Note: Santoro left Wake Forest in December 2012 to become the head women's soccer coach at NC State
Tim Santoro is in his fifth season at Wake Forest and his first as associate head coach after being promoted in July 2012. Previously, Santoro spent four years as an assistant coach on the women's soccer staff.
Santoro's primary responsibilities include on-field coaching and directing/coordinating all aspects of recruiting for one of the top programs in NCAA Division I and in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), the country's premier women's soccer conference.
In the four seasons since Santoro's arrival, Wake Forest has achieved major firsts in the program's history:
NCAA College Cup, 2011
ACC Championship, 2010
ACC Tournament finalist, 2010 and 2011
NCAA Quarterfinal appearance, 2009 and 2011
NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed, 2011
Highest ranking (No. 1) in NCAA RPI rankings, 2011
Highest ranking (No. 3) in NSCAA National poll, 2011
Top 5 recruiting class, 2010
The 2012 Deacons withstood a rash of injuries to their back line to still finish as one of the best defensive teams in the ACC. Wake Forest kept nine shutouts and a 0.84 goals against average, advancing to the semifinals of the ACC Championship and the second round of the NCAA Championship.
In 2011, the Demon Deacons earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the program's first-ever College Cup, in addition to making a return trip to the ACC Tournament final after first winning the conference title in 2010. Santoro's defenders gave up only 20 goals all season, earning a 0.74 goals against average that ranked as the lowest in school history, and kept 14 shutouts, the second-highest total for a Wake Forest squad.
The 2011 squad was reached No. 1 in the NCAA RPI rankings and peaked at No. 3 in the NSCAA poll , with both marks the highest in school history. The team also set a school season record for wins (18), finishing with an 18-4-4 record.
In 2010, a so-called "rebuilding year" after graduating seven starters in 2009, Santoro helped the Demon Deacons win their first-ever ACC Championship and receive a final ranking of No. 8 in the Soccer America poll.
Katie Stengel, a member of Santoro's first recruiting class that was ranked by many soccer media as Wake Forest's first ever Top 5 class, has already become one of the most decorated players in school history, having been named ACC Offensive Player of the Year in 2011 and ACC Freshman of the Year in 2010.
Another prized member of the 2010 class, Aubrey Bledsoe, was named 2011 All-ACC First Team and 2010 ACC Tournament MVP. Fellow classmates receiving honors were Rachel Nuzzolese (2011 ACC All-Tournament Team and 2010 ACC All-Freshman Team) and Jackie McSally (2010 ACC All-Tournament Team).
In 2009, Santoro was a key part of the Deacon's continuing their streak of consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament (15), which culminated with a then program-best Elite Eight quarterfinal appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The team reached as high as No. 5 in the national rankings, its highest-ever mark to that time.
The Deacons have also had strong ties to the U.S. National Team program since Santoro's arrival. In February 2010, three members of Santoro's prized recruiting class (Bledsoe, Nuzzolese and Stengel), joined the U18 National Team.
In addition, Kaley Fountain ('10) was a member of the U20 National Team that won the FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile in December 2008. Caitlin Farrell ('10) and Bianca D'Agostino ('11) started for the U23 National Team in July 2009 and, in December 2009 and January 2010, all three joined the U23 National Team camp at the Home Depot Center.
Since Santoro's arrival, Wake Forest has had five players selected in the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) Draft while Farrell signed professionally with FC Twente in Holland.
In 2008, after only three months on the job, Santoro helped lead the Demon Deacons to a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, allowing Wake Forest to serve as a host institution for the first two rounds.
Prior to his arrival at Wake Forest, Santoro served as the Associate Head Coach of the College of Charleston and was integral in building one of the most successful eras in the history of the College of Charleston women's soccer program from 2001-2008.
Responsible for all aspects in the program, Santoro is credited for helping take a team with an inherited 4-13-2 record to prominence in the Southern Conference. The program recorded numerous accomplishments, at the time they were achieved, including:
Most wins in a season in the program's history
School's highest conference and overall winning percentages
First SoCon Tournament championship appearance
School record in goals against, goals against average and shutouts
Six time NSCAA Team Academic Award, with a team GPA over 3.3.
Santoro resides in Winston-Salem with longtime girlfriend, Pilar, and dogs Nesta and Philly. Santoro hails from a New Jersey soccer family with his older brother, Mat, recently taking the Head Coach position at NCAA Division II Men's Soccer program, University of Southern Indiana.
