In eight seasons as the head coach of Vermont men's soccer, Rob Dow has set a school record for NCAA Tournament wins.
He will enter his ninth season in 2025.
In eight seasons at the helm, Dow has accumulated a 95-40-16 (.682) record, producing a winning record in each season since taking over in 2017. The Catamounts have finished in the America East top two in six of his eight seasons, including three regular season titles, two conference championships and the National Championship in 2024.
Dow brought the Catamounts back to the Third Round of the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season in 2023. The Catamounts were one of five teams to return to the Third Round in back-to-back seasons. 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.
Dow led Vermont to a historic campaign in 2022, posting a 16-4-2 (5-1-1 AE) mark, and reaching the NCAA Quarterfinals for the first time since 1989. Vermont cracked the nation's Top-5 for the first time in program history, earning the No. 4 ranking in the final United Soccer Coaches poll. UVM's 16 wins are the second-highest total in program history. The Catamounts matched several program records in 2022, tying for the most goals (46) and consecutive shutout games (7). Vermont held opponents scoreless for 792:44, the longest run in program history.
Vermont's NCAA Tournament run began with two thrilling comeback victories, defeating Quinnipiac (W, 3-2, 2OT) at Virtue Field, followed by a 3-2 road win at No. 11 SMU. The Catamounts erased scored all three goals in the final 25 minutes to in the comeback win at SMU.
The Catamounts returned home to host UCLA in the third round, routing the Bruins in a 3-0 victory. Vermont would battle eventual national champion, No. 3 Syracuse in the Quarterfinals, falling 2-1 in Western New York.
Alex Nagy became the first Catamount to be named to the All-America First Team in over three decades, leading Vermont with 27 points on nine goals and nine assists.
The UVM bench boss guided the Catamounts to their sixth America East Championship in program history in 2021. No. 2 Vermont defeated No. 1 New Hampshire 1-0 in Durham, N.H., with Yves Borie scoring the clinching goal in the 68th minute. The title was UVM's first under Dow, as well as the first NCAA Tournament appearance since he took over in 2017. The 2021 Catamounts produced six All-Conference members, including America East Goalkeeper of the Year Nate Silveira. Vermont also had three members of the All-Rookie team, and five All-Northeast members.
Vermont produced a 5-2-1 (4-1-1) mark in the COVID-altered 2020-21 season. The Catamounts locked up second place in league play, and battled NJIT to a 1-0 victory in the America East Semifinals, clinching their first trip to the conference championship game since 2015. Alex Nagy, Noah Egan, Daniel Pacella, and Garrett Lillie received All-Conference and All-Northeast honors. Nagy also became the first Catamount to be named an All-American since Brian Wright in 2016.
Dow and the 2019 Catamounts posted an 11-6-1 overall record and 5-1-1 mark in league play to capture a share of the regular season conference crown. The Green and Gold had six student-athletes honored on the conference and regional levels. Rasmus Tobinski was named America East Rookie of the Year and Ívar Örn Árnason was a United Soccer Coaches All-Northeast Region First Team pick.
The 2018 Cats posted an 11-7-1 mark and won at least 10 games for the fourth straight year. UVM also earned its ninth consecutive America East Tournament berth. At season’s end, a total of six Catamounts were lauded with All-America East honors including Geo Alves as the league’s Striker of the Year. Alves was also selected to the United Soccer Coaches All-Northeast Region First Team and later drafted by D.C. United in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft.
Dow has spent the previous five seasons on UVM's coaching staff, including the 2015 and 2016 campaigns as the Catamounts' associate head coach. Vermont reached new heights with Dow on the sidelines in 2016. After winning the second-most games in a single season (14), the Green and Gold hosted an NCAA Tournament game for only the third time in program history. With their 4-1 win over Rider in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the Catamounts were victorious in the postseason on home turf for the first time since 1989 in front of a record crowd. The 2016 squad scored a program record 42 goals and had the top classmate scoring tandem in program history in Bernard Yeboah and Brian Wright, who tallied a combined 25 goals and 15 assists.
Wright was selected by the New England Revolution with the 20th overall pick in the first round of the 2017 Major League Soccer (MLS) SuperDraft in January. He became the first Catamount in program history to be drafted by a MLS team. Wright wrapped up his Catamount career as the second all-time leading scorer with 103 career points and set the Vermont single-season points record (40) as a senior.
The 2016 team also achieved its highest RPI and national ranking (16th) since 1989 and was recognized as one of the dominant regional powers. UVM was ranked No. 1 for several weeks in the New England region. A total of five Catamounts earned NSCAA All-America, NSCAA All-East Region, ECAC All-Star, America East All-Conference, All-Rookie, and All-Academic honors at the end of the season.
In addition to the 2016 NCAA Tournament success, Dow helped lead the Catamounts to an America East regular season title in 2012, its first in 23 years, and an America East Championship in 2015.
Dow came to Vermont after spending four years at Southern New Hampshire University. He spent two seasons as an assistant coach with the Penmen men's soccer program and was elevated to associate head coach during the 2010 season. During his four-year stint at SNHU, the Penmen posted a 59-14-13 (.762) record. Southern New Hampshire earned NCAA Tournament berths each year, including NCAA quarterfinal trips in 2009 and 2011. The Penmen also captured two Northeast-10 Regular Season titles and an NE-10 Tournament title.
Prior to his arrival at SNHU, Dow spent two seasons as head men's soccer coach at Dean College in Franklin, Massachusetts. While at Dean, Dow compiled an 18-11-4 record, qualified for the NJCAA Region 21 playoffs in 2007, and coached seven NJCAA All-Region players. Prior to that, Dow spent two seasons as the men's and women's assistant coach at Mayville State University and a season as an assistant for the men's team at his alma mater, the University of Maine.
A 2003 graduate of Maine with a degree in management, Dow was a four-year member of the Maine soccer team and led the Black Bears in scoring twice as well as being named an America East Scholar-Athlete for three seasons. Dow later earned his master's in sport and recreation management from North Dakota State University in 2005.
He also played professionally with the Ottawa Wizards and then the New Hampshire Phantoms.
Dow resides in Burlington with his wife Loren, and their son Hanson.