Brandon Heembrock enters his fourth season as Head Women's Soccer Coach at Fairmont State University. Heembrock took over the program in January 2017.
Heembrock continues to build Fairmont State into a power in the Mountain East Conference and Atlantic Region as the 2019 Falcons won the Mountain East Conference Northern Division Championship and were ranked as high as No. 7 in the Atlantic Region Rankings last season. The Falcons ended the season with a 13-5-2 overall record, including an 11-2-2 mark in conference play. In the MEC Tournament, Fairmont State hosted its first-ever postseason tournament game and earned a 2-0 win over West Virginia Wesleyan in the semifinal round. The Falcons eventually fell in the championship match to MEC South Division Champion Concord University, 2-0.
Six Falcons earned MEC postseason honors in 2019, including four first-team selections (Taylor Kennedy, Ella Wilson, Abigail Fowler and Mackenzie Gillispie). Defender
Kellie Norris added second team All-MEC honors, and senior midfielder
Abigail Johnson earned MEC honorable mention for her performance during the 2019 regular season. In addition to the MEC postseason honors, Gillispie, Kennedy, Wilson and Fowler went on to earn All-Atlantic Region honors for their performances in 2019.
Heembrock also led the women's soccer program to new heights in 2018, leading the Falcons to an 8-6-4 overall record, including a 6-5-2 mark against MEC competition. Fairmont State earned its first-ever MEC Tournament bid as the No. 3 seed in the northern division.
The historic season also included the Falcons' first-ever ranking in the United Soccer Coaches' Regional Poll on Oct. 3, 2018.
Following the 2018 regular season, five Fairmont State players earned All-Mountain East Conference honors, including second team selections Abigail Fowler, Abigail Johnson and Ella Wilson. Isabelle Vaccari and Louise Welch also earned MEC honorable mention. Fowler, Wilson and Vaccari were each named to the MEC All-Freshman Team.
Fairmont State soccer finished the 2017 season with a 5-7-6 overall record after recording just four wins in the first two seasons as an NCAA Division II program in 2015 and 2016. During the 2017 season, the Falcons recorded six ties and 14 of 18 games were decided by a single goal or less.
Following the 2017 season, two Fairmont State players earned All-Mountain East Conference honors. Senior Gabriella Mascaro was a second team selection as a midfielder, and freshman Kellie Norris earned second team All-MEC and was named to the league's all-freshman team as a defender.
Heembrock took over the Falcon soccer program after spending the previous five seasons at Francis Marion University, most recently as the assistant men’s soccer coach.
Over the past four seasons as the assistant men’s soccer coach at FMU, the Patriots have compiled a record of 41-22-9. FMU has also finished with double-digit wins in three of the last four years and have advanced to the Peach Belt Conference semifinals three times.
Heembrock helped develop seven all-conference selections and three all-region standouts during his time with the Patriots and coached the first Peach Belt Conference Player of the Year in program history.
In 2014, Francis Marion recorded a record of 12-4-2 and appeared in the NCAA Division II National Rankings during the regular season. The Patriots narrowly missed a bid to the NCAA tournament during that season. The previous season in 2013, the Patriots made a run to the Peach Belt Conference Championship Match, finishing the year with a 10-5-4 record.
Prior to joining the men’s program at FMU, Heembrock spent one season as an assistant for the Patriot women’s program. During that season, Heembrook helped lead the program to its best finish in five season, going a perfect 6-0 in home matches.
Heembrock is a product of Dominican College in Orangeburg, N.Y., where he was a standout goalkeeper for FMU men's coach John Campbell. A four-time All-Conference selection and a two-time All-Region honoree, Heembrock concluded his collegiate career with 405 saves, a 0.91 goals against average, and 24 shutouts in 73 appearances.
As a junior, he led NCAA Division II with a 0.874 save percentage, one of three seasons he ranked among the Top 5 in the nation. He also finished each of his last three seasons ranked fifth or higher in total saves.
He served for three years on the college's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and in 2011 was named Dominican's Top Senior Male Scholar-Athlete.
Heembrock graduated in 2012 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Education from Dominican College. He continued his education at Francis Marion University, receiving a Master’s in Education last December.
Heembrock continued his playing career as a member of the Ottawa Fury and the Toronto Lynx of the PDL, as well as with the Calgary Callies of the Alberta Major Soccer League.
Heembrock also spent three seasons as a coach for the Olympic Development Program (ODP) in South Carolina, including serving as a head coach for the last two seasons in the 2002 age group. As an ODP head coach, Heembrock helped 14 players advance into the regional pool and four players were selected to the national pool.
Heembrock also received an advanced national coaching license from the NSCAA.
THE HEEMBROCK FILE
Francis Marion University
2012: Women’s Assistant Coach – 7-9-1
2013: Men’s Assistant Coach – 10-5-4
2014: Men’s Assistant Coach – 12-4-2
2015: Men’s Assistant Coach – 11-5-2
2016: Men’s Assistant Coach – 8-8-1
Fairmont State University - Head Coach
| Season |
Overall Record |
MEC Record |
Notes |
| 2017 |
5-7-6 |
3-7-6 |
|
| 2018 |
8-6-4 |
6-5-2 |
|
| 2019 |
13-5-2 |
11-2-2 |
MEC North Division Champions |
| Total |
26-18-12 |
20-14-10 |
|
