The College of Staten Island Athletics Department appointed Brittany Casares to the position of Head Coach / Equipment Manager in April of 2018, becoming the first full-time hire in the capacity at the College.
A New Jersey native, Casares has been active on the women's soccer circuit for nearly a decade, beginning with an accomplished career at Montclair State University, and then coaching stops at her alma mater, high school, club, and junior college levels. She claims her transition to the College of Staten Island will be a natural one, and a perfect fit for her personality.
Casares' passion for soccer developed early, and translated on the college scene at MSU, where she helped steady a team that claimed a New Jersey Athletic Conference and NCAA second-round tournament appearance in 2012, her senior season. Along the way, she claimed the Women's Soccer Player's Player Award in 2010-11 and was awarded MSU's James J. Poet Sportsmanship Award her senior season. A natural midfielder, Casares always had an eye on coaching and feels her playing experience certainly has developed her coaching style.
Casares wasted no time transitioning to the sidelines after her playing career, serving as a volunteer assistant with her alma mater for the 2013 season, assisting primarily with practice and game day preparations. The following year, Casares landed the Head Varsity Coaching position for the Mother Seton Regional High School Girls Soccer team, a position she held for three years, until 2017. There, Casares was charged with all aspects of coaching the developing program, including the implementation of a summer camp program. Alongside her duties at MSRHS, Casares was also the Head Coach of Colonia, New Jersey's, U-11 Intensity team.
Casares parlayed her work at the youth level into her first collegiate women's soccer head coaching position a year ago at Raritan Valley Community College in Branchburg, NJ. There, she inherited a team short on numbers and had managed just six games played the previous season, and helped the team raise both win and games played totals in her inaugural season. Casares also assumed coaching duties at Mahwah's Sparks 07 club program this past January, furthering her experience on the youth level. The myriad of experiences have prepared her well for what she hopes will be an extended run with the Dolphins' program.
Despite her busy soccer regimen, Casares continues to stay dedicated to developing her craft. She has achieved a USSF National "C" License, as well as an NSCAA Advanced National Diploma. She has lent her expertise to various camps and clinics as well, including the Army West Point Girls Soccer "Elite Camp." It has has also helped craft the way she wants her teams to conduct themselves on the pitch.
Casares feels that CSI's pedigree as a championship-caliber program will keep the team focused on advancing to the next level, regionally and nationally. Her goals are to continue the building blocks towards a run at a national title, something that the Dolphins aren't as far off in achieving as some may think. A balance of continued strong recruiting and elevation of gameplay will help the CSI program get there, in her opinion, and her duties as the school's equipment manager will allow her the opportunity to work closely with the entire catalog of CSI coaches and staff and give her access that previous coaches have not been afforded.
