NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. -- Niagara Associate Vice President for Athletics Simon Gray has announced the hiring of former Purple Eagle assistant coach Donny George as the seventh head coach in women's soccer program history.
 
"We are thrilled to welcome Donny back to Niagara," said Gray. "He was instrumental in a successful era for women's soccer, and we are confident in his ability to return the program to that stature. Most importantly, Donny is a relationship builder who is focused on developing student-athletes in their academic, service, and competitive ventures."
 
George has spent the last two seasons as the head coach at St. Bonaventure, where he mentored seven CSC Academic All-District and two Atlantic-10 All-Academic honorees.
 
"I am incredibly honored to return to Niagara University as the head coach of the women's soccer program," commented George. "Niagara is a place I've coached at before, a place I truly love, and I am humbled by the opportunity to lead this program forward. I look forward to building on the tradition of excellence and working with our student-athletes to achieve great things on and off the field."
 
Prior to taking leadership of the Bonnies, George spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons as an assistant for the Purple Eagles.
 
While on Monteagle Ridge, he helped guide Niagara to the top of the MAAC as the Purple Eagles recorded a 24-12-2 total record, including a 13-6-1 mark in conference play during that span.
 
In 2021, George aided NU to a 13-4-1 record and reached the MAAC quarterfinals while logging an eight-game winning streak that was the longest for the program in over 15 years. The team followed with an 11-8-1 record in 2022 that included a program record 637-minute shutout streak and the program's first trip to the MAAC title game since 2009.
 
George was instrumental in the development of 11 All-MAAC selections, including 2021 MAAC Offensive Player of the Year Florence Vaillancourt during his time with the Purple and White.
 
The native of Ipswich, England, began his coaching career at Dr. Phillips High School in Orlando, Fla., where he recorded a mark of 27-9-3 in two seasons while setting school records for wins, goals in a season, and district finish.
 
George then returned to his alma mater, Baker, this time in a coaching role, where he worked with the men's soccer team for two extremely successful seasons, including back-to-back trips to the NAIA national tournament.
 
In 2018, Baker won 16 games and finished the season ranked No. 9 in the NAIA national Top 25. The team followed with 13 wins and a final ranking of No. 10 in the national polls the next season.
 
George holds a bachelor's degree in biology and a master's degree in sports management from Baker University. He currently holds a USSF-C license as well as a Premier Diploma from United Soccer Coaches.

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