As players walked off Quinnipiac Soccer & Lacrosse Stadium on Oct. 11, the athletes wearing white and blue celebrated a convincing 2-0 victory over Canisius University, a formidable conference opponent.
But it was the man anchoring the sidelines, women’s soccer head coach Dave Clarke, who achieved his own unique victory, as he notched his 250th career win as a collegiate head coach.
Clarke is already the winningest coach in program history, but his 250th victory only further solidifies how instrumental his time with Quinnipiac has been.
For Clarke, it’s only a number that simply reflects how long he’s been standing on the sidelines of soccer games.
“It’s just a milestone. Hopefully, there is another 250 in me,” Clarke said.
But that simple milestone puts Clarke in an elite tier of Quinnipiac coaches. Among active coaches at Quinnipiac, Clarke ranks third in wins behind only women’s basketball’s head coach Tricia Fabbri and men’s ice hockey’s head coach Rand Pecknold.
It’s some pretty good company to be in, and with 27 collegiate seasons under his belt, Clarke’s resume speaks volumes.
In his 21 seasons as head coach, Clarke has seen it all. He led the Bobcats to an NCAA Tournament berth in 2000, a MAAC Championship appearance in 2016 and just two seasons ago, in 2023, his team finished with the No. 1 seed in the MAAC with a near impeccable 9-0-1 conference record.
“He has so much history here,” senior defender Madison Alves said. “So just trusting in his morals and what he does to represent this team goes a long way. He’s very knowledgeable and I think just trusting him will get us to success.”
Clarke and the women’s soccer program have established a culture so well received, that they have been able to develop talent that would later go on to play at the professional level. Some former Bobcats include Olivia Scott ‘23 (Ottawa Rapid FC), Emely van der Vliet ‘23 (NAC Vrouwen) and Rebecca Cooke (Brooklyn FC).
“He’s really helped me develop as a player,” senior forward Morgan Cupo said. “Especially as a freshman, you don’t realize how much (coaches) can help you grow as a player. He’s really been that person for me who’s seen my potential and helped me grow each year.”
Whether or not Clarke has 250 more wins in him, the legacy he’s already built inside the walls of Quinnipiac is set in stone.
And as Clarke etches this historic win milestone on his long-winded resume, something that reflects on this accomplishment is the essential role he’s played in establishing women’s soccer at Quinnipiac and the stabilized success he’s given this program over 27 years of service.
It takes a lot of time and effort to build a consistent culture at the Division I level, and Clarke has been able to accomplish that and much more.
