-
- Title:
- Head Men's Soccer Coach
-
- Phone:
- (401) 341-2273
-
- Email:
- craig.orourke@salve.edu
Bio
Craig O'Rourke II returns for his fifth year at the helm of the Salve Regina men's soccer program. During this time, O'Rourke has guided the Seahawks to four Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Championship tournament appearances, as well as an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championship tournament appearance in 2010 in which the team advanced to the semifinals. At the same time, O'Rourke has also helped the team succeed in the classroom, earning the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) College Team Academic Award in each of the past two seasons.
In 2011, O'Rourke led the Seahawks to their fourth consecutive CCC Championship tournament appearance, finishing with an overall mark of 7-9-3. The previous season, O'Rourke helped guide the Seahawks to a 14-win campaign, tying the program's all-time record for victories in a single season.
Prior to his appointment as men's soccer coach and intramurals coordinator at Salve Regina, O'Rourke served as the head coach for four years at Bridgton Academy, a post-graduate prep school in Maine. While at Bridgton, O'Rourke led the men's soccer program to two NEPSSA Class 'A' Soccer Final Fours (2004 and 2005) while compiling a record of 57-16-7 (.756). His teams also won four consecutive MAISAD conference championships. In 2004, the team compiled one of the best records in school history at 19-3-0 and established a New England prep school record for single-season goals (122).
Before going to Bridgton, O'Rourke served as an assistant with the Roger Williams University men's soccer program, where he helped guide the Hawks to three consecutive conference championships and three NCAA tournament berths (1999, 2000 and 2001). In his five years at Roger Williams, the team compiled an overall record of 75-29-4 (.713) while posting a conference record of 55-6-1 (.895). O'Rourke has also served on multiple camp staffs, including both the SoccerPlus Goalkeeping School and the Brown University Soccer Camps. He is the former Olympic Development Program (ODP) goalkeeping director for Soccer Rhode Island and has acted as a goalkeeping assessor for the U.S. Youth Soccer Region I ODP Coaching Staff.
O'Rourke is a 1997 graduate of Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), where he earned his bachelor's degree in biology/pre-medicine while playing for the men's soccer program. While at WPI, he was twice selected to all-tournament and all-conference teams. After college, he turned down a contract offer to play professional indoor soccer in order to pursue his education. In 2001, he graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a master's degree in business administration.
O'Rourke holds both an Advanced National Coaching Diploma and an Advanced Level II Goalkeeping Diploma from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) as well as a National 'B' Coaching License from the United States Soccer Federation (USSF). He is also a licensed referee and has officiated at the U.S. Youth Soccer regional and national championships and has also served on the USL professional referees list. O'Rourke currently holds memberships in the NSCAA, U.S. Soccer Coaches Organization, USSF National Referees Association and the Rhode Island State Referees Association. In addition to his men's soccer coaching duties, O'Rourke also coordinates the University's intramural sports program.