Career Record

Years: 7

Record: 32-62-10 (.356)

All-Region Honors

All-ECAC: 1

All-Conference Honors

NJAC Rookie of the Year: 1

First Team All-NJAC: 4

Second Team All-NJAC: 2

Honorable Mention All-NJAC: 5

Team Academic Honors

First Team Academic All-NJAC: 1

Second Team Academic All-NJAC: 1

Honorable Mention Academic All-NJAC: 24

CSC Academic All-District: 2

National Weekly Honors

USC DIII National Player of the Week: 1

Team Weekly Honors

NJAC Offensive Player of the Week: 6

NJAC Defensive Player of the Week: 2

NJAC Rookie of the Week: 6

Last Updated: June 28, 2023

Anthony Tuesta, a Hall-of-Fame standout player who was the 2006 New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Offensive Player of the Year, was named the 15th head women's soccer coach in New Jersey City University history in November 2015 and was made the first full-time coach in program history in August 2016. He also earned his B Licenese from the United States Soccer Federation in 2023.

The second winningest coach in program history, Tuesta initially joined the Gothic Knights as an assistant on the men's soccer staff for two seasons (2013-14). He then served as an assistant men's soccer coach with Division I NJIT for the 2015 season before returning to Jersey City as the head women's coach.

In his seven seasons at NJCU, the Knights have had their greatest success in non-conference games, posting a 27-13-6 mark (.728).

2022: Tuesta guided his squad to a very strong performance in 2022, earning five wins, including one in NJAC play. Additionally, the team captured four draws, with one coming in conference play. The team scored 46 goals, which is the fifth-most in program history and posted the third-lowest goals against average (1.83), as well. Individually, three players picked up All-NJAC nods, led by then-junior Kim Brites on the Second Team.

2021: After an abbreviated 2020-21 Spring campaign, the squad picked up three victories, earned a pair of NJAC weekly awards and another All-Conference recognition. Brites was named Honorable Mention All-Conference following finishing second in the NJAC in points/game a year after her dominant rookie season.

2020-21: After the postponement of the 2020 Fall season, Tuesta helped guide the Gothic Knights to their first postseason bid under his direction, and the program's first since 2011. After three one-goal games in the four-game regular-season, NJCU nearly won its its first-ever NJAC Tournament game in the 0-0 double-overtime tie with Kean University (the squad fell 4-3 in PKs) in the First Round. At season's end, Tuesta's players earned one NJAC Defensive Player of the Week award (then-junior Cidney Lee-Sam) and two All-Conference selections: First Team honoree Brites and Honorable Mention selection then-sophomore Arame Diouf.

2019: Tuesta led Jersey City to its second seven-win effort since he took over the program this season. After dropping their first two, the Gothic Knights then went on a 7-1-1 run, including a NJAC-opening 1-1 double-overtime draw with Ramapo College. Individually, this would mark the end to this historic career of then-senior Malleny Vargas, a four-time All-NJAC selection who totaled 139 points, including 59 goal, during her career. Tuesta helped guide Vargas to NJAC Offensive Player of the Week recognition once, as well as the United Soccer Coaches (USC) NCAA Division III Player of the Week. She also earned her third straight First Team All-NJAC nod and third-career All-ECAC selection (First Team).

2018: Tuesta's squad started off this campaign 4-3, another strong beginning for the Gothic Knights under his direction. Vargas garnered NJAC Offensive Player of the Week and First Team All-Conference accolades this season as well.

2017: The Gothic Knights won two NJAC matches in a season for the second straight year after not having one a game in conference play since 2012 (four years prior to Tuesta taking over). NJCU won three of four games from Oct. 7-14, including a 2-1 win over Rutgers-Cmaden and a 3-2 victory at Ramapo. Vargas was named NJAC Offensive Player of the Week twice, as well as ECAC Division III Offensive Player of the Week once — she also finished the season with her first of three First Team All-NJAC accolades.

2016: In Tuesta's first season at the helm, the Gothic Knights reached seven wins for the first time since 2011 and also took home a pair of NJAC wins. The season began with a 3-1-1 mark and the grabbed a pair of conference wins in a span of three games from Sept. 28-Oct. 8, defeating Rutgers-Newark 2-1 in overtime and Rutgers-Camden 3-2 in double-overtime, both on the road. Vargas was named NJAC Rookie of the Week twice before taking home co-Rookie of the Year accolades from the conference, in addition to Second Team honors.

Overall

Conference

Year

W

L

T

W

L

T

Postseason

2016

7

8

1

2

7

0

2017

5

11

0

2

7

0

2018

5

10

0

0

8

0

2019

7

10

1

0

8

1

2020-21

0

4

1

0

4

0

NJAC Tournament (First Round)

2021

3

10

3

0

8

1

2022

5

9

4

1

7

1

Overall

32

62

10

5

49

3

Before/Outside of NJCU:

An experienced club coach, Tuesta currently serves as the Zone III Director of 11v11 for Kearny Thistle United and Paisley Athletic. Prior to that, he served as head coach of the PASCO Soccer Club from 2020-23, where he ran the U-10, U-15 and U-17 programs, overseeing the development of the players through training on technical, tactical and physical elements of the game. He also managed each team and was in charge of recruiting, as well. In 2022, his U-17 squad made it all the way to the NJ State Cup Finals.

Previously, Tuesta has coached with New Jersey Cedar Stars Academy (NJCSA) of Holmdel as a head coach until 2016 and before that with Parsippany Soccer Club from 2012-2015. With NJCSA, he coached U-11 and U-12 boys pre-academy teams, while at Parsippany he was head coach for U-9, U-12, U-13, U-18 and U-20. In 2015, he worked with teams that were U-18 Boys NJ State Cup finalists and USL Super-Y League U-13 national qualifiers; 2014 U-20 USL Super-Y national champions; and, in 2012 won the USL Super-Y League U-17 national champions in Orlando, Fla. and captured the NJ Youth Soccer State Cup Champions. That team also competed in the 2012 National Premier Leagues (NPL) championship in Chicago, Ill. Tuesta has also served as a club trainer.

On the high school level he was assistant coach of the Clifton varsity boys’ soccer team in 2014 and in 2012 was a volunteer coach for the Montville High School varsity boys’ soccer team.

A 2009 graduate of Kean with a degree in Spanish, Tuesta, a two-time First Team All-NJAC selection in 2006 and 2007, was an outstanding forward and the league’s top player in 2006. He claimed 2006 and 2007 NCAA Division III/NSCAA First Team All-Metro Region honors. In 2006, he was a D3kicks.com Second Team All-America choice and Kean’s Player of the Year.

In two seasons at the NJAC rival school, Tuesta scored 24 goals and added 10 assists for 58 points. He played in 40 games (36 starts) and was credited with 101 shots (65 on goal). The Cougars were a combined 19-18-5 in his career. Prior to Kean, Tuesta played two seasons at Mercer County Community College, leading the Vikings to back-to-back NJCAA National Finals in 2002 and 2003.

A 2002 alumnus of Clifton High School — historically one of the top high school programs in the state — Tuesta was officially inducted into the Clifton High School Athletics Hall of Fame in October 2021. He played four seasons (1998-01) of varsity soccer for the Mustangs and was instrumental in the school winning four consecutive Passaic County and Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League (NNJIL) championships. The Mustangs won the 2000 state sectional title and advanced to the 2000 state finals.

Individually, Tuesta scored 93 goals and delivered 40 assists for 226 points in four years for Clifton, but essentially in three years as he missed much of his junior campaign with a leg injury. He was a three-time First Team All-State selection, All-Passaic County, All-Area and All-NNJIL league selection in 1998, 1999 and 2001 and the 1999 Herald News Area Player of the Year. In 1999 and 2001, he was listed as one of the Top 51 Players in the state by the SCANJ as a First Team selection; as a freshman in 1998 he was listed as a Third Team SCANJ Top 51 pick.

Tuesta comes from a successful soccer family. Most notably, his uncle, Carlos Atoche, was a professional player for Sports Boys in Peru. He is currently an assistant coach with the Peruvian Women’s National Team.

Tuesta is a native of Peru where he lived until 1995. He resides in North Arlington, N.J., with his wife, Jennifer, and their dog, Oscar.