Alfred University Athletics

 

Hired at AU:	January of 2025
Prior to AU:	Head Coach & Recruiting Coordinator at Ithaca College
	Assistant Coach & Recruiting Coordinator at Arcadia University
	Assistant Coach at Ursinus College
Alma Mater:	Roanoke College

Garret Eldridge enters his first season as Head Coach of the Alfred University men’s soccer program, bringing with him a strong record of success at the collegiate level. He joins the Saxons after six seasons at Ithaca College, where he served as both Head Coach and First Assistant.

Eldridge was promoted to Head Coach at Ithaca in May 2020 after two years as an assistant. Over his four seasons leading the Bombers, the team earned three postseason appearances, including trips to the Liberty League Championship game in 2021 and 2023. His teams were also regionally or nationally ranked at some point in three of his four seasons at the helm.

In 2021, Eldridge earned his first career win as a head coach in dramatic fashion, guiding Ithaca to a 2-1 overtime victory in the season opener. That year, the Bombers finished 8-6-6 overall and secured the No. 2 seed in the Liberty League Tournament, finishing as runners-up. The team’s defense stood out, allowing just three goals across nine conference matches.
As an assistant coach from 2018 to 2019, Eldridge helped lead Ithaca to a 27-8-6 combined record. The Bombers posted an unbeaten home record in both seasons and the program returned to national prominence. 

• 2018: Finished 14-2-4, tying the program record for most wins in a season, Liberty League Runner up.
• 2019: Went 13-6-2, recorded wins over national powers such as Messiah, NYU, Hobart, and St. Lawrence, climbed as high as No. 8 in the national rankings, and advanced to the NCAA Round of 32—earning the program’s first NCAA Tournament win since 2002.

Before his tenure at Ithaca, Eldridge spent two seasons as the First Assistant at Arcadia University under then-Head Coach Rob Nydick. Together, they orchestrated one of the most successful stretches in program history. The Knights posted a combined 22-14-6 record across the 2016 and 2017 seasons, reaching the MAC Commonwealth semifinals both years and earning back-to-back ECAC Tournament bids. In 2017, the team finished with a 13-6-2 record—one of the best in school history.

Eldridge’s coaching career began in 2015 as an assistant at Ursinus College.

As a player, Eldridge began at NCAA Division I Siena College before transferring to Roanoke College, where he became a standout midfielder and three-time All-ODAC selection. After college, he played professionally for Sunshine Coast Fire FC in Australia.

Eldridge now brings his leadership, tactical expertise, and proven track record of developing competitive, high-character teams to Alfred University as he takes the reins of the Saxons' men’s soccer program.