BALTIMORE – Michael Marchiano, who spent the last six seasons as an assistant coach for Loyola University Maryland's men's soccer program, has accepted a head coaching position at Drexel University.

Marchiano played a key role on head coach Steve Nichols' staff, contributing to a turnaround at Loyola which has included a 27-6-3 record in Patriot League play over the last four seasons. The Greyhounds are the first team in Patriot League men's soccer history to top the regular season standings for three consecutive seasons.

"This is a great opportunity for Mike, and I couldn't be happier for him." Nichols said. "We knew this day was coming, as he's had a lot of top programs interested in him over the years. I appreciate everything he's done, we would never be where we are today without him. I have no doubt that he'll have Drexel competing for CAA championships in the near future."

Prior to the 2018 season, Marchiano was named one of nine NCAA Division I assistant coaches to watch by TopDrawerSoccer. His recruiting efforts helped Loyola's Class of 2020 became the program's first-ever nationally ranked recruiting class. Two members of that class, Josh Fawole and Barry Sharifi, were selected in this year's MLS SuperDraft.

Loyola has won 10 or more games in each of the last three seasons, including a 12-4-1 mark back in 2018. The Greyhounds cracked the national top 25 in the final United Soccer Coaches poll of the regular season that fall, and were also receiving votes on multiple occasions during the 2017 and 2019 seasons.

Marchiano will become the sixth head coach in the history of Drexel's men's soccer program. The Dragons, a member of the Colonial Athletic Association, finished 2019 with a record of 6-9-2 (2-5-1 CAA).