Worcester, MA- The Worcester State Athletic Department, led by Athletic Director Michael Mudd, is pleased to announce the hiring of Adam Howarth as the new Men's Soccer Head Coach. Howarth will serve as the 16th head coach in the program's 55 storied year history and will take over for Aidan Abolfazli who led the team to a 2022 MASCAC Championship and NCAA first round appearance.
"We had a lot of great candidates apply for this position" states Mudd. "Adam's high character, soccer acumen, and coaching philosophies hit all the high notes as to who we were looking for to guide our men's soccer team. We look forward to watching Coach Howarth continue the upward trajectory of the program."
Howarth comes to Worcester with over 14 years of soccer and coaching experience, leading numerous teams to championship victories at various levels ranging from high school, collegiate and professional. Most recently, Howarth has been serving as the assistant coach at the University of South Carolina, Aiken where he executed various aspects of the Men's program, including strategy development and personalized tailored training sessions. Howarth is currently Director of Coaching for Higher Level Soccer Academy which is a premier soccer club based in Rhode Island that competes in both the EDP and NECSL Leagues. He also currently serves as the Head Coach of the U23 Men's team at Higher Level Select Soccer Academy, which he helped to co-found, in 2021, and currently co-owns. He leads and designs training sessions for a team that includes athletes from all collegiate divisions as well as those vying for spots on professional programs.
"I would like to thank Michael Mudd, John Meany and the rest of the hiring committee" says Howarth. "I am both honored and excited to be given the opportunity to lead the men's soccer program at Worcester State University. It is my goal to continue to build on the programs recent success and compete for MASCAC championships consistently year after year."
Prior to his time in South Carolina, Howarth spent four seasons in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, serving as the Boys' Varsity Division I Head Coach at South Kingstown High School, where he led the team to back-to-back state semi-final appearances in 2018 and 2019, and led the team to its first state championship in 28 years for the program. While also serving as South Kingstown's head coach, he served for a year as a Brown University Men's Soccer Volunteer Assistant Coach during the 2019-2020 season.
Howarth also worked at the University of Rhode Island as the Women's Soccer Director of Operations during the 2013-14 seasons.
As a student-athlete, Howarth served as captain for two years while playing defense for the University of Rhode Island Rams, receiving All-Region honors and a pair of Atlantic-10 Championships. After graduating, he went on to play for AC Kajaani FC in Finland from 2009-11, where the team compiled a second-place finish and Howarth claimed player of the season and supporter's player of the year recognition. He also served as the head coach of the men's U21 team in the club.
Howarth is a 2008 graduate of the University of Rhode Island with a bachelor's degree in kinesiology and holds his premier diploma with the United Soccer Coaches Association and an English Football Association Level 2 license. He is also CPR and First Aid Certified.