James C. Gentle head coach Brian Gill announced the addition of Ryan Sandell to the men's soccer coaching staff prior to the 2021 season.
“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.”
2022 was a standout season for the men’s soccer program. Gill was named the unanimous Ivy League Coach of the Year after leading Penn to its first conference title since 2013, guiding the Quakers to a 13-3-2 record (6-1-0 in conference play), and numerous weeks in the Top 25 of the United Soccer Coaches (USC) poll. Those six conference wins included the program’s first wins over Columbia and Princeton since 2011 and 2013, respectively. Stas Korzeniowski and Leo Burney were both named USC second-team All-America, in addition to earning Ivy League Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year awards, the first sophomores to earn major award recognition from the Ivies since 1993. Ben Stitz and Isaac McGinnis were All-Region second and third-team selections, respectively, while Nick Christoffersen, Jack Rosener, and Ben Do were all additional All-Ivy selections.
Following a CoVID-cancelled 2020 campaign, the Quakers' 2021 season ended with a 7-6-3 overall record, the program’s third straight season at .500 or better, the first such stretch for the program in more than a decade. Those seven victories included three straight, 2-1 comeback wins at Rhodes Field against Drexel, Dartmouth, and Temple, respectively. Four Quakers earned year-end All-Ivy honors, including freshman First-team defender Leo Burney and Second-team senior midfielders Ben Stitz and Isaac McGinnis. Additionally, Burney was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Northeast Region Third Team, the College Soccer News All-Freshman Second Team, and the Philly Soccer Six Freshman of the Year.
Sandell had a long path from his playing career to his start 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!”
Sandell holds a USSF 'D' License, as well as an FA of Wales 'C' Certificate.
