Zach Samol finished his seventh season as head men’s soccer coach at American University in 2025, guiding the Eagles to the program’s best campaign in nearly a decade. AU has consistently stood on the top side of the Patriot League table with Samol at the helm, making the conference tournament in six of his seven seasons, appearing in the championship game three times, and winning it in 2021. He holds a 28-18-13 Patriot League record, and 29 players have earned All-Patriot League honors under his leadership, with 83 making the Academic Honor Roll.
The Eagles went 8-8-2 overall in 2025, as Samol challenged his squad with a demanding non-conference schedule that saw them face No. 1 Vermont, No. 3 West Virginia, and No. 11 Virginia. The team entered Patriot League play prepared, going 7-1-1 and capturing the regular season title for the first time since 2016. At season's end, Samol and his assistants were named the Patriot League Coaching Staff of the Year. Additionally, seven players received All-Patriot League honors, including the Midfielder of the Year Troy Elgersma and Goalkeeper of the Year Matthew Tibbetts. Mustpaha Sowe and Jonah Fogel took home First Team honors, while Ian Webb-Johnson and Taku Takahashi made the Second Team, and Sebastian Garces landed on the third team.
Samol guided the career of one of the most accomplished players in the history of the program in Elgersma, who was voted the Offensive Player of the Year in 2024. It was the first time AU had a player win the award since 2016. Elgersma ended his career as a two-time All-League First Team selection with 14 goals and 15 assists to his name, playing nearly 5,000 minutes. He also made the Patriot League All-Academic Team twice, and won the Scholar Athlete of the Year award in 2025.
In 2024, 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. The Eagles secured the three-seed in the Patriot League Tournament after a strong 4-2-3 showing in league play. They took down Loyola Maryland in the quarterfinal match in PKs at home, then fell at Bucknell in the semifinal also in a shootout. Seniors Cooper Nunn and Sam Hershey joined Elgersma on the All-Patriot League First Team, while Ethan Boyle made the Second Team.
Samol led American to a fourth consecutive winning record in 2023, including a win over NC State that marked the first time the Eagles defeated an ACC opponent since 2015. He coached seven players to All-League selections, including three First Team honorees: 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.
Samol led the Eagles to three straight appearances in the Patriot League championship game, beginning in the spring of 2021 when AU won the conference title for the first time since 2004. The Eagles went 2-1-2 in conference play that season (played March-April due to COVID-19) after being projected to finish ninth in the preseason poll, then won back-to-back road games in the tournament over Loyola and #24 Lafayette to win it. Samol coached his first two All-League selections that year, David Coly and Nicolas Blassou. Coly was also named Patriot League Tournament MVP and Second Team All-Atlantic Region by United Soccer Coaches. American went on to defeat Jacksonville in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, eventually falling to the first-seeded Clemson 2-1 in the second round.
After winning the Patriot League championship, AU received votes in the United Soccer Coaches Poll for the first time since 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.
In the following fall 2021 season, Samol led the Eagles to a 6-2-1 showing in the Patriot League to earn a bye in the conference tournament before falling in the title game to Loyola. He coached four All-Patriot League selections that year, making Coly and Blassou two-time honorees. The pair were also named All-Atlantic Region by United Soccer Coaches, while Jack Green earned a spot on the Academic All-Patriot League squad.
The 2022 campaign saw AU make a run to the conference title game again, this time making an especially impressive run as the sixth seed. The Eagles defeated the third seeded Raiders of Colgate in the first round, then upset the No. 1 seed Army on the road in the semifinal, 3-1.
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. The Hoyas also won three Big East Championships while Samol was on the sideline.
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.
