One of the most respected collegiate coaches and players in the rich history of New England soccer, Seamus Purcell enters his 16th season as head coach of Bryant University men's soccer.

With an overall record of 104-144-20 spanning 16 seasons, Purcell will lead the Bulldogs into their fourth season at the Division I level in 2011, their final year of reclassification before becoming eligible for postseason competition during the 2012-13 academic year.

With 10 victories over the past three seasons, the Bulldogs have set a solid foundation as it prepares to join the ranks of a formidable Northeast Conference after several solid years at the top of the Northeast-10 (D-II) conference.  Last year, Bryant loaded its schedule with a number of ranked opponents, ammassing four wins - including two conference victories. The Bulldogs had two winning streaks this season, inclduing consecutive wins against Long Island and Quinnipiac to give Bryant a .500 NEC winning percentage with a 2-2-1 record at the time. Bryant brought its unbeaten run to three games with a tie at Central Connecticut, improving its record to 2-2-2 before a tough schedule to end the season saw the team suffer defeats in their final four games.

In 2009, the Bulldogs participated for the first time in a full Northeast Conference schedule. Purcell and the Bulldogs won five games on the year with wins against Holy Cross, Army, Sacred Heart, Robert Morris and a double overtime upset over Central Connecticut.

In the program’s first season of DI play in 2008, the Bulldogs played a brutal travel schedule that took them to Old Dominion, VCU, Marquette, Pittsburgh and Richmond. Purcell earned his first DI win on September 7th with a 2-0 win over Richmond, and played a nationally-ranked Brown University squad to the wire before falling 1-0.

In 2007, Purcell guided the Bulldogs to an 11-8 record in 2007 and a berth in the Northeast-10 Conference quarterfinals.

The Bryant men's soccer team qualified for the Northeast-10 Conference tournament seven of the last eight seasons in the conference, including an appearance in the NE-10 semifinals and a regional ranking of No. 4 - just one spot shy of a berth in the NCAA tournament.

Under Purcell's direction, Bryant University has was one of the most consistently competitive teams in the Northeast-10 Conference, which has established itself as perhaps the top Division II soccer league in the nation.

Purcell led Bryant to one of the most successful seasons in school history in 2001 as the Bulldogs finished 12-8-0, including two wins against teams ranked in the final national top-25 poll.

Purcell was named the NE-10 Conference Coach of the Year and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America New England Region Coach of the Year in 2002 and was a finalist for national Coach of the Year honors.

Originally from Dublin, Ireland, Purcell was a member of Irish national team for three years, during which time he competed in both the European and World Cup Championships in the former Soviet Union. In 1985, Purcell enrolled at Providence College, where he was twice named an All-American and was a four-time All-New England selection.

Purcell came to Bryant in 1995 as an assistant coach with the Bulldog women's team and was elevated to the head coaching ranks of the men's side in 1996.

A 1989 graduate of Providence, Purcell resides in West Greenwich, R.I. He was inducted into the Providence College Hall of Fame in January of 2008.