Georgetown’s Rick Stainton hired as UMBC women’s soccer head coach

UMBC Director of Athletics Brian Barrio announced that Rick Stainton has been selected as head women’s soccer coach.

Stainton becomes the tenth head coach in program history, which began in the Retrievers’ third NCAA Division I campaign of 1988.

“After a national search, Rick set himself apart from other candidates with his extensive experience as a head coach and as a leader on multiple teams that won conference championships and competed in the NCAA Tournament,” said Barrio. “I talked to people across the college soccer landscape and heard so many positive things about his leadership style, work ethic, and about the way he builds positive relationships with student-athletes and across campus.”

Stainton just completed his third season as an assistant coach with the Georgetown women’s soccer program. The Hoyas compiled a record of 41-4-13 from 2020-22 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament in each campaign.

Prior to his three years in Washington, D.C. and one year as a head coach at the College of Saint Elizabeth’s in Morristown, New Jersey, Stainton served as head women’s soccer coach at Seton Hall University from 2013-18. During his tenure in South Orange, N.J., Stainton’s squads won the United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award in each of the five seasons and 110 Pirates were selected to the Big East All-Academic Team. On the pitch, SHU recorded a total of 18 shutouts and had a BIG EAST All-Freshman Team recognition.

Before making his way to Seton Hall, Stainton spent a year at Fairleigh Dickinson University Teaneck Campus, where he held his first head coaching position at the Division I level.  During his short stint at FDU, Stainton led the team to an 8-8-4 record and 4-1-3 in the Northeast Conference, its second best conference record in school history up to that point. With the 4-1-3 conference record, the Knights earned the number two seed in the NEC playoffs. In the semifinals, FDU fell in heartbreaking fashion to two-time conference champions LIU-Brooklyn, 2-1 in double overtime.

Stainton was a part of the New Jersey-based Sky Blue FC staff for four years. While with Sky Blue FC, Stainton trained some of the most prominent women’s players in the world, coaching a total of 12 players who competed in the 2011 FIFA World Cup including United States internationals Tobin Heath, Carli Lloyd, Heather O’Reilly and Christie Rampone. Stainton began his tenure with the club as an assistant, a role in which he was responsible for goalkeeper development, prospect identification, implementation of off-season training programs and camp instruction.  He also served as the head coach for a year where he guided the Sky Blue to a 7-10-7 record.

Outside of coaching, Stainton was an assistant athletic director for facilities and operations administrator at Seton Hall (2007-10), as well as the athletic director at Saint Rose High School for three years (2004-07).

Stainton is a graduate from Green Mountain College where he earned a bachelor’s degree in leisure resource facilities management.  While at Green Mountain, Stainton was named the NAIA Northeast Region MVP and First Team Mayflower All-Conference. In 2002, Stainton was inducted into the Green Mountain College Athletic Hall of Fame.

“We are thrilled to bring aboard a coach with experience building championship programs with integrity, and a person who carries himself with professionalism and confidence,” said Barrio. “We have all the pieces in place here to build a championship program in women’s soccer, and now it’s time to get to work.”