd at Virtue Field.

The pinnacle of the season came with Vermont's triumph in the NCAA National Championship. The Catamounts defeated Rider 5-0 at home before embarking on an arduous yet rewarding NCAA Tournament journey. They secured road victories against CAA champions Hofstra University (2-1), WCC champions University of San Diego (1-0), and ACC regular-season champions University of Pittsburgh (2-0) before heading to Cary, NC for the College Cup. There they defeated Summit League regular-season champions University of Denver (4-3 in penalties), and capped off the national championship run with a dramatic 2-1 overtime victory against Marshall University.

Individually, several players reached historic milestones. Sydney Wathuta set the UVM program record for most assists in a single season with 14. Additionally, Wathuta and Max Murray became the two highest draft picks in program history, both being selected in the first round of the MLS SuperDraft. Zach Barrett signed with professionally Huntsville City FC of MLS Next Pro, while Yaniv Bazini secured a contract with South Georgia Tormenta FC in USL League One. Mike Bleeker also signed professionally with Chattanooga FC in the MLS Next Pro league.
 
The Catamounts returned to the Third Round of the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season in 2023, Cole's first season back with the program. The UVM posted a 13-6-2 (4-3 AE) record. Vermont spent all but one week on the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll, finishing the season with the No. 14 ranking. Despite suffering a home loss to No. 6 NJIT in the America East Quarterfinals, Vermont earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. The Catamounts knocked out Rider, 3-1, in the First Round at Virtue Field. Vermont quickly traveled to Orlando, Florida and earned a 3-2 overtime victory over No. 12 UCF. In the Third Round, the Cats faced No. 5 West Virginia, falling 2-1.

During his tenure as Assistant Coach & Recruiting Coordinator at the University of Portland, Cole spearheaded the recruitment efforts that resulted in the No. 2 ranked 2023 recruiting class in the country, as recognized by Top Drawer Soccer. Demonstrating his keen eye for talent, he successfully recruited and signed seven top-100 players, as rated by Top Drawer Soccer as well as the No. 2 recruit in Canada as ranked by FTF Canada. 
 
Cole and the Portland team enjoyed a phenomenal 2022 season. The Pilots achieved their highest win total (15) and win percentage (.786) since the 1995 season, making a remarkable return to the Elite Eight for the first time in nearly three decades. Notably, the team's home record of 11-0-1 was the best since 1995, making them the only NCAA Division I team to remain undefeated at home.
 
Some notable individual achievements include Brandon Cambridge leading the West Coast Conference in goals and ranking seventh nationally with 12 goals. Cambridge finished sixth nationally in points at 31.  Sebastian Nava led the WCC in assists, earning him a place among the top ten nationally. In addition, Goalkeeper George Tasouris recorded an outstanding eight individual shutouts and played a pivotal role in all 10 of the team's shutout victories, the most since 1990.
 
Cole coached ten players that earned All-WCC honors, with Cambridge being named Offensive Player of the Year and Tasouris receiving the co-goalkeeper of the year title. Additionally, multiple players were recognized with All-Region Honors, including Cambridge, Pierre, Nava, and Fernandez. Cambridge was further acknowledged as a third team All-American by College Soccer News.
 
Three players under his guidance earned opportunities to pursue professional careers, signing contracts with MLS Clubs. Brandon Cambridge's rights were traded to Charlotte FC, where he signed a multi-year contract, while Delentz Pierre inked a homegrown contract with Real Salt Lake. Gurman Sangha secured an MLS NEXT Pro contract with Charlotte FC affiliate Crown Legacy, showcasing the caliber of talent within the program..
 
Prior to University of Portland, Brad was an Assistant Coach at Cornell University from 2020 to 2022. Cole assisted Cornell in the recruitment of the #22 ranked 2021 recruiting class, as ranked by Top Drawer Soccer.
 
Fall of 2021 was Cole’s first competitive season with the Big Red due to the Covid cancellation of 2020. Cornell finished with a record of 11-3-2, their most successful season since 2012. The Big Red spent 4 weeks in the United Soccer Coaches top 25 poll with their highest ranking coming in at 19th in the nation on October 12th. 
 
Cole’s responsibilities included attacking and defending set pieces. The Big Red scored 11 set piece goals with an additional 5 penalties while only conceding 5 set piece goals.
 
In addition to team success, Tyler Bagley won the NCAA Division I scoring title, leading the nation in points per game (2.19). He also finished tied for fourth in total points (35) and goals per game (0.88), and sixth in goals (14). Following the season, he was chosen in the MLS SuperDraft as the 54th pick overall by Inter Miami FC.
 
At the conclusion of the season, Cornell senior midfielder Tyler Bagley earned first team All-Northeast Region honors and junior forward Emeka Eneli earned second team All-Northeast Region honors. 
 
The team earned five All-Ivy League honors for the 2021 season. Fifth-year midfielder Tyler Bagley was one of two unanimous first team honorees. Bagley was joined on the first team by freshman defender Wilson Eisner and senior forward Emeka Eneli. Eisner is the first Cornell freshman to earn All-Ivy League first team honors since 1997. Senior midfielder Jonah Kagen and fifth-year midfielder Harry Fuller were named to the second team.
 
Before Cornell, Cole spent a total of 4 years on staff at the University of Vermont, his alma mater, fulfilling 1 year as a Graduate Assistant, 2 years as Director of Operations, and 1 year as an Assistant Coach. During his time with the Catamounts they won 2 regular season titles and 1 America East Conference Tournament Championship. Cole coached 2 players who were chosen in the MLS Superdraft, Brian Wright (New England Revolution) and Geo Alves (DC United). Multiple players received conference awards during his time with Vermont including Brian Wright (Striker of the Year), Geo Alves (Striker of the Year), Aron Runarrson (Goalkeeper of the Year), and Rasmus Tobinski (Rookie of the Year).
 
After graduating from the University of Vermont, Brad played in the Welsh 2nd Division for Buckley Town FC in 2016. He played center back and right wingback for Buckley Town, scoring three goals and serving as captain during a Welsh Cup match. During his time in the UK, he also served as a coaching intern at Crewe Alexandra FC, a professional club playing in EFL League 2 in England, working with the U18's and spending time observing the first team’s best practices.
 
A player for the University of Vermont Catamounts from 2010-2014, Cole played right back and defensive midfield at Vermont prior to joining the coaching staff as a graduate assistant. In addition to being named team captain as a senior, Cole was the recipient of the Russell O. Sunderland Memorial Trophy, an award presented to a University of Vermont student-athlete who overcomes obstacles and maintains a high quality of play and academic prowess. 
 
Brad grew up in South Hero, Vermont. He spent his youth playing for Far Post Soccer Club in Burlington, VT, and began his coaching career there primarily with boys aged 12 to 18 acting as a Head Coach and Director of Coaching.