Background
Aileen Ascolese was appointed head women’s soccer coach at Alfred University in March of 2013.
Since her hiring, Ascolese and her Saxons have produced four All-Empire 8 selections including a First Team selection in Samijo Scheer '14. Sammy Jo Shanahan '18 has earned Honorable Mention in both of her first two years for the Purple and Gold whilst Emily Wright earned her spot on the All-Conference Team with an Honorable Mention of her own during her first year. Ascolese also recruited Erin Siebert '19 who was named Alfred University's Outstanding First Year of 2015-16, a campus-wide recognized award.
The women's soccer program, since the arrival of Ascolese, has also excelled in the classroom with 15 Empire 8 President's List selections (term GPA's of 3.75 or higher) since the Fall of 2013. Besides the individual efforts on Academic Alley, the team has had back-to-back NSCAA Team Academic Awards (cumulative team GPA of 3.00 or higher).
Ascolese came to AU after serving as an assistant at Brandeis University for the 2011 and 2012 seasons. During her two years at Brandeis - a member of the University Athletic Association (UAA) located in Waltham, MA - the Judges went 22-16-4. Brandeis went 16-5-2 last fall, advancing to the Elite 8 of the NCAA Division III championship tournament.
Ascolese was an assistant at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute two seasons (2009 and 2010), coaching RPI during the non-traditional fall seasons and serving as the team’s recruiting coordinator. She was a graduate assistant at Elmira College for the 2007 and 2008 seasons, serving as the head junior varsity coach both years and as interim head coach during the spring of 2008.
She was a four-year starter at Division I Rider University in Lawrenceville, NJ, serving as team captain her senior year and twice earning NCAA scholar-athlete honors before graduating in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in communications. She earned a master’s degree in general education from Elmira 2009.
Ascolese also holds a United States Soccer Federation (USSF) 'B' license, National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Advanced National Diploma, and an NSCAA National Goalkeeping Diploma. She currently resides in Arkport, NY and is engaged to Patrick O'Neill, a high school math teacher in Western Massachusetts.
