Brett Sarsfield has completed his first season as an assistant coach with the Big Red, helping with the team's six-win improvement between the 2012 and 2013 seasons.
After spending four years on the West Coast, and three years in the New York City area, Sarsfield comes to the East Hill with more than eight years of Division I coaching staff experience, including two as a head coach. In addition to his work at the collegiate levels, he previously served as an assistant coach at the professional level with SkyBlueFC of Women’s Professional Soccer.
Sarsfield, a USSF “A” Licensed coach, most recently serviced as head women’s soccer coach at Saint Peter’s University. During his two year stint at the helm the program had the highest conference finish in 10 seasons as well as the most conference wins in 14 seasons. Sarsfield recruited back-to-back All-Rookie All-Conference players in those two years, which occurred for the first time in program history.
Academic success also improved with the program during Sarsfield's tenure, with 14 student-athletes being named MAAC All-Academic award winners in those two years. In addition, the team earned NSCAA Team Academic Award honors in both seasons, with an athletic department-best team GPA of 3.596. The team also received the "Men and Women for Others Award" from the Saint Peter's Student Government Association in both 2011 and 2012. This was awarded to the program as the organization on campus that had made the most significant contributions to community service.
During his time in New Jersey, Sarsfield also served as an assistant coach at the professional level with SkyBlueFC of WPS. During the 2011 season, Sarsfield worked with seven different players who represented their respective nations at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany, including players from both the England and Swedish national teams, as well as Tobin Heath and Heather O’Reilly from the U.S. Women’s National Team.
Sarsfield spent the fall 2010 season at Iona College working as an assistant coach with both the men’s and women’s programs. The men’s team reached the finals of the MAAC Tournament, and for the second time in his career he worked with a Hermann Trophy Candidate (best collegiate player in the country).
Prior to coming back to the East Coast in the spring of 2010, Sarsfield spent the fall 2009 season on the men’s coaching staff at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. During that time, the program ended the regular season with a national RPI ranking of No. 15 in the country, in addition to having a program-record 10 All-WCC performers, including Hermann Trophy Candidate and current San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Rafeal Baca. The Lions defeated three ranked opponents, including a pair of wins over top-10 teams in No. 6 UC Santa Barbara and No. 5 Dartmouth. LMU ended the season by hosting a first round game in the NCAA Tournament.
In the previous two seasons with the LMU women, Sarsfield helped the club to back-to-back years of double-digit victories, including a school-record-tying 12 wins in 2007. The Lions posted consecutive third-place finishes in the WCC and had consecutive seasons of placing seven players on the All-WCC teams.
In addition to his collegiate coaching, Sarsfield was a First Assistant in 2007 for the Ventura County Fusion of the Women’s W-League. At the time, it was the highest level women’s league in the country. Several of those players have gone on to both sign contracts and play in WPS (Women’s Professional Soccer) as well as internationally in Russia as well.
Originally from upstate New York, Sarsfield served as an assistant coach for both men's soccer and women's water polo programs at Siena College before moving out to California in 2006. During his time in California, he also served as a high school soccer coach within the boys program at South Torrance High School and within the girls program at Bishop Montgomery High School. He also served as head coach for both the girls U-11 and girls U-12 teams at South Bay Soccer Club. In addition to his two club teams, he was a technical skills coach within the South Bay Soccer Club.
As a player, Sarsfield played for two seasons at Manhattan College and was voted "hardest worker" by his teammates in 2001. After transferring to SUNY Cortland in 2002, the Red Dragons won the SUNYAC Championship and received a ranking of 15th in the national polls. The Red Dragons ended the 2002 season with an appearance in the NCAA National Championship Tournament.
Sarsfield is also an accomplished photographer who covers major collegiate and professional sporting events. Among the soccer events he has covered are the MLS Cup finals, WPS Finals, and international competition including national teams from the United States, Brazil, and Argentina among others. His work of Lionel Messi, Neymar of Brazil, David Beckham, and Thierry Henry have appeared in publications around the world.
Sarsfield has close family ties to the Big Red with his grandfather (Reed Peck ’26), one of his brothers (Ryan Sarsfield ’01), his aunt and uncle (Marylyn Peck Jenkins ’58 and Dr. Harold Jenkins ’57 DVM), as well as numerous cousins all being graduates.
Sarsfield currently resides in nearby Lansing, N.Y.
