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Head Coach: Eric Wagner
Eric Wagner enters his 4th season as the Head Coach of the Garnet soccer program. In 17 years of coaching college soccer, his reputation as a top-notch recruiter and developer of talented young players has turned three college teams into nationally competitive programs. In just his third season at Swarthmore, the team had its best-ever Centennial Conference record, played in the conference tournament for the first time, and reached the ECAC championship for the first time.
Emphasizing intelligent, creative play, an honest work ethic, and hard-nosed defending, the Garnet have improved significantly under Wagner. In 2004, when Swarthmore earned Mid-Atlantic Regional rankings in eight out of ten weeks, the defensive tenacity and discipline paid off. The Swarthmore squad, featuring three All-Conference players and nine members of the Conference Academic Honor Roll, earned a 6-2-1 conference record, good for third place and a semifinal spot in the conference playoffs.
During 12 years as a head coach, Wagner's players have included two regional All-Americans, one Academic All-American, one Academic All-Region player, two conference players of the year, and two conference rookies of the year. Three have played in the Premier Development League, and one, Ryan Olsen, played in the Pro Select League, after leading the NCAA in scoring his senior year under Wagner. Formerly the head coach at St. Mary's College in Maryland, Wagner is still the Seahawks’ all-time leader in victories. In 2001, the Seahawks won more games than any team in the program's 30-year history and set 24 individual and team records.
After earning his B.A. from Connecticut College in 1988, Wagner was assistant coach for the Camels’ women's team when they won the school's first ECAC Championship. After a year as the assistant coach at Wheaton College (Mass.), Wagner became the assistant coach at Duke University. He then served as the assistant coach at the University of Notre Dame in ‘92-93. In 1993, he started the varsity program at Southwestern University (TX), where he coached for four years. Wagner earned the Advanced National Diploma from the NSCAA in 1992. Always active in the global soccer community, Wagner runs clinics year-round, and has served on the coaching staffs of four state Olympic Development Programs.
Wagner's playing career includes four years of Division III college soccer, one year with Heidelberger Sport Club in Heidelberg, Germany, two seasons in North Carolina (‘92 N.C. State Champs), a year of semi-pro in the Connecticut Soccer League, and two years in Austin, Texas. He has also coached baseball and tennis at the college level. Wagner lives in Media with his wife, Leslee, and two sons, Camden and Nicholas.
B.A. International Relations, Connecticut College 1988
Assistant Coach: Ciarán Dalton
Ciarán Dalton began his soccer career right here in Swarthmore. He attended Strath Haven High School, located in Wallingford, Pa. While playing at Strath Haven, he was a three year varsity letter-winner and an All-Delco selection his senior year.
From Strath Haven, Dalton attended Millersville University. During his career at Millersville, he was a varsity letter-winner and starter all four years. Upon completion of his sophomore and junior years, he was selected for the All-PSAC second team. During his senior year he was a team captain, was named to the All-PSAC first team, and All Mid-Atlantic Region. He currently ranks second all-time in Millersville history in goals with 43, assists (19), and points (105).
When Dalton ended his career at Millersville, he traveled to Ireland to play for the semi-professional Cobh Ramblers. He earned a starting position and played in virtually every match for the Ramblers for six months.
Dalton earned his B.A. in Special Education from Millersville in 2000. He has been teaching in the Interboro School District at the Glenolden School for the past 3 years. Dalton teaches a primary emotional support class. He earned his Master's degree in regular education at Temple University in 2004 and is currently working on his doctorate at Immaculata University.
Prior to joining the Garnet, he coached at Strath Haven High School for the past three years as the head junior varsity and assistant varsity coach. During his tenure, Strath Haven were State Champions in 2001 and runners-up in 2002.
Dalton lives in Brookhaven with his spunky beagle pup, Ralphie.
Assistant Coach: Eric Savage
Eric Savage first started playing soccer in Stockholm, Sweden at age 5, and has continued playing ever since. He played 3 years of varsity soccer for Westtown School, in Westtown, Pennsylvania, winning one Friends Select League championship. He then joined the NCAA Division III powerhouse soccer team at Macalester College in St. Paul, MN, where he helped the Scots win three MIAC titles, and lost only 4 conference matches during his four years.
Eric began coaching soccer in 1994 at the youth level, leading several teams in the Delco soccer system to successful seasons, including one co-championship. After aiding coach Eric Wagner at Swarthmore as an advisor, he became an Assistant Coach in 2003.
Eric drives the fastest car on the coaching staff, and runs his own business, Helix Minisports/Bimmersport, which modifies high-performance vehicles. He lives in Swarthmore with his wife, Megan, and son, Elliot .
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