Joe Lee Retires as Head Coach of SJC Women’s Soccer Program

Patchogue, N.Y. – Long-time head women's soccer coach Joseph Lee has announced his retirement from St. Joseph's College after completing his 13th season at the helm of the Golden Eagles.

Coach Lee had a brilliant coaching career at St. Joseph's as he has led the Golden Eagles to the Skyline Conference playoffs every year since the tournament's existence in 2003, including two years as Skyline finalists. Lee is a five-time Skyline Conference Coach of the Year and his teams are a five-time recipient of the Skyline Sportsmanship award.

Highly-respected for always running a classy program, Joe Lee is the only coach to receive the New York Metropolitan College Soccer Official Sportsmanship Award three times, a prestigious award given yearly to only one coach in Division I, II, and III combined.  

Coach Lee's teams were selected for six ECAC Tournament berths and won a WIAC Conference championship in 2002.  From 2002-2014, Lee's clubs compiled an outstanding 140-114-15 won-loss-tie record. 

Fifty Golden Eagles were named to the All-Skyline Team during his tenure, in addition to garnering numerous ECAC awards.  Several of his clubs were chosen for National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Team Academic Awards.  The 2013 team was honored with the NSCAA Team Ethics and Sportsmanship Silver Award.

Lee started his coaching career in 1976 as one of the first coaches of the Sachem Youth Soccer League. He coached the Sachem Tomahawks to three New York state titles including regional and national championships in 1987. A majority of his players from the Tomahawks continued on to Division I institutions. He also coached the HBC Nasty Girls to five New York State titles as well as a regional championship and numerous league titles. Lee went on to coach the Sachem Angels, with whom he won two league titles and two sportsmanship awards. Every youth player that Lee coached went on to play in college.

Lee was selected as New York Youth Coach of the Year two times. He went on to coach in the Long Island Junior Soccer League Olympic Development Program for six years and the ENY Soccer League Olympic Development Program for seven years.

The veteran head coach led the Academy of St. Joseph's team for ten years.  He took two of those teams to the league finals. During his tenure at the Academy, he was voted Coach of the Year five times and was a five-time recipient of the Sportsmanship Award. Lee also coached two years at St. John the Baptist High School before beginning his career at St. Joseph's College.

St. Joseph's will conduct a nationwide search for a new head coach in the coming months.