Women's Soccer

Jim O'Brien is in his fifth season as head women's soccer coach at Fairfield University.  His first four seasons have seen Fairfield return to the national scene with a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances and votes in the national polls.  Individually, Stag student-athletes have seen unprecedented success on the field and in the classroom.

In just four short seasons O'Brien has already placed his name among the tops in program history.  His 45 wins in that time is second most all-time, while his .613 winning percentage is within percentage points of the mark set by Maria Piechocki (.623).  All told, O'Brien has 13 years of head coaching experience at the collegiate level, with impressive results.  He has a career record of 150-82-21 and a winning percentage of .638.

Personal accolades have followed O'Brien at each of his coaching stops.  He was named the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas Northeast Region Coach of the Year in 2008.  The Stags finished the year with 15 wins, an NCAA Tournament berth and a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championship.  Fairfield received 16 votes in the final NSCAA National poll, marking the second straight season that the team has earned votes in the national poll.

The 2008 MAAC crown and NCAA Tournament appearance marked the second time in his tenure at Fairfield that his team's have reached those heights.  In his first season at the helm, the O'Brien led Stags became the first five-seed in MAAC history to capture the tournament crown.  Fairfield revenged regular season losses to Iona, Loyola and Niagara, to earn the tournament crown.  This past season, the Stags needed a 5-4 PK advantage to defeat Siena in the tournament semifinal, before blanking top-seeded Loyola, 3-0, for the crown.

While the 2006 and 2007 seasons did not end with trophy celebrations for the Stags, there were numerous on-field highlights, with the squad qualifying for the MAAC Tournament each season.  The 2007 campaign got off to a quick start, as the Stags won the Denver Classic, highlighted by a tie with #14 Colorado, which resulted in Fairfield earning votes in the national polls.  The Stags would play three nationally ranked teams during the season, and finish with 11 wins, the most wins in a year since 2001.  O'Brien's second season, 2006, resulted in a nine-win campaign, and recognition from the NSCAA, as the Stags returned to the regional rankings for multiple weeks.

Along with the success as a team, the Stags have had numerous players receive individual recognition under O'Brien's tutelage.  Ahna Johnson became the most decorated Stag in program history in 2008-09, earning accolades on the field and in the classroom.  On the field she was named to the NSCAA/adidas All-America Third Team, the first player in program history, as well as being named the MAAC Offensive Player of the Year, and the Most Valuable Player of the MAAC Tournament.  She became the first Stag soccer player to earn ESPN The Magazine CoSida First Team Academic All-America and NSCAA/adidas First Team Scholar All-America, while also being named the MAAC Female Scholar Athlete of the Year. 

All told, O'Brien has now coached 23 All-MAAC performers, with 14 being voted to the league's First Team.  He has now had nine freshmen named to the All-MAAC Rookie Team, including Casey Frobey (2006) and Nicole Cavallaro (2007) who were both named the MAAC Rookie of the Year.  In 2007 Cavallaro was selected a Freshman All-America, just the second player in program history to earn that accolade. 

O'Brien coached Stags have earned All-MAAC Academic Team honors 36 times in four seasons, with Ahna Johnson and Alex Caram being recognized regionally as well.  In 2007 Caram was selected to the NSCAA Scholar-Athlete All-Northeast Region First Team, the first such selection in program history.  An honorable mention in 2007, Johnson, followed in Caram's footsteps with a first team selection in 2008.

On the field regional accolades have been a yearly event for the Stags as well during the last four seasons.  Johnson was an NSCAA All-Northeast Region First Team pick in 2009, after Caram earned the honor in 2007.  Brett Maron earned NSCAA Third Team All-Northeast Region in 2006, after being named the MAAC Defensive Player of the Year.  That same season, Casey Frobey was named to the SoccerBuzz Northeast Region All-Freshman Team. 

Success was no stranger to O'Brien when he took over the women's soccer program at Fairfield prior to the 2005 season after nine seasons as the head coach of his alma mater's program.  The founding coach of the women's program at Southern Connecticut State University, O'Brien posted a 105-56-8 record during his tenure.  The Owls earned an NCAA Tournament berth, twice appeared in the ECAC Tournament and were ranked as high as seventh in the nation in Division II. 

O'Brien was named the Northeast-10 Conference Coach of the Year in 2000 for leading the Owls to a final national ranking of seventh and an NE-10 crown.  That season he was also named the NSCAA Senior College Women - Division II New England Region Coach of the Year, as well as being selected as the New England Women's intercollegiate Soccer Associations Division II Coach of the Year.

The Bohemia, N.Y., native, played scholastically at St. John the Baptist, before beginning his collegiate career at Suffolk Community College.  O'Brien moved onto SCSU where he was the starting goalkeeper for two seasons. He posted a 35-7-1 record, including 17 shutouts, while leading the team to the 1982 NCAA Championship game, after a 1981 NCAA semifinal appearance.

It was with the Owls men's team that O'Brien began his coaching career, serving as an assistant coach from 1992-96.  He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from SCSU in corporate communications and is currently putting the final touches on his Master's at the New Haven, Conn. institution.

O'Brien and his wife Francine have three children, Corey, a graduate of UConn, Julia, a high school senior, and Aedan, a high school freshman, and reside in North Haven, Conn.