Josh Shapiro, The Virginia B and James O. Welch Jr. ’52 Head Coach for Harvard Men's Soccer, joined Harvard Athletics in January 2020 and will embark on his fifth season at the helm in 2024-25.

The Crimson sustained its rise up the Ivy League standings during the 2023 season, finishing in second place in the conference – its highest finish since 2015 – after coming in third in 2022 and fourth in 2021. Harvard qualified for the inaugural Ivy League Tournament behind its second-place finish. Alessandro Arlotti ’25 earned Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year honors while the Crimson totaled five All-Ivy honorees and six Academic All-District selections.

Harvard continued its upward ascent during the 2022 season, posting a 9-4-4 record and challenging for a berth in the NCAA tournament. Harvard closed the season unbeaten in its last eight games (5-0-3) and undefeated in its last six Ivy League contests (3-0-3). The Crimson claimed third place in the Ivy League standings with 12 points, marking its highest finish in the conference table since 2015. Harvard concluded the season with a 7-1-1 record at home.

As a team in 2022, the Crimson ranked second in the NCAA in assists per game (3.00), eighth in points per game (7.35), fifth in shots on goal per game (7.71), sixth in shots per game (16.35), 10th in total assists (51), and 17th in goals per game (2.18).

In his first competitive season with the team in 2021, Shapiro led the Crimson to eight more wins than the previous competitive season as Harvard finished above .500 (8-5-3, 3-2-2 Ivy) for the first time since 2016, placing fourth in the conference standings. Harvard closed the year on a three-game Ivy League winning streak and went 4-1-1 in its last six games. Shapiro guided Ivy League Rookie of the Year Alessandro Arlotti as one of four All-Ivy selections.

Harvard’s 2020 season was canceled due to COVID-19.

Prior to Harvard, Shapiro served as head coach of the Tufts men’s soccer program for 10 seasons (2010-19), leading the team to four DIII National Championships (2014, 2016, 2018, 2019). In addition to four national titles, Shapiro led Tufts to seven NCAA tournaments and two NESCAC Tournament crowns. Shapiro and his assistants were named the Division III Coaching Staff of the Year by the United Soccer Coaches in 2016, 2018 and 2019 and Shapiro won the individual United Soccer Coaches’ Division III Coach of the Year award in 2014. He is also a two-time D3soccer.com National Coach of the Year (2014, 2018) and three-time NESCAC Coach of the Year (2014, 2017, 2019).

Tufts completed the 2019 season with a 20-2-2 overall record, the most single-season wins in program history, and Shapiro posted a 126-37-28 (.733) career record, making him the winningest coach in program history. In addition to developing his student-athletes on the field, Shapiro guided them to contribute in the classroom and in the community. From 2016-19, Tufts placed four student-athletes on the United Soccer Coaches’ Scholar All-America First Team. The Tufts team also held annual free clinics for youth student-athletes, participated in games supporting Grassroot Soccer, and worked with Team IMPACT.

Prior to his time at Tufts, Shapiro served as an assistant coach at Georgetown from 2006-09 and helped build the foundation for its current national success. He also had coaching stints at American University, George Mason University and Lafayette from 2003-05. During his time at American, the team won the 2005 Patriot League regular season championship, and at Lafayette, the program won the 2003 Patriot League championship and advanced to the NCAA tournament.

Shapiro graduated from Middlebury College in 1997, where he was a four-year member of the men’s soccer program and served as captain during his senior season. He played on three NCAA tournament teams, including two that advanced to the round of 16.

Originally from Leonia, N.J., Shapiro now resides in Winchester, Mass., with his wife Amy and three children, Ben, Sophie, and Evan.

Josh Shapiro Head Coaching Record

Year

School

Record

2010

Tufts

5-8-2

2011

Tufts

9-4-2

2012

Tufts

9-4-4

2013

Tufts

8-5-2

2014

Tufts

16-2-4

2015

Tufts

11-5-3

2016

Tufts

15-5-2

2017

Tufts

15-2-4

2018

Tufts

18-0-3

2019

Tufts

20-2-2

Totals

Tufts

126-37-28

2020

Harvard

N/A

2021

Harvard

8-5-3

2022

Harvard

9-4-4

2023

Harvard

5-5-7

Totals

Harvard

22-14-14

Totals

Career

148-51-42