Brian Plotkin Named Assistant Coach for 2016 Season

HANOVER, N.H. – Dartmouth men's soccer head coach Chad Riley announced the hiring of Brian Plotkin as an assistant coach for the upcoming 2016 season.

“I am thrilled to announce the addition of Brian Plotkin to our coaching staff and welcome him into the Dartmouth soccer family,” Riley said. “He is a great coach and committed to excellence in everything he does. He has had a wonderful career in the game so far, both as a player in college and professionally, and has made a seamless transition into coaching. He is a tireless worker, who loves the game and loves to teach the game.”

“Brian will be a huge asset to our program and continue our passionate pursuit of excellence,” Riley added. “He has been a big part of many championship teams and programs and we feel fortunate to have him with us at Dartmouth. With Coach Plotkin coming on board and the continued strong influence of Coach Fahey, we again have a great coaching team as we chase our goals.”

Plotkin comes to Hanover from Loyola where he served as an assistant coach for three years. Last season with the Ramblers, Plotkin helped coach Loyola to its highest win total since 2008. The Ramblers had one of the best defenses in the country and had the lowest goals against average (.39) and conceded the fewest goals (8) in all of Division I. Plotkin was also a member of the 2014 Coaching Staff of the Year in the Missouri Valley Conference.

"I am excited to join Dartmouth Athletics and would like to thank Coach Riley, Athletic Director Harry Sheehey and the rest of the senior staff at Dartmouth for giving me the opportunity to come and be a part of this elite college,” Plotkin said. “To be able to work with these student-athletes and in the tradition of success that this program has had is something that I am very much looking forward to and continuing to build upon."

During his collegiate career, Plotkin was one of the top players in the country at Indiana and in addition to helping lead the Hoosiers to back-to-back NCAA titles in 2003 and 2004, he was named 2005 Big Ten Player of the Year, First Team National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-America. He was also the runner-up for the Hermann Trophy, which is awarded to the nation's top collegiate player.

After graduating from Indiana, Plotkin played three seasons with the Chicago Fire and Columbus Crew in the MLS. He also played for the Carolina Rail Hawks in USL-1 after being drafted 20th overall in the 2006 MLS Super Draft. In 2006, Plotkin was named Chicago Fire Educator of the Year and helped the Fire win the 2006 US Open Cup championship. In 2008, Plotkin won the MLS Cup as a member of the Columbus Crew.

Plotkin is a native of Lisle, Ill., and a 2006 graduate of Indiana University. He played high school soccer at Naperville North High School where he was a Parade Magazine All-American in 2001.