A longtime veteran of Division II soccer, head coach John Constable enters his fifth season at the helm of the Nova Southeastern program in 2019.
Constable is just the fourth head coach for the Sharks since the women's program began in 1995.
Continuing his notable run of success, Constable coached the Sharks to their fourth consecutive Top-2 finish in the Sunshine State Conference regular season standings in 2018, while also propelling the program to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in as many years. Additionally, Constable guided the team to its highest win count in a single season since joining the SSC with 13, and helped the program reach its second SSC Tournament final in the past three seasons. Two of Constable's previous signees in Adanna Edwards and Emma Heikkila were named all-region performers by season's end, and will return in 2019 in hopes of carrying the Sharks to yet another postseason berth.
The Sharks finished their third season under Constable in 2017, one in which they captured their first-ever SSC regular season championship. NSU also reached the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive year, and advanced to the second round for the first time in program history. Constable guided the team to its highest-ever national ranking of seventh, and for his efforts, was named the 2017 SSC Coach of the Year. Following yet another stellar year in 2017, Constable’s club collected its second straight SSC Freshman of the Year award (Adanna Edwards), and also earned the league's Defensive Player of the Year honor for the second time in the past three years (Bailey Corbin). Corbin would eventually be recognized as an All-American, and later became the second NSU player to sign a professional contract under Constable. .
There was no sophomore slump for Constable in his second year at NSU in 2016 as his club finished 12-4-3, advanced to its first-ever SSC Tournament final and clinched a spot in the national tournament for the second straight season. During the season, the Sharks received their highest national ranking in program history when they climbed all the way to No. 9 in the NSCAA poll.
The Sharks were unbeatable at home that fall as they finished 7-0-2, holding conference opponents scoreless in the process, and earned a marquee victory over Barry in the SSC Tournament semifinal to give them their first postseason win in nine seasons. By year's end, Hannah Christophe was named SSC Freshman of the Year while Ida Norstrom, Nichole Poppe and Emma Santamaki each collected First Team All-SSC honors. Norstrom and Santamaki also received first-team all-region nods.
Constable wasted no time in turning around the fortunes of the program in his first season in 2015, leading the squad to a 12-4-2 mark, the team's first national ranking since 2011 (as high as No. 15), and a finish of second in the SSC standings after being picked seventh in the preseason. They also earned the second seed and first-round bye in the conference tourney, and later, their first NCAA Tournament selection since 2007.
The four losses the team suffered in 2015 tied a program low, and their three overtime wins a new record high. Their 11-3-1 regular season mark is the new standard, and their 13 consecutive matches with a goal equaled a record best. They also matched the program record for longest winning streak with eight.
Following the year, SSC coaches chose Sierra Lelii as Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year, and Cydney Niedermeyer as Defensive Player of the Year. Lelii and Niedermeyer were voted by both the NSCAA and D2CCA as First Team All-South Region selections, and Emily Stearns was cast as a third team pick by the NSCAA. Lelii capped off her amazing season and career with a Second Team All-American nod by the NSCAA, the first Shark to gain that distinction since 2007.
Formerly the head coach at Converse College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, Constable led the Valkyries women's team to their first-ever regular season conference championship in 2014, their first regional ranking and a conference semifinal appearance in the Conference Carolinas Tournament. He was twice named Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year, once in 2012 and again in 2014. He has also mentored one All-Region performer, seven All-Conference players and eight Academic All-Conference student-athletes.
Constable defied the odds at Converse. After finishing 2-15-1 and 1-8-1 in conference play during the 2011 season, and starting the 2014 season as a No. 7 preseason conference selection, he guided the program to a 15-3-1 overall record and 9-1-1 in conference play, which included a 12-game unbeaten streak to win the conference regular season title and advancement to the conference semifinal round.
Prior to Converse College, Constable spent four years as an assistant coach at Delta State University. During those four seasons, he helped coach both the men's and women's programs as well as the junior varsity program. In 2008, he helped guide the Lady Statesmen to a 10-7-2 overall record and appeared in the Gulf South Conference tournament for the first time in program history.
As a player, he played for both Tusculum College and Seton Hill University. While at Tusculum, he was part of the team that, for a time, was ranked No. 1 in Division II and advanced to the NCAA Division II Elite 8 of the national tournament. In addition to his collegiate playing experience, Constable played for the Scottish Professional Premier League team, Motherwell Football Club, where he signed three separate yearly contracts with the professional club. While with the professional club, he was coached by former Derby County & Nottingham Forrest FC head coach Billy Davies, who was highly regarded as one of the best up-and-coming head coaches in British professional soccer.
Constable, a native of Coatbridge, Scotland, has a bachelor's degree in business administration from Seton Hill University. In addition, Constable holds a master of business administration degree from Delta State University and has earned the Premier Diploma coaching license from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
