St. John's University Athletics
Men's Soccer
- Title:
- Associate Head Coach
- Email:
- janezicd@stjohns.edu
- Phone:
- 2098
Janezic, who enters his eighth year on staff in 2024, brings more than 20 years of club, collegiate and professional experience, both as a player and a coach, to the Red Storm. He was promoted to the position of associate head coach prior to the start of the 2021 campaign.
In 2023, Janezic mentored a trio of All-BIG EAST selections in Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau (First Team), Macoumba Ba (Second Team) and Alec McLachlan (Third Team). He also supported the development of Fleuriau Chateau, who was drafted in the third round of the 2024 MLS SuperDraft by the Vancouver Whitecaps after producing 14 goals last season. The redshirt junior finished ranked seventh in the nation in goals scored and 22nd with four game-winning strikes. Janezic also earned a spot on TopDrawerSoccer.com's Top Division I Assistant Coaches following the season.
Janezic guided a pair of All-BIG EAST Second Team selections in Antek Sienkiel and Brandon Knapp following the 2022 campaign. He also assisted in the development of Wesley Leggett, who signed his first professional contract with Loudoun United FC, USL affiliate of DC United, following the senior slate.
In his first season as associate head coach, Janezic helped the Red Storm finish third in the BIG EAST, turn in a record of 11-6-3 and advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year Luka Gavran became the first Johnnie since 2008 to earn All-American honors from United Soccer Coaches and was one of three players, alongside Lucas Bartlett and Tani Oluwaseyi, to hear his name called in the MLS SuperDraft. Bartlett, who was taken sixth overall by FC Dallas, was the highest SuperDraft pick in St. John’s history. Bartlett, Gavran and Brandon Knapp were all recognized with spots on the All-BIG EAST First Team for their efforts.
In addition to those SuperDraft selections, Anthony Herbert also signed a deal to play with FC Haka in Finland’s top professional division.
Janezic, who has been recognized on multiple occasions as one of the top assistant coaches in the nation by the likes of TopDrawerSoccer and College Soccer News, helped the Red Storm reemerge as national contenders in 2019, as the Johnnies returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013. St. John’s earned the No. 16 national seed and beat Syracuse at home to advance to the round of 16 for the 12th time in program history. The Red Storm, which matched the program’s highest win total since the College Cup campaign of 2008 with 14 wins, rose as high as No. 4 in the United Soccer Coaches poll and occupied the top spot in the RPI in late October.
Janezic was part of the 2019 BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year and saw two additional Johnnies earn major end-of-season recognition, as Oluwaseyi took home BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year honors and Jan Hoffelner claimed BIG EAST Co-Goalkeeper of the Year accolades. Four other Johnnies earned spots on All-BIG EAST teams, as Skage Simonsen and Brandon Duarte made the second team while Knapp and Einar Lye earned All-BIG EAST Third Team recognition. Oluwaseyi, Hoffelner, Duarte and Lye were also named to United Soccer Coaches All-Atlantic Region teams.
In January of 2020, Niko Petridis was selected in the fourth round of the MLS SuperDraft by the New York Red Bulls.
In 2018, Janezic’s highly rated recruiting class helped the Red Storm register its second consecutive appearance in the BIG EAST Men’s Soccer Championship, as the team’s 3-3-3 conference record proved good enough for sixth in the league. A pair of freshmen earned end-of-season recognition from the conference, as Simonsen became the first St. John’s player since 1996 to be named the league’s freshman of the year and Oluwaseyi earned a spot on the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team. In addition to his top rookie honor, Simonsen also became the first Red Storm player in program history to earn a spot on the All-BIG EAST Second Team or better as a freshman.
In his first season with the Johnnies, Janezic helped the Red Storm usher in success on the pitch that had not been achieved in nearly a half a decade. The Johnnies turned in an overall record of 9-7-3 and a 5-2-2 mark in BIG EAST play, the program’s best conference effort since 2009. Two Red Storm players earned major end-of-season awards, as Harry Cooksley garnered BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year honors while David Enstrom was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year. Additionally, Jack Shearer earned unanimous selection to the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team and the Johnnies secured their first berth in the BIG EAST semifinals since 2011.
Before coming to Queens, Janezic most recently served as an assistant coach at Fairleigh Dickinson. During his time at FDU, both of Janezic’s recruiting classes were recognized by Top Drawer Soccer as some of the best in the nation, as they included three 2017 CONCACAF U-17 and U-20 national team players. Janezic mentored two NEC All-Rookie Team performers and saw nine of his newcomers start throughout the 2016 season. He also worked with the goalkeepers and was involved with all facets of the program. In addition to its accolades on the field, the program also had success in the classroom, maintaining a team GPA of 3.0 or higher throughout his time in Teaneck.
Prior to his time at FDU, Janezic served as an assistant at NJIT, where he helped the Highlanders reach new heights. In addition to being ranked for seven-consecutive weeks in the NSCAA Southeast Regional poll, the Highlanders also sported the 2014 Sun Belt Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year and peaked at 105 in the RPI, the highest ranking in program history. Two of his recruits were also named to the Atlantic Sun All-Rookie Team following their transition to that conference. In conjunction with the team’s on-field success, the Highlanders also carried a team GPA of 3.3 during Janezic’s tenure in Newark.
Prior to NJIT, Janezic was the head coach at Brookdale Community College for the 2012 season, leading the Jersey Blues men’s soccer team to the National Junior College Athletic Assocation Division III National Tournament. Brookdale finished with an 18-4-1 record and claimed the NJCAA Region XIX and Garden State Athletic Conference Championships with a 10-1-1 record in both the conference and region. Janezic was named both the Region XIX and GSAC Coach of the Year, as his team finished the season ranked sixth in the final NJCAA poll and ninth in the NSCAA rankings. His team led the nation in goals against average and was recognized by the school’s board of trustees for discipline and Leadership.
At the same time, Janezic was also coaching the USSDA U-15/16 Academy and the NJSA 04-United States Development Academy, where he worked alongside former Houston Dynamo and United States U-20 National Team Head Coach Tab Ramos.
Janezic served as the Director of Coaching for the Hazlet Soccer Association from 2002 to 2009 before returning to collegiate coaching as an assistant at Caldwell College. His collegiate coaching career began in 1997 as an assistant at his alma mater, Monmouth, where he remained until 2001.
Janezic played from 1992-96 at Monmouth, were he excelled as the team’s captain and MVP. After graduation, he saw both indoor and outdoor professional action with the Philadelphia Kixx and the Central Jersey Riptide.
A Garden State native, Janezic played soccer starred for Raritan High School before moving on to West Long Branch.
Janezic and his wife Maryann, reside in Ocean, N.J., with daughter, Macy Quinn, and sons Landon Robert, Hudson Christopher and Grayson David.
