Zach Samol enters his seventh season as head men’s soccer coach at American University in 2025.
Samol took Eagles to the Patriot League Tournament for the fifth straight time in 2024, securing the three-seed after a strong 4-2-3 showing in league play. AU took down Loyola Maryland in the quarterfinal match in PKs at home, then fell at Bucknell in the semifinal also in a shootout. Samol helped bring the program its first Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year since 2016, as junior midfielder Troy Elgersma took home the honor. Seniors Cooper Nunn and Sam Hershey joined Elgersma on the All-Patriot League First Team, while Ethan Boyle made the Second Team. Samol has now coached 22 All-Patriot League selections, including six First Team honorees and five All-Region performers. Additionally, 83 players have landed on the All-Patriot League Honor Roll under the head coach of six seasons.
In the regular season, AU went 5-5-9 overall and Samol pushed his team to impressive results in their non-conference schedule. They drew both No. 23 VCU and Vermont 1-1 on the road, taking a 1-0 lead to the 88th minute against the eventual national champions on their home field.
In 2023, Samol led American to a fourth consecutive winning record, including a win over NC State that marked the first time the Eagles defeated an ACC opponent since 2015. He coached seven players to Patriot League postseason All-League teams, including three First Team honorees: Sam Hershey, Zemi Rodriguez and Mike Bleeker, with Rodriguez and Bleeker earning All-Region distinctions. That season, two players earned Academic All-District honors, while 11 players were named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll.
In the 2022 season, Samol led American to a winning record and the Patriot League championship game for the third consecutive season. He coached five players to All-Patriot League selections, and 10 players were selected to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll.
In the fall 2021 season, Samol led American to its second straight appearance in the Patriot League championship after finishing 6-2-1 in conference play. He coached four All-Patriot League selections, including two First Team honorees in David Coly and Nicolas Blassou. Coly and Blassou were also named All-Atlantic Region by United Soccer Coaches, while Jack Green earned a spot on the Academic All-Patriot League squad.
In a condensed spring 2021 season, Samol led the Eagles to their first conference championship since 2004 by winning back-to-back road games in the Patriot League Tournament over Loyola Maryland and Lafayette. American had been predicted to finish ninth in the Patriot League by the preseason coaches poll.
In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, AU advanced past Jacksonville in penalty kicks (5-4) after playing to a 3-3 draw. The next round against No. 1 Clemson saw the Eagles hold a 1-0 lead for almost 50 minutes before eventually falling to the Tigers, 2-1.
After winning the spring 2021 Patriot League title, AU received votes in the United Soccer Coaches Poll for the first time since Nov. 8, 2016. In the final spring 2021 United Soccer Coaches Poll, AU was ranked No. 28 nationally. The Eagles also entered the NCAA Tournament ranked first in the NCAA’s RPI metric.
Samol coached his first two All-Patriot League selections in the spring of 2021 (David Coly and Nicolas Blassou). Coly was also named Patriot League Tournament MVP and Second Team All-Atlantic Region by United Soccer Coaches.
In his first season at the helm in 2019, Samol oversaw a rebuilding team that picked up three Patriot League wins and was competitive in every other league contest. He coached one Academic All-Patriot League player (Tim Neumann) and a league-best 20 members of the PL Academic Honor Roll.
Samol is the 16th head coach in over 70 years of the program's existence and came to AU after 13 seasons at Georgetown University, including seven as associate head coach.
During his time with the Hoyas, Samol helped guide Georgetown into a top team in the NCAA with seven appearances in the NCAA Tournament — including the NCAA Championship game in 2012 and the 2014 NCAA Quarterfinals —and three Big East Championships.
At Georgetown, Samol coached 19 players who signed with a Major League Soccer squad, one Hermann Trophy finalist, three Hermann Trophy semifinalists, 10 All-Americans, 33 regional All-Americans, 11 Big East Players of the Year and 49 All-Big East honorees as well as the College Cup Most Outstanding Offensive Player.
On the academic side, he coached two Academic All-Americans, one Academic All-Region honoree, two Big East Scholar-Athletes and one NCAA Elite89 Award winner.
In 2012, Samol was named the United Soccer Coaches Northeast Region Assistant Coach of the Year.
Prior to Georgetown, Samol spent four years at Yale under head coach Brian Tompkins. In 2005, the Bulldogs won their first Ivy League Championship in over 14 years and reached the NCAA Tournament after a six-year hiatus.
In 2000, Samol began his coaching career at Boston College and spent two seasons with the Eagles, reaching the NCAA Tournament twice and capturing the Big East title in 2000.
An All-Ivy League selection in 1997, Samol graduated from Dartmouth in the Class of 1998 with a degree in psychology.
Following his graduation, Samol played professionally from 1998-2003 with the Connecticut Wolves (A-League), the Cape Cod Crusaders (D-3 Pro League), the Boston Bulldogs (A-League) and the Western Mass Pioneers (D-3 Pro League).
Locally in the DMV, Samol spent two seasons as a head coach with the Potomac U.S. Soccer Developmental Academy and served as the academy director at the McLean U.S. Soccer Developmental Academy Program for two years.
Samol resides in Arlington, Va., with his wife Amber and their daughters Juliette and Colette.
