Nathan Kronewetter has resigned as men’s soccer coach at the University of Maine at Farmington after two years to return to NCAA Division I soccer coaching in Rhode Island.

“(It’s) never easy leaving those that you work alongside and have a trusted relationships with,” Kronewetter said. “I hope that the soccer student-athletes at UMF understand that this was strictly a professional decision for my career path.

“I feel strongly that my leaving UMF won’t hurt or slow down the development of the soccer program. The young men, both returning players and incoming first-year students, are set up for success and will find that they are to be credited with their achievements.”

Kronewetter said he was grateful to athletic director Julie Davis and the the Beavers athletic department staff along with others he worked alongside at UMF.

“I really enjoyed my experience at UMF,” Kronewetter said. “Although I was planning on being in Farmington for years to come, I am pleased and proud of the development of the program and with the players in the soccer program during my short time. I have left the program in good shape for the future, and it had nothing to do with me. The players are to be credited for their work and development both on and off the field.”

Kronewetter will return to Bryant College’s soccer program in Smithfield, Rhode Island, as an assistant coach.

“I am thankful for another opportunity to coach at the NCAA Division I level,” Kronewetter said. “It is always hard leaving a position because of the relationships you form with your current players, but the opportunity to return to Bryant was too good to pass on. 

“I think the most important factor in this decision was that I get to return to a program and work alongside friends and in a familiar setting. I was the second assistant coach at Bryant from 2010-14 and really enjoyed my time and experience. And, yes, the Italian restaurant scene in Rhode Island is plentiful.”

Kronewetter has stayed in contact with Bryant head coach Seamus Purcell, who offered Kronewetter the assistant job when it came open.

“When I left Bryant University in 2014 to move to Colorado, I left to support my significant other’s professional advancement,” Kronewetter said. “The relationship I had with Seamus Purcell was great and I enjoyed coaching with and alongside him on a daily basis. He and I always said that I would end up coming back one day. 

“Seamus has kept in touch with me over the past few years and we always chat on the phone after games about our teams and running ideas off of each other for advancement. Yes, Seamus was certain that I was his guy when this position became available.”

During his two years at UMF, Kronewetter steered the Beavers to North Atlantic Conference playoffs, with a 5-12 record the past season.

“He was recruited hard, back to Bryant University, a place he’d worked before that had a position open, and that he needed to give serious consideration,” Julie Davis, the UMF athletic director, said. “He was on a great trajectory here, building on what we had in place. We have a national search under way and good momentum with a solid cohort of returning players and a promising recruiting class, who should be confident about the future.  

“We certainly thank him for his work and wish him well.”

Kronewetter said that with the Bryant Bulldogs, “My primary role will be team management, international recruitment and on-field coaching, all of which I really enjoy.

“Again, this move (in part) is to be back around friends and a place that I really enjoy being.”

The UMF men’s coaching job description, link to apply and contact information can be found online at goumfbeavers.com.”  

Copy the Story Link