NORFOLK, Va. – Joe Tedesco has been named the interim head coach of the Old Dominion University women’s soccer team, ODU athletic director Dr. Wood Selig announced on Monday.
Originally from Albany, N.Y., Tedesco just completed his second season with the Lady Monarchs. Previously, Tedesco was an assistant coach at San Diego State University, where he helped build the Aztecs into one of the top programs in Division I.
A national search for a head coach at Old Dominion has begun.
The Aztecs had a 16-game unbeaten streak in 2009 during Tedesco’s tenure and were undefeated in conference play that season with a record of 5-0-2 and later advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. During his time at San Diego State, the Aztecs were 14-3-3 in Mountain West Conference games.
In his three seasons at SDSU, Tedesco coached 16 All-Mountain West Conference selections and helped lead the Aztecs to the sixth most improved team in the country in his first season, improving the 2008 team's record of 6-10-3 to 15-4-5 in 2009.
Prior to his time with the Aztecs, coach Tedesco was the assistant coach of the Point Loma Nazarene University women's team from 2004-2007 and was the associate head coach for both the men's and women's programs in 2008.
At Point Loma, Tedesco helped lead the Sea lions to their first and second NAIA National Championship Tournaments making it as far as the quarterfinals in 2007. During his time at Point Loma, the previously unranked Sea Lions climbed the polls up to No. 4 in the country during the 2007 season and appeared in the nation's top 10 on six different occasions.
Tedesco played two seasons at the University of New Hampshire where he was an All-America East Academic team honoree and was the team's H. Richard Sandlar award winner for academic achievement in 1999. In 2003, Tedesco played professionally for the San Diego Gauchos in the United Soccer Leagues pro select league.
Tedesco graduated with a bachelor's degree in Kinesiology from the University of New Hampshire in 2002 and graduated from Azusa Pacific University with a master's degree in physical education in 2006.
He holds the prestigious UEFA "A" coaching badge as well as the "A" license and Goalkeeper license from the United States Soccer Federation. Tedesco was also honored as the "Coach of the Year" with San Diego Soccer club for the older girls program and spent time on staff with the Olympic development program for both Region IV and for Cal South youth soccer.