Molly Romano Hired as Next Head Coach of Women’s Soccer Program
The St. John Fisher College Athletics Department is pleased to announce the hiring of Molly Romano as its next head women’s soccer coach. Romano, who brings a wealth of experience as a coach and as a standout student-athlete, becomes just the sixth women’s soccer coach in the program’s 40-year history.
“I am honored for the opportunity to become the next head coach of the women’s soccer program at St. John Fisher College,” Romano said. “I would like to thank Jill McCabe, the search committee, and the Fisher community for this incredible opportunity.”
Jill McCabe, former women’s soccer coach and senior women’s administrator and associate athletics director, passes the program to Romano after 19 years at the helm. The program’s all-time leader in coaching victories, McCabe led the Cardinals to 116 wins over nearly two decades, including six appearances in the Empire 8 Championship. She is confident in the department’s hiring of Romano.
“I know the program is in great hands and the players are excited to have a coach that can be solely focused on coaching and push them to the next level,” McCabe remarked.
Romano comes to Fisher after spending the past two years as an assistant coach at Rochester Institute of Technology under Liz Masterson where she helped lead the Tigers to a 23-10-7 record along with back-to-back appearances in the Liberty League Championship.
Most recently, Romano and the Tigers enjoyed one of the program’s best seasons in 2018 as RIT earned its first berth in the NCAA Division III Championship after receiving an at-large berth. The Tigers parlayed that appearance into a first round win over Susquehanna.
On the sidelines, Romano has tallied over a decade of experience in recreational clubs and school teams alike. Romano coaches for the Pittsford Mustangs Girls Under-17 club and for the U14 Empire United Team. At the high school level, she was an assistant coach for Pittsford Sutherland from 2013-16 and the head coach of Beaver Country Day School from 2010-13.
Romano was also an assistant women’s soccer coach at Bentley University in 2009 and at Lasell College in 2008.
Romano was an offensive threat during her playing career at John Carroll University. She earned All-Ohio Athletic Conference, All-Academic honors and secured the team’s offensive MVP in 2003 and 2004. Romano graduated with a Bachelor's degree in middle childhood education from John Carroll in 2005.
“I look forward to working with the student-athletes to continue building a championship program,” she said.
The first-year head coach will inherit a talented lineup that boasted one of the top defenses in the Empire 8 last season. The Cardinals allowed just 15 goals over 16 games and posted seven shutouts in all. On the offensive end of the pitch, Romano will look to further develop Carli Kovarik, who was named the Empire 8 Rookie of the Year in 2018.
Romano begins her tenure on Friday, Aug. 30, when the Cardinals travel to Babson College.