PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania men's soccer program and James C. Gentle head coach, Brian Gill, have announced an addition to their coaching staff, naming Ryan Sandell a volunteer assistant coach.
 
"I am excited to have Ryan joining the staff this upcoming season," said Gill. "He is an eager young coach who just finished a year with Sean Topping at Muhlenberg College, making that one of many good stops along his journey that has taught him a lot. Ryan was able to come on board in the spring, giving him valuable time to get to know the players and campus. His main focus will be with our goalkeepers and keeping them sharp through the season, but he will also be involved in our day-to-day operations."
 
Sandell has a long path from his playing career to more recently starting in coaching. His high school career was at local Catholic League contender, St. Joseph's Preparatory School, where he was a two-year starter and first-team All-Catholic League selection. He helped the team to back-to-back league semifinal appearances. His senior season, he posted a 14-4-2 record between the pipes with a 0.75 goals-against average.
 
His high school career led him to Division III Elizabethtown College where he started 20 of his 30 games played. Again, in his senior season, he registered a 14-4-2 record, helping the Blue Jays to the NCAA tournament and a first-round win over Vassar College. He was a first-team All-Conference honoree and earned a spot on the NSCAA Mid-Atlantic All-Region team. His career wrapped up with a 0.68 GAA, .825 save percentage and eight shutouts.
 
Following graduation, he started his semi-professional career in Pitman, New Jersey with the Philadelphia Fury of the American Soccer League. From 2017-18, he started in 25 games of the 29 games played, posting a 0.75 GAA.
 
In 2019, Sandell hopped the pond to Skellefteå, Sweden to play for Morön BK, helping the team to a league title and securing a promotion. During his time, he started all 22 games for a 15-2-1 regular season record and 3-0-1 in preseason friendlies. Over 1,620 minutes, he bolstered a 0.66 GAA and eight shutouts.
 
His coaching career started in 2018 as a volunteer assistant coach and goalkeeper coach for nearby Drexel University. After a year with the Dragons, he took on his first full-time coaching opportunity in Allentown, Pennsylvania with Division III Muhlenberg College.
 
"I'm excited to be joining the staff at Penn and being given the opportunity to work with some exceptional players, goalkeepers and coaches," said Sandell. "Having seen the quality of the team over the course of my first few months, I think the future is bright for this program and I am thrilled to be a part of it!"