Domenic Martelli begins his 12th year at the helm as head coach of Georgia State Univeristy women's soccer. Throughout his previous 11 seasons, Martelli has guided the program from the early stages of its existence into one of the top teams to watch in the exceptionally competitive Colonial Athletic Association.
As the winningest coach in Panther soccer history with a record of 102-94-24 (.518), Martelli has brought a number of awards and accolades to Georgia State during his tenure as head coach. In the years since joining the Georgia State soccer staff, Martelli has led four teams to the Atlantic Sun Tournament and one to the CAA Tournament. He has also coached a CAA Rookie of the Year, 17 All-Conference players, nine All-Freshman honorees and 75 Conference All-Academic Award winners. Additionally, three of his student-athletes have been named to an Academic All-District team while one holds the title of an ESPN Academic All-American.
Martelli has compiled an impressive coaching resume throughout his 11 years at Georgia State which is made evident when looking into each season's accomplishments.
In true underdog fashion, Martelli took last season's team picked one spot from the bottom up seven places to one of the coveted final four positions to compete for the CAA Championship title. The Panthers far exceeded outsiders' expectations, powering their way to the top of the CAA standings to possess one of the top five spots the entire duration of the conference season. Although the Panthers did not come away with the CAA title, they compiled one of the most notable and rewarding seasons in the program's 17 year existence. With one CAA Rookie of the Year, four members named to All-CAA teams, an ESPN Academic All-American and a 12-7-2 record, the best since joining the CAA, Martelli's 2010 team certainly made a name for itself in the Panther history books.
The 2009 Panthers posted a 7-6-6 (1-5-5 in conference) record to complete a run of three-straight winning seasons. Junior goalkeeper Heidi Blankenship became the first player in school history to be named all-CAA first team after finishing the year as the conference leader in saves and saves per game, and finished second in shutouts. Blankenship was also named to the All-Region second team. Freshman forward Sarah Bennett earned a spot on the CAA All-Rookie team after leading the Panthers in goals (7) and points (16), making her the second player in school history to earn an All-Rookie mention. Sophomore Bri Cagle was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District team, the second Panther to do so. Martelli's squad also earned their third straight NSCAA Team Academic Award.
2008 saw the Panthers open the season with a six-game win streak, good for the best start in school history at 6-0-0. Senior captain Kay Harbrueger put together a phenomenal season, all of which was spent near the top of the national scoring list. Candace Gonzales made Panther history by being named a finalist for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. Martelli took Georgia State to an 11-9-0 record (4-7-0) in conference, finishing in a tie for eighth place, just shy of the school's first-ever CAA conference tournament berth.
In 2007, the Panthers navigated their way to a 9-8-1 record (4-6-1 in conference) for Georgia State's first winning record since 2004. State began the year at 4-1, its best start since 1998, and finished with an RPI of 104. The Panthers entered the final match of the season with a chance to secure a CAA championship berth but fell just one goal short, earning a 2-2 tie at UNC Wilmington.
The 2006 season saw Georgia State battle to a 5-12-1 record (2-8-1 in conference) while facing one of the toughest schedules in Martelli's tenure. The Panthers recorded back-to-back CAA wins, against Delaware and Drexel, matching a feat they also accomplished in 2005. Martelli's defense was his team's strength in 2006 as the Panthers recorded seven shutouts.
In 2005, Georgia State completed its first season in the CAA and finished with a 9-11 overall record and a 3-8 conference mark. The Panthers found their spark at the end of the season by earning all three of their conference victories in the final five games.
Martelli's fifth season at the helm in 2004 saw some unexpected turns as his team finished 7-7-5 overall and 4-4-2 in the Atlantic Sun. Under Martelli's guidance, the Panthers extended their home unbeaten streak to 18 consecutive contests. The team also earned a double overtime 0-0 tie with Campbell, who was the A-Sun Champion and NCAA Cup participant.
Georgia State enjoyed its best season under Martelli in 2003 with a 16-6 overall record and 7-3 mark in Atlantic Sun Conference play. The squad tied the school record for most wins during the regular season while posting its best winning percentage (.727) since 1997. Georgia State qualified for its eighth consecutive A-Sun Tournament berth and reached the conference semifinals before falling to Florida Atlantic.
The Panthers put together a nine-match winning streak during the 2003 season and lost just four times over the final 15 matches. Martelli's team earned a NCAA RPI ranking of 88, at the time marking the highest ranking of any Georgia State women's team since 1994.
The Panthers recorded nine shutouts on the season including four in a row. State picked up victories against teams in five different conferences in 2003, including Birmingham-Southern and Winthrop (Big South), College of Charleston, Georgia Southern and Western Carolina (Southern), South Alabama (Sun Belt), Alabama A&M (SWAC) and Tennessee Tech (Ohio Valley).
In 2002, the Panthers celebrated their first winning season under Martelli as they compiled a 9-6-5 overall mark and finished 6-3-2 in league play. Martelli's squad garnered an RPI ranking of 132.
In 2001 in Martelli's second season at the helm, the Panthers won seven of their final 10 contests and knocked off fourth-seeded Jacksonville, 2-1, in the conference tournament before falling to eventual champion UCF in the semifinals. Georgia State finished 9-12-1 overall and 5-4-1 in A-Sun action, earning an RPI ranking of 136.
In his first season as coach of the Panthers during 2000, Martelli guided the team to an 8-10-2 record and a fourth-place regular season finish in the Atlantic Sun. After opening the season with six straight losses, Martelli and the Panthers rebounded by winning eight of their final 12 matches and earning a 0-0 tie against in-state-rival Georgia. State scored an overtime victory over Jacksonville State in the A-Sun quarterfinals before falling in the semifinals, 1-0, to Jacksonville.
Prior to his arrival at Georgia State, Martelli was an assistant women's coach at the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y. from 1993-2000. He helped lead the Black Knights to a Patriot League championship, four top-10 regional rankings, two ECAC post-season tournament berths and an 88-55-4 record. During his seven-year tenure, Martelli coached one NSCAA second team All-American and seven NSCAA East Regional All-Americans.
Although State is Martelli's first stint as a collegiate head coach, he was certainly not new to success at the top of a coaching staff. In addition to his time at West Point, he spent four years as the head coach of the Eastern New York Olympic Development Program, where he led both the under-14 and under-16 teams to the Women's East Regional semifinals. He served from 1993-96 as the head coach and trainer for the Newburgh Storm club team and led the squad to the finals of the under-17 Boys New York State Cup in 1995. Newburgh won the championship in 1996 and advanced to the USYSA Regional semifinals. In 1990 and 1991, Martelli joined his father, Tony, a former assistant coach on Army's men's soccer staff, in coaching the Hudson Valley Boys Scholastic Team in the Empire State Games. Martelli has also coached several club teams that have competed on the local, state, and national levels. As a senior at Ohio State University, he launched his coaching career as the head coach of the Buckeyes' women's soccer club program.
Since moving to Georgia, Coach Martelli has been a member of the Region 3 Olympic Development Program staff. Martelli guided the '85 Girls Georgia ODP team to the Region 3 ODP championship, where it qualified for the National USYSA Championships in the spring of 2003 and finished third. During the summer of 2005, Coach Martelli helped lead the women's Georgia Amateur State Team at the Region 3 national qualifying tournament in Huntsville, Ala., to a second place finish. He was the head coach of the very successful Atlanta Silverbacks Super Y PDP U-17 Girls team for two years. Beginning in 2007, Martelli began serving as assistant coach for the U19 Region 3 ODP team.
Martelli's playing career began on those very same club teams he later coached. He was a member of the Empire State Games Boys Scholastic Team in 1984 and Open Men's squad in 1987, earning a silver medal. His on-field days culminated with a standout career at Ohio State, where he was a four-year team member.
An experienced clinician, Martelli was an assistant director at the West Point soccer camps and an instructor at numerous camps across the nation. He holds a National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Advance National Diploma, USSF "C" license and is currently a candidate for a NSCAA Premiere license. In 2008, Martelli was named to the National Soccer Coaches Association ranking committee.
Martelli graduated from Ohio State in 1989 with a degree in business administration and later earned his Master of Science degree in elementary education from Mt. Saint Mary's College in Newburgh, N.Y., in 1993. In addition to his coaching duties, Martelli spent five years as an instructor in West Point's Center for Enhanced Performance. He taught the Student Success Course to the freshmen cadets and worked with groups and individuals training them in sports psychology skills.
"I come from an excellent academic institution in West Point and doing well in school is of primary importance to me," commented Martelli on the education of his student-athletes. "I know Georgia State University and Director of Athletics Cheryl Levick are commited to the development of its students by offering a quality education and encouraging each student to develop according to their own interests and abilities. This is what can help move people through their lives and I totally support this process."
Martelli had seven players make at least one Dean’s List in 2009 (3.5 or better). Eight players from the 2009 team earned the CAA Commissioner’s Academic Award.
Coach Martelli's Panthers have earned the NSCAA College Team Academic Award for having a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009.
Domenic and his wife, Kirsten, are the proud parents of their daughter Brielle (12), and son, Nicolas (9).
