Story originally posted at GoHofstra.com by Len Skoros
Hempstead, NY – Longtime Hofstra University Head Men’s Soccer Coach Richard Nuttall announced today that the upcoming 2025 season will be his final campaign leading the Pride and that he will transition to a new role as assistant director of athletics for development and alumni affairs/head men’s soccer coach emeritus. Associate Head Coach Stephen Roche, who was named head coach in waiting last season, will take over the program as head coach at season’s end. Coach Nuttall will be honored during Hofstra’s October 4 Alumni Day Game versus Northeastern at Captains Field.
Nuttall, a former professional soccer player in England and a former member of the Long Island Rough Riders, completed his 36th season as Hofstra University head men’s soccer coach in 2024. Nuttall has guided the Pride to a 350-259-87 record in transforming the program into one of the nation’s top teams. His teams have won four consecutive CAA Championships (2021-24), the first team in CAA history to claim four men’s soccer titles in a row.
“The time was right to make this move,” said Nuttall. “I never imagined having this job for 37 years and I am thankful for having had the opportunity to make the Hofstra men’s soccer program a force to be reckoned with. I will entrust that to Stephen, who is more than ready to carry that mantle. I am grateful for all the student-athletes I have coached, the assistants I have worked closely with, the administration who supported us, and the soccer community as a whole for rallying around our program. I look forward to my new role and supporting our mission of building champions!”
The Pride has advanced to eight NCAA Championships under Nuttall, reaching the third round in 2021 and 2023. The 2023 team was seeded (#13) for the first time in program history with the 2024 squad earning a No. 7 NCAA seed.
The winningest coach in program history, Nuttall has led his team to a CAA Tournament appearance in 14 of the past 15 seasons including the finals in 2015, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. The Pride has won eight CAA Championships under his direction (2004, 2005, 2006, 2015, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) and he has coached Hofstra to a .500 record or better in 15 of the past 16 years, including 13 straight campaigns.
Nuttall has coached nine All-Americans, 36 all-region, and 90 all-conference performers during his illustrious career. He has seen seven players earn College Sports Communicators Academic All-America accolades and 10 earn Scholar All-America honors from the United Soccer Coaches Association. Nuttall has been named conference coach of the year on four occasions and has been named regional coach of the year three times.
“Richard Nuttall is part of the fabric of Hofstra University and Hofstra athletics,” said Vice President and Director of Athletics Rick Cole Jr. “His legacy of success speaks for itself, but what stands out even more is his ability to connect with people. His relationship building skills have served him well as a coach and will help him thrive in his new role. We are so thankful for all of Richard’s contributions to Hofstra and look forward to continuing to work with him. We know that our soccer program will be in great hands with Coach Roche following this season. He has been a huge part of our recent success, and we are excited to see him shape this program in his image.”
Roche will be in his 10th year on the Hofstra men’s soccer coaching staff in 2025. He came to Hofstra in June 2016 and was promoted to associate head coach on April 30, 2021. In September 2024 he was named the program’s head coach in waiting.
“I am thankful for the opportunity that awaits me at the end of this season,” said Roche. “I am looking forward to one last season with Richard, who has been a tremendous leader and mentor for so many including myself. I appreciate the trust that President Poser and Rick Cole have in me to carry on the great tradition of success our program has and I will do my best to add to it.”
During his tenure with the Pride, Roche has been responsible for tactical approach and implementation, recruiting, scheduling, and scouting. The team has posted a 100-42-30 record over the past nine seasons, and has a 42-13-14 mark in league play during that time as well. He has assisted in the development of some of the top players in program history with Joseph Holland, Sean Nealis, Matthew Vowinkel, Ryan Carmichael, Eliot Goldthorp, and Jacob Woznicki each drafted by Major League Soccer teams, while Hendrik Hebbeker was an All-American in 2021, Goldthorp in 2022, and Carmichael, Goldthorp, and Pierce Infuso in 2023.
A native of Dublin, Ireland, Roche has also served as head coach of the Long Island Rough Riders in USL2 and was the organization’s sporting director. As a player, Roche competed professionally with the University College Dublin Football Club in the League of Ireland Premier Division from January 2009 through November 2010. He joined FC New York of the United Soccer League in 2011.
Roche holds a bachelor’s degree in retail and services management from Dublin Institute of Technology. He also owns a National Diploma and an Advanced National Diploma from the United Soccer Coaches and a USSF ‘D’ license.
Roche and his wife, Jess, have two sons – Jack and Leo. o