BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – Long Island University today announced that Tom Giovatto will take over as the head coach of women's soccer.

Giovatto most recently served as an assistant coach for Fordham University's men's soccer team under head coach Carlo Acquista and brings 22 years of coaching experience to the program.

"I'd like to thank Long Island University President Dr. Cline and COO Joseph Schaefer for this opportunity to lead the women's soccer program," said Giovatto. "LIU's athletic department continues to show its ability to support winning programs, and women's soccer has a history of championships dating back to the program's beginnings. I look forward to meeting the team and working together to bring Northeast Conference championships home to LIU, and providing each student-athlete a meaningful experience that helps them grow as athletes, young professionals and people."

The two-time NEC Coach of the Year spent 16 seasons at the helm of St. Francis' men's soccer team. During his time with St. Francis, Giovatto led the Terriers to five NEC tournament titles, and subsequently five NCAA Tournament appearances, in an eight-year span (2013-21). His teams also won three conference regular season titles, punctuated by back-to-back undefeated NEC seasons (2016, 2017). In 2021, St. Francis was victorious in their opening NCAA Tournament matchup against Milwaukee. He also earned his most recent NEC Coach of the Year for that 2021 season.

Giovatto began his collegiate coaching career in 2001 as an assistant coach at Saint Peter's before becoming an assistant at Stony Brook. After two more season as an assistant at St. Francis, he was hired as the head coach before the 2007 campaign.

LIU's women's soccer team is coming off a seven-win season, the most in the program's history since the school's inception into Division I in 2019. The roster features All-NEC Rookie Team selections Noa Bartels van Bosbeek and Stephanie Schubert, who both recorded a team-high four goals and nine points this season.

Twenty-six members of the women's soccer team qualified for the NEC Fall Academic Honor Roll for having at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA. Eight of those student-athletes also achieved the NEC Fall Commissioner's Honor Roll for maintaining at least a 3.75 cumulative GPA.

Giovatto played his collegiate soccer at Iona, where he was a three-year letterwinner.  After graduating in 1997 with a degree in mass communications, Giovatto played in the preseason with the New York/New Jersey MetroStars of Major League Soccer.  He also played professionally for the Brooklyn Knights of the USL PDL and the Baltimore Blast of the NPSL.