In a news release issued today, Algoma University announced that Sam Medaglia will serve as the new head coach of the men's soccer team.
Medaglia brings more than 36 years experience to the role, having coached at the high school, club and university levels.
"I am excited about the opportunity to continue to coach at the university level with the Algoma Thunderbirds," he said in the release. "I feel confident that I will be able to share what I know about the beautiful game of soccer which will help our Student-Athletes grow as players and in turn improve our team success on the pitch as well as in the classroom.”
Full text of the Algoma University news release follows:
The Algoma University Thunderbirds Varsity Athletics Program is excited to announce the hiring of Sam Medaglia as the new head coach of the men's soccer team. Coach Medaglia will immediately take over a program that has competed in Ontario University Athletics (OUA) since 2014.
Coach Medaglia brings more than 36 years of coaching experience at various levels to his new role. Originally from Sault Ste. Marie, coach Medaglia is well known within the local soccer community. He obtained his Provincial B coaching certificate in 2014 and is currently working towards finalizing his National B license.
"Although Sam is no stranger to the Thunderbirds Soccer Program, we are excited to welcome him to the Thunderbirds Varsity family," shared Director of Student Experience, Dave Trudelle. "Coach Medaglia has helped to grow the sport of soccer in Sault Ste. Marie, including serving as head or assistant coach with both our women’s and men’s soccer teams throughout the years. He brings a wealth of knowledge from his experience in developing players that will help our Student-Athletes grow and succeed. Having a head coach with his skill set is very important to the Thunderbirds as we continue to develop our strong community connections within Sault Ste. Marie and abroad."
Coach Medaglia has coached at the high school, club and university levels. He coached the SASA civics girls team and assisted with the Northern Ontario Regional Soccer program from 2006 to 2010. Coaching with the St. Basil’s High School girl’s teams, he has won both city and NOSSA championships. He also served as the technical director of the Sault Civics program from 2015 to 2017. His coaching experience with Algoma University includes serving as assistant coach of the men’s team from 2012 to 2014, head coach of the women’s team from 2014 to 2017, and interim head coach of the men’s team from June 2020 to February 2021.
"I am excited about the opportunity to continue to coach at the university level with the Algoma Thunderbirds," coach Medaglia stated. "I feel confident that I will be able to share what I know about the beautiful game of soccer which will help our Student-Athletes grow as players and in turn improve our team success on the pitch as well as in the classroom.”
Coach Medaglia will begin his new role on April 1, 2021. For further information on the Algoma University Thunderbirds Athletics Department, please visit here.