The longest tenured California University of Pennsylvania head coach, Dennis Laskey enters his 23rd season (18th consecutive) at the helm of the men’s soccer program in 2008. He enters the season just one win shy of becoming only the 21st active coach in NCAA Division II to amass 200 career victories.
Laskey has been with the Vulcans for almost the entire 25 years of the program, dating back to the inaugural season of 1984. During his time at Cal U, he holds a 199-193-31 overall record (.507) with four appearances in the PSAC Championship Game and one berth in the NCAA Tournament.
In addition to his 23 years with the men’s program, Laskey was also instrumental in the creation of the women’s soccer program at Cal U. He served as the first head coach for the women’s program in 1990 and coached both the men’s and women’s soccer teams from 1991-2001.
A native of nearby Dunlevy, Pa., he has coached five players that were inducted into the Cal U Athletic Hall of Fame. Nicholas Addlery, who plays professionally in Canada, and Audrey Dawson will both be inducted as part of the 14th annual Hall of Fame Class this year.
Additionally, Laskey has been playing in the Pennsylvania West Soccer League for more than four decades and continues to compete against master’s level competition. He was also a 2007 inductee for the Mid-Mon Valley Sports Hall of Fame.
Laskey was a four-year starting defender at Alderson-Broaddus College and earned honorable mention from the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC). Following his time at A-B, he joined the U.S. Navy in 1972 and continued his playing career throughout Europe for the U.S. Navy Phiblant team stationed in the Mediterranean.
Laskey, who finished his degree at Cal U after his tour of duty, entered the coaching ranks as head coach at Charleroi High School from 1978-83. He also served as the co-founder and first president of the Mon Valley Youth Soccer Association.
He moved to the collegiate game in 1983 working with the Vulcan men’s soccer team on the club level before the program moved to the NCAA level in 1984. He coached Cal U for five seasons, winning three-straight West Penn Intercollegiate Soccer conference titles (1986-88) that included NCAA Division I, II, III and NAIA teams.
In 1989, he moved back to the scholastic level coaching Upper St. Clair High School to a pair of WPIAL titles before returning back to Cal U to start the women’s soccer program.
The veteran coach holds a M.S. in Sport Management and a post-baccalaureate degree in Athletic Administration from Cal U.
LASKEY'S YEAR-BY-YEAR WOMEN'S SOCCER RECORD
| Year |
Overall
Record |
Win Pct. |
Conference
Record
|
| 1990 |
8-10-1 |
.447
|
0-0-0 |
| 1991 |
8-10-1 |
.447 |
0-0-0 |
| 1992 |
8-10-1 |
.447 |
2-1-0 |
| 1993 |
8-10-1 |
.447 |
1-5-0 |
| 1994 |
8-9-1 |
.472 |
4-4-1 |
| 1995 |
8-9-2 |
.474 |
2-5-2 |
| 1996 |
8-9-2 |
.474 |
2-7-2 |
| 1997 |
8-10-2 |
.450 |
2-7-1 |
| 1998 |
3-15-1 |
.184 |
0-9-1 |
| 1999 |
6-14 |
.300 |
0-10-0 |
| 2000 |
8-12 |
.400 |
1-9-0 |
| 2001 |
8-9-2 |
.474 |
2-7-1 |
| TOTALS |
89-127-14 |
.417
|
16-64-8
|
LASKEY'S YEAR-BY-YEAR MEN'S SOCCER RECORD
| Year |
Overall
Record |
Win Pct. |
Conference
Record
|
Post-Season |
| 1984 |
4-7-1
|
.765 |
|
|
| 1985 |
1-17-0 |
.056 |
|
|
| 1986 |
8-8-3 |
.500 |
|
|
| 1987 |
8-8-2 |
.500 |
|
|
| 1988 |
10-8-2 |
.550 |
|
|
| 1991 |
8-11-1 |
.425 |
1-2-0 |
|
| 1992 |
1-3-0 |
.786 |
1-3-0 |
|
| 1993 |
13-4-2 |
.737 |
4-2-1 |
PSAC Tournament
|
| 1994 |
8-11-0 |
.421 |
2-6-0 |
|
| 1995 |
6-11-3 |
.375 |
2-3-2 |
|
| 1996 |
3-16-1 |
.175 |
1-7-0 |
|
| 1997 |
8-10-1 |
.447 |
3-5-1 |
|
| 1998 |
10-9-1 |
.525 |
3-4-1 |
|
| 1999 |
12-7-1 |
.625 |
3-5-0 |
|
| 2000 |
14-7-0 |
.667 |
6-2-0 |
PSAC Tournament
|
| 2001 |
11-8-2 |
.571 |
5-1-2 |
PSAC Tournament
|
| 2002 |
9-9-0 |
.500 |
3-5-0 |
|
| 2003 |
12-7-3 |
.614 |
5-3-0 |
PSAC Tournament
|
| 2004 |
12-7-2 |
.619 |
6-1-1 |
PSAC Tournament
NCAA Tournament
|
| 2005 |
14-8-0 |
.636 |
11-5-0 |
PSAC Tournament
|
| 2006 |
7-10-3 |
.425 |
6-7-3 |
|
| 2007 |
10-7-3 |
.757 |
7-6-2 |
|
| 2008 |
13-8-2
|
.609 |
4-3-1 |
PSAC Tournament
NCAA Tournament
|
| TOTALS |
212-201-33 |
.512 |
73-70-14 (.510)
|
|
