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Date: 5/11/2015
SPRINGFIELD – Longtime American International College head men’s soccer coach Fred Balbino announced his resignation effective immediately on May 5.
Balbino cites spending more time with his young family as the main reason for his departure. He leaves AIC with a 109-70-26 record, by far the winningest coach in program history. He earned his 100th career victory in 2012, a 3-2 decision over Bentley.
“Fred Balbino has been the face of AIC soccer for over 15 years. He completely re-vamped the program shortly after he took over in 1996. Fred is a tremendous soccer coach and an even better person. He was extremely popular in the department and will be missed,” Director of Athletics Matt Johnson said.
Balbino led the Yellow Jackets to the Northeast-10 postseason twice in the last three seasons after a six year drought. In 2005 he led AIC to an ECAC Division II title, defeating C.W. Post, 1-0, for the programs first-ever postseason title.
“What Fred has accomplished, as a part-time coach, for over 15 years, is remarkable. He put our men's soccer program on the map and leaves things in much better shape than when he started. We wish him and his family all the best moving forward,” Johnson said.
Johnson announced on May 6 that Luke Perry will be named interim head coach.
While the Yellow Jackets conduct a national search for a new soccer coach, Perry will oversee all aspects of the men's soccer program and is the main contact for the team until a replacement has been hired.
Perry has spent the last two seasons as a graduate assistant coach under Balbino. With Perry on the sidelines, the Yellow Jackets have amassed an overall record of 15-17-3 and earned a trip to the Northeast-10 postseason in 2014.
After finishing his Youth Team Scholarship at a professional soccer club in England, Perry joined Lees McRae College in 2009 making a significant impact during their 2009 national runner-up season. During his two years in North Carolina, Perry was a regular starter tallying seven goals and 21 assists and achieved personal accolades such as Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year, Conference Carolinas Third Team All-Conference (2009), and Conference Carolinas First Team All-Conference (2010).
After transferring to neighboring Northeast-10 program, Southern Connecticut State University, Perry was a captain and regular starter before graduating in 2013. Perry has played the last three summers in the Professional Development League before most recently playing for Western Mass Professional Soccer Club in the American Soccer League.
“Luke has done a tremendous job over the past two years in his role as graduate assistant for the men's soccer program. He has gained a great deal of respect from the players, coaches and administrators for his hard work on and off the field. He has a great understanding of the game and has hit the ground running from a recruiting standpoint,” Johnson said.