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Jim McElderry enters his sixth season as the head coach of the Fordham men's soccer team, after guiding the Rams back to the Atlantic 10 Tournament for the first time since 1998. Following two straight winning seasons and their first ever national ranking, the Rams qualified for the 2007 Atlantic 10 Championship for just the third time in team history. During his tenure at Fordham, McElderry has shown a knack for bringing in strong recruiting classes. Thus far, four players have garnered preseason Atlantic 10 All-Rookie team honors, four have gotten postseason Atlantic 10 All-Rookie team honors, and five players from have received All-Atlantic 10 honors (1 - 2004, 2 - 2006, 2 - 2007). In 2005, the Rams posted an 8-5-5 record, the team's first winning season since 1998. The Rams ended the year ranked in the New York Region for the first time since 1998, while also finishing as one of the most improved teams in the NCAA, tying for sixth in the country with a six-game improvement. Individually, the Rams had two players named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team, one player as All-Atlantic 10 Honorable Mention, and one as Second Team All-New York Region. The Rams then took another step forward under McElderry in 2006, going 9-3-5 overall and was nationally ranked as high as 12th in the country for half the season. Fordham was once again regionally ranked by year's end, while having three players earn All-Atlantic 10 honors and two garnering All-Mid-Atlantic Region accolades. McElderry, who is just the fourth head coach in Fordham men's soccer history, arrived at Fordham after serving as an assistant coach at Fairfield University since 1993. At Fairfield, he was responsible for all facets of the program, including recruiting, training session organization, budget preparation, travel and scouting. "We are excited to be able to find a coach of Jim McElderry's caliber for our team," said Executive Director of Athletics Frank McLaughlin. The Stags soccer program enjoyed unparalleled success in McElderry's last four years, advancing to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) championship game in each of those years. In 1998, the team broke into the top 25 for the first time in school history, finishing with a school-record 15 wins, highlighted by an 11-game unbeaten streak. In 1999, the Stags won their first ever MAAC championship and advanced to an NCAA Tournament play-in game, finishing with a 12-8-1 record. The 2000 Fairfield squad was again ranked in the top 25, placing as high as 15th, finishing with a 13-2-2 record, while the 2001 team was ranked as high as 12th, first in the New England region, compiling an 11-5-4 record and falling to Loyola in double overtime in the MAAC title game. McElderry has also been associated with the Region I Olympic Development Program, evaluating players from Region I in 2002 as well as directing training sessions and coaching regional pool teams. In 1999, McElderry was an Under 17 Connecticut Olympic Development Coach, evaluating and selecting the Under 17 State Boys team. Most recently, McElderry started as a coach for the Storm Academy in 2003. He was on the staff in 2005, helping the U-17 win the Region I Championship and the U-16 win the New York State Cup Championship in 2004. He currently serves as head coach of the `88 and `89 Y-League Team of the Storm Academy. A 1993 graduate of Fairfield with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and a minor in Economics, McElderry was a four-year letterman at Fairfield. He earned several post-season honors as a player, highlighted with the 1992 MAAC Player of the Year award. He also received All-MAAC honors as a back in 1992 after receiving All-MAAC honors in 1991. McElderry was inducted into the Fairfield Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998. Following graduation, McElderry played professionally for the New York Fever of the A-League from 1994-97 and then for the Long Island Rough Riders (A-League) from 1997-98. He also played for the New York Freedoms, a Division 3 team, for four seasons. McElderry earned a Master of Arts degree in Teaching and Foundation from Fairfield in 1999. He currently resides in Stamford, CT, with his wife, Kim, and their daughter, Grace (4), and son, Liam (1). |
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