Brandon Kates enters his second season as the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Pride.
Kates came to Widener in 2019 with six years of collegiate coaching experience, including stints at Lycoming College, Susquehanna University, and most recently, Lafayette College. As an assistant at Lafayette, Kates led recruiting efforts for the Leopards, attending all-star games and travel team tournaments. His primary focus on the pitch was defense and goalkeeping, preparing practice plans for both positions. He was also responsible for breaking down film to build scouting reports and coached three All-Patriot league selections during his tenure.
Before making the jump to Division I, Kates helped guide the Susquehanna University River Hawks to two consecutive Landmark Conference semifinal matchups in 2015 and 2016 as an assistant, turning around a program that had won zero conference games in the year prior to his arrival.
As an assistant at Lycoming, Kates coached the team to two conference title appearances, winning the program’s first MAC Commonwealth Championship and reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2013.
Kates played his college ball at Susquehanna, racking up impressive accolades along the way. He was First Team All-Landmark in 2010 and 2012. He also received D3Soccer.com Third Team All-American honors in 2012 and was named to the All-Landmark Decade Team in 2016.
The Cherry Hill, N.J. native earned his B.S. in Business Administration in 2013.
