Brandon Bianco enters his fifth season as the Head Men's Soccer Coach at Denison University in 2024. He became the program's ninth head coach in the 68-year history of the program on March 18, 2020. Coach Bianco's first season in 2020 was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but he has proceeded to guide the Big Red to double-digits wins in each of his first three full seasons to go along with two North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament Championships and two NCAA Tournament appearances.

In 2023, the Big Red finished their third full season under Coach Bianco 12-5-3 overall while winning the NCAC Tournament and making the NCAA Tournament for the second time in the last three seasons. With a new stadium under construction for the following season, the Big Red ended up playing 13 of their 20 matches in 2023 away from campus. They went 7-3-3 on their travels, including the NCAC tournament championship match on Kenyon’s campus. Denison postseason run started, however, when third-seeded Denison took on second-seeded Ohio Wesleyan University on the road in the NCAC Tournament semifinals for the third year in a row, and for the second time in three years, the Big Red shut out the Battling Bishops to punch their ticket to the NCAC Tournament Championship. This time around, it took a game-winning goal in the last four minutes by sophomore defender Henri Heyes as Denison came out on top by a final score of 1-0. It was the second-straight shutout for Denison against OWU in one week after it took a 2-0 win for the Big Red over the Battling Bishops the weekend before to clinch the No. 3 seed for the conference tournament. It was only the fourth time in program history and the first time since 2002 and 2003 that the Big Red had won consecutive matches against the Battling Bishops. It is also the first time in program history that Denison had beaten Ohio Wesleyan twice in one season. Then for the second time in three years, Denison defeated Kenyon College in the NCAC Tournament championship match, this time scoring on all three of its shots and winning by a final score of 3-1 over the No. 17 nationally-ranked Owls to bring home its fourth NCAC Tournament title in program history. Lastly, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the Big Red nearly completed their quest to win a match in the national tournament for the first time since 2006, but in the end, Denison came up short against No. 7 Connecticut College by a final score of 3-1 in overtime. Sophomore midfielder Kameron Kist, junior forward Jake Krueger and senior defender Chris Giglio were each named First-Team All-NCAC while Giglio and Kist were also named to the 2023 NCAA Division III Men's All-Region VII Third-Team by the United Soccer Coaches. Giglio led a Big Red defense that posted nine shutouts and held its opponent to 0.85 goals and 9.6 shots per match while Kist led the NCAC with eight assists and led the Big Red in points (18). Kist recorded an assist in both of Denison's wins in the conference tournament and was named the NCAC Tournament Most Valuable Player before adding a third assist in the postseason in Denison's first round matchup in the NCAA Tournament against No. 7 Connecticut College.

The Big Red finished their 2022 season at 10-5-3 overall and 5-2-1 in NCAC action, which was good for third place in the conference standings for the second year in a row. It was also Denison's second straight 10-win season in two full seasons under the guidance of Coach Bianco, and marked the first time the Big Red have reached double-digit wins in back-to-back seasons since 2009 and 2010. Denison then went on to receive six All-NCAC selections, led by senior midfielder Ethan Miracle and sophomore forward Jake Krueger on the first team. It was the highest number of all-conference players in a single season for the Big Red since having six all-conference honorees in 2013. Lastly, Miracle was selected by the United Soccer Coaches as an NCAA Division III Men's Region VII Third-Team player after ranked second in the conference in both goals (12) and in points (26).

In his first full season coaching the team in 2021, Denison finished in third place in the NCAC regular-season standings before earning a pair of 1-0 wins over No. 18 Ohio Wesleyan University and No. 14 Kenyon College to win the NCAC Tournament Championship for the third time in program history. Denison proceeded to make its 10th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first since 2009, but unfortunately came up short by a score of 1-0 in the first round against Covenant College. In all, Denison went 12-5-2 overall and 6-2-1 in the NCAC in 2021, and earned three wins over nationally-ranked opponents. The Big Red landed five players on the All-NCAC teams, including the NCAC Tournament MVP in senior goalkeeper Dylan Brown, who was also named first-team all-region while junior midfielder Lorenz Hoover was third-team all-region. Following the season, the United Soccer Coaches association announced Denison as the Men's Region VII Coaching Staff of the Year for NCAA Division III instructions.

Bianco came to Denison after seven seasons as the head men’s soccer coach at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, where he posted a career record of 61-47-21 (.554).

“We are beyond thrilled to add Brandon Bianco to the Denison family,” said Denison's Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics, Nan Carney-DeBord. “He is someone I have been associated with going back to my time as the head women’s basketball coach and faculty member at Ohio Wesleyan University. Brandon displayed elite leadership skills as a student-athlete and as an assistant coach while being mentored by one of the game’s finest coaches in Jay Martin. He has continued to grow as a leader and mentor at Case Western Reserve. We believe Brandon is an expert in developing team culture while creating an environment for each individual to have the opportunity to reach his performance potential. We are very excited that the next chapter of his journey will be at Denison leading our student-athletes.”

“I feel extremely grateful and humbled to be selected to lead the Denison University men's soccer program as the next head coach,” said Bianco. “I want to thank Nan Carney-DeBord, Dr. Gregory Lott, and the entire search committee for their faith in me. I also want to acknowledge Rob Russo and Steven McCarthy for their dedication to the program and for leaving it on a solid foundation for the future. I'm so excited about the direction of our program and look forward to creating a transformative student-athlete experience for our players. The men's soccer program will strive for excellence in the classroom and on the field and will work extremely hard to achieve our ambitious goals. I know that we can accomplish special things in the men's soccer program, and I can't wait to get started working with our players.” 

Bianco quickly turned around a Case Western Reserve program that was coming off a 3-14-1 season in 2012. By 2018, Bianco had Case playing for a trip to the NCAA Division III Final Four. That season, the Spartans went 16-4-1 and were 5-0 against nationally-ranked opponents during the regular season. On Senior Day, CWRU handed top-ranked University of Chicago its first loss of the season. Case Western Reserve was selected to host the opening rounds and the sectional rounds of the NCAA Division III Tournament that season. In the Round of 16, Case advanced via penalty kicks in a 2-2 tie against Kenyon College before falling to Calvin, 3-1, in the national quarterfinals. That season, Zachary Senft was named to the D3soccer.com All-America team.

Case finished the 2018 season ranked seventh in the nation and Bianco and his staff were named the United Soccer Coaches Great Lakes Regional Coaching Staff of the Year. That season, Bianco was named the Ohio Collegiate Soccer Association Men’s Coach of the Year and the University Athletic Association tabbed them with Coaching Staff of the Year accolades.

In 2015, Bianco led the Spartans to a 13-4-1 record which was the third-most wins in program history at the time. That squad was ranked as high as No. 16 in the D-III rankings and midfielder Chris Cvecko was named an All-American and the UAA’s Most Valuable Player. In all seven seasons at Case, Bianco’s teams have earned United Soccer Coaches Academic honors.

Since his arrival at Case Western Reserve, his men’s soccer teams have posted team GPA’s of 3.30 or better each semester and in 2015-16 his program posted the highest team GPA in Division III at 3.63. From 2015-18 he served on the NCAA Division III Championship committee and from 2017-18 he served as the chair of that committee. 

Bianco is no stranger to Denison or the NCAC. Prior to accepting the head coaching position at Case Western Reserve, he spent five years as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Ohio Wesleyan. A 2007 graduate, he was a four-year letter winner as a midfielder for a Battling Bishop squad that won three NCAC championships and advanced to the NCAA Division III Final Four.

As an assistant coach under legendary head coach Jay Martin, Ohio Wesleyan compiled a record of 91-14-20 with five conference titles. In 2011, Ohio Wesleyan won the NCAA Division III men’s soccer national championship. That year he was named the Great Lakes Region Assistant Coach of the Year which spanned all three divisions of the NCAA. The Bishops qualified for the NCAA Division II Tournament in all five seasons with Bianco on board while achieving a No. 1 national ranking on numerous occasions.

Bianco graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in health and human kinetics from Ohio Wesleyan in 2007 and is on track to receive his Master of Science in Organization Development and Change from Case Western Reserve in the Spring of 2020.

In addition to his head soccer coaching duties, Bianco will serve as an assistant professor in Denison’s Department of Physical Education.

Bianco at Denison

Year

Season at DU

Overall Record

Conference Finish/Accolades

2020

1st

0-0-0*

*Season Canceled due to COVID-19

2021

2nd

12-5-2

3rd NCAC

NCAC Tournament Champions

Region VII Coaching Staff of the Year

Advanced to NCAA First Round

2022

3rd

10-5-3

3rd NCAC

2023

4th

12-5-3

3rd NCAC

NCAC Tournament Champions

Advanced to NCAA First Round

Overall

34-15-8 (.667 pct.)

Two NCAC Tournament Championships

Two NCAA Division III Tournament Appearances