Kevin Dempsey (166-116-27) just completed his eighth season as the head coach for the Cougars.
Charleston finished the 2008 season with a 12-5-4 overall mark, 5-4-2 in the Southern Conference. The Cougars got off to their best start in school history to start the season after the team won their first seven matches. Senior forward Megan Manthey earned First Team All-Southern Conference honors after becoming the leading offensive force in the conference on the season, as she ended the year the conference leader in points (34), goals scored (14) and assists (6). Manthey also led the conference in game-winning goals with six. She was also named Southern Conference Player of the Month for September and became the first Cougar player to be named to the Soccerbuzz.com National Elite Team for the Month of September. Also, senior goalie Erin Smith was a Second-Team All-SoCon selection after earning nine shutout victories and recording a goals against average of 0.69. She also earned an invite to the Women's Professional Soccer Combine in Ft. Lauderdale Fla. Smith was joined on the All-SoCon second team by senior defender Danielle Jordan and junior forward Brittany Schneider , while forward Hope Atkinson earned conference All-Freshman team honors.
The Cougars finished the 2007 season 9-8-2 overall and 5-1-2 in the SoCon. Katie Browne and Brittany Schneider were named to the all-SoCon Tournament team. Danielle Jordan received All-Southern Conference first team honors. Jordan finished the season tied for fourth in the league in with six assists. Goalie Sarah Wiggers was fourth in the league in save percentage (.820) and shutouts (7).
Dempsey arrived at the College of Charleston from NCAA Division II power Catawba College, where he compiled a record of 80-45-7.
Since his arrival, the program has 1) attained the most wins in a season in the program’s 12-year existence (12); 2) achieved the school’s highest winning percentage overall (.675) and in the SoCon (.727); 3) finished third in the SoCon (7-2-2), the highest standing in school history; 4) set records in a) goals against b) goals against average, .77 c) shutouts and unbeaten streak, nine (9) matches (8-0-1); 5) amassed three (3) of the six (6) seasons in the program’s 12-year existence with a .500 or better record, 6) named 6 -time recipient of NSCAA Team Academic Award with a team GPA over 3.4.
Dempsey arrived at the College of Charleston from NCAA Division II power Catawba College, where he compiled a record of 80-45-7. During Dempsey’s seven-year stint at Catawba, his teams consistently ranked in the NCAA Division II Top 20. The Lady Indians totaled five ( 5 ) South Atlantic Conference Championships and a NCAA Division II Tournament, winning the Southeast Region title that year.
Born in Bronxville, NY, but reared in Columbia, MD, Dempsey was an all-state, all-metro, and all-county midfielder at Centennial High School. He helped lead the school to the Maryland state championship in 1984 and 1985, scoring 13 goals during his senior year. He then played at Catonsville Community College, where he was team captain and all-region in 1987. He transferred to the University of Maryland at Baltimore County, where he played in 1988.
Dempsey works extensively with the USYSA Olympic Developmental Program, serving as a Region III Staff Coach since 1997 while currently acting as the Region III U15 Head Coach. He was formerly the Director of ODP in North Carolina, leading the U17 Women to a bronze medal at the 2000 USYSA ODP National Championships in Las Vegas, NV.
Dempsey resides in Mt. Pleasant, SC with wife, Krista, and son, Jack, 4.
