July 8, 2010

Junot Named Harvard Head Men's Soccer Coach

Photo of Carl Junot courtesy of Gil Talbot.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Carl Junot has been named the Virginia B. and James O. Welch ’52 Head Coach for Harvard Men’s Soccer, Bob Scalise, the Nichols Family Director of Athletics, announced Thursday afternoon.

Junot, who most recently served as the head coach at Tufts, worked as an assistant coach with the Crimson program from 2008-2010, helping Harvard post a 26-10-1 overall record, win the Ivy League title in 2009 and reach the NCAA tournament both seasons.

“We are fortunate to have Carl back at Harvard to lead our program,” Scalise said.  “He developed into one of the top assistant coaches in the country during his time here. We looked nationally for our next head coach, but it soon became clear that the best candidate was right in our backyard.  Carl knows Harvard, he knows the program, and he has a proven track record in recruiting student-athletes. He will continue the upward ascent of our men’s soccer program for years to come.”

“I am very grateful to Bob Scalise and the hiring committee at Harvard for giving me the opportunity to lead the Harvard men’s soccer program,” Junot said.  “I could not be more excited to again work with the student-athletes of the men’s soccer team here at Harvard.   As an assistant coach, I felt the full support of our athletic department in my professional development.  This is a fantastic quality of our department–development of both staff and student-athletes alike.” 

“Our goal is to push the limits of competitive excellence while respecting the mission of the greater university community,” Junot continued.  “Our team will continue to be great students, athletes and stewards of Harvard athletics within the community.  I believe the best of Harvard soccer is still to come and I have a plan for our players and staff to reach our potential.”

During his time at Harvard, Junot, who is a member of the Association of Harvard Latino Faculty and Staff, coached 11 All-Ivy League selections, including 2009 Player of the Year Andre Akpan ’09 and Rookie of the Year Brian Rogers. In his second year with the Crimson, Harvard won 14 games en route to the program's 13th Ivy League crown, as the team went 5-1-1 in conference action. The Crimson also reached the third round of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1987.   In addition, Akpan and Kwaku Nyamekye ’10 were selected in the 2010 Major League Soccer SuperDraft, while Michael Fucito ’08-09 was taken in the 2009 draft. 

Harvard went 12-6-0 overall and posted a 5-2-0 Ivy League mark during Junot's first season with the program in 2008, as the Crimson advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championships.  Harvard has now qualified for the NCAA tournament four straight seasons, the second longest streak in program history (1968-72).

Junot previously served as an assistant coach at New Mexico for six seasons, including five years on the Lobo sidelines as a full-time assistant. In addition to his coaching duties, Junot served as the assistant director of the Lobo Soccer Academy. He was also the director of the Olympic development program at New Mexico from 2005-06.

A native of San Antonio, Texas, Junot played his college soccer for the highly ranked Furman Paladins. Junot led the Paladins to three Southern Conference Championships in his four seasons. During his junior season, Junot guided the Paladins to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight. He made a return trip to the NCAA tournament as team captain during his senior season. Following his senior year he was named to the All-Southern Conference and All-Southern Region teams as well as being named team MVP. He was also invited to take part in the MLS Combine in 2001.

Junot earned his bachelor's degree from Furman in 2001 and later received his master's in sports administration from New Mexico in 2007. His wife, Brigid, is a native of Melbourne, Australia. Carl and Brigid reside in Somerville, Mass., with their daughter, Mirabel.