John Ciano - Men's Soccer Coach - St. John's University Athletics

John Ciano

Title:
Assistant Coach
Email:
cianoj@stjohns.edu
Phone:
7925

Ciano enters his second season after joining the Red Storm staff in May 2023, handle responsibilities with the team's goalkeepers and recruiting.

In his first campaign with the Red Storm, Ciano led sophomore goalkeeper Alec McLachlan to an All-BIG EAST Third Team selection with four of his seven wins being clean-sheet victories. Of the four shutouts, McLachlan posted three of them in conference play.

Prior to his arrival in Queens, Ciano spent one season with Stony Brook in 2022-23. He helped the program transition from the America East into the CAA Conference in his lone campaign, guiding two players to all-conference selections.

Before his tenure with the Seawolves, the Syosset, N.Y., native produced the highest winning percentage of any men’s soccer head coach at The College of Saint Rose. He is also the only coach in the program’s 42-year history to complete his tenure with a career winning record.

During the 2021 campaign, Ciano made history by matching the program's record for wins (10), earning the squad’s highest finish in the Northeast-10 Conference and hosting the team's first home playoff game. The former goalkeeper guided the Golden Knights to the NE10 Tournament semifinals that season, seeing his program listed in the regional rankings by the NCAA and United Soccer Coaches polls. After posting the highest RPI in team history, Saint Rose received votes in the United Soccer Coaches national poll for the first time in 42 years.

Over his six campaigns in Albany, Ciano coached 17 all-conference, four all-region and the league's 2019 Rookie of the Year. During that season, the Golden Knights earned their first-ever appearance in the conference final following the program’s first postseason victory.

Prior to his stint with Saint Rose, he spent five seasons as a Division I assistant at Siena (2013-16) and NJIT (2011-13). He helped the Saints reach the postseason on two of three occasions while aiding the Highlanders, he aided them to the second-best record in the school's Division I history.

Before joining NJIT, Ciano began his collegiate coaching career as an assistant at the Division III level with Manhattanville College (2009-10), helping the team to consecutive double-digit win seasons and a 2009 regular season conference title.

Ciano has also been a Coaching Education Instructor with the U.S. Soccer Federation while serving in a variety of roles at the youth level and earning several coaching licenses and diplomas.

Known for his net protection, Ciano secured letters in four seasons as a starter at Central Connecticut State (2005) and Manhattan (2006-08), making starts in 45 of his 46 appearances between the two schools and earned a MAAC Defensive Player of the Week selection in his first season with the Jaspers. He also played semi-professionally with the Brooklyn Knights in the United Soccer League.