Former Gannon soccer great Colin Petersen begins his 24th season with the Gannon soccer program and 22nd as the head coach of the women’s soccer program in 2023. Petersen, who has also spent time in a dual position as an assistant for the men’s program, was hired as the seventh head coach in the history of the women’s program on February 13, 2002.

Petersen is the winningest and longest-tenured coach in the 36-year history of the Gannon women’s soccer program. As the only coach in school history to lead the program for more than five years, Petersen has a school-record 188 career coaching victories, holding more than 100 wins than the closest coach. Petersen owns an overall record of 188-157-36 and two years ago he surpassed Jim Nestor’s career winning percentage of .527, now owning a .541 winning percentage. 

Gannon has produced a .500 record or better during 14 of the last 15 seasons under Petersen. The Golden Knights have qualified for the PSAC Tournament 11 times in Petersen’s tenure, with six NCAA Tournament appearances. They had a string of seven straight years in the PSAC Tournament and nine in ten years before failing to qualify in 2018 and ’19. The 2020 campaign was abbreviated and played in the spring of 2021 due to COVID-19.

The Golden Knights enjoyed one of their finest seasons ever in 2022, posting a 15-4-4 record, advancing to the PSAC Tournament championship game, and reaching the second round of the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional. Gannon won the PSAC West regular season crown with an 11-1-4 record.

The 15 wins were the second-highest total in team history, and the Golden Knights came up just short of winning their first PSAC Championship. They would lose to a West Chester team that went on to finish as the national runner-up in the championship game. Gannon enjoyed its ninth season with 10-or-more wins during his tenure and the 12th straight non-losing season.

Gannon went on to host one pod of the Atlantic Regional as the third seed and battle the elements and some strong competition. The opening round was played in a downpour as the Golden Knights subdued Fairmont State 3-0. The second round featured strong winds and snow, with an early Kutztown goal the difference in a 1-0 loss.

For his efforts Petersen was voted the PSAC West Coach of the Year, the fourth time he has received the award and the second year in a row. Gannon captured three of the four major PSAC postseason awards, with Sarah Fails named the PSAC West Athlete if the Year and Ella Fadale selected the Freshman of the Year.

Fails, Fadale, and defender Leah Bermudez landed spots on the All-PSAC West First Team and sophomore midfielder Gabby Boden was on the All-PSAC West Second Team. Fails went on the earn third team United Soccer Coaches All-American accolades, the first Golden Knight to be named All-American since 2015. Bermudez and Fails were named to the first team All-Atlantic Region team, with Fadale on the second team.

Petersen’s teams have always excelled in the classroom, as well. Emilie Hilliard was named to the Academic All-America® Second Team by the College Sports Communicators after previously being named the PSAC Women’s Soccer Champion Scholar for the second consecutive year.

Petersen led a resurgence in 2021 as the Golden Knights finished with a 12-4-3 record, including 11-2-3 in the PSAC West. The second seed out of the Western Division, Gannon outscored Slippery Rock 5-3 in a quarterfinal contest to reach the semifinals for the fifth time. They dropped a 1-0 decision to Millersville in the semifinals. That loss snapped a nine-game stretch which saw Gannon post eight wins and a tie.

Gannon would receive its fifth NCAA Tournament berth under Petersen. Seeded sixth in the Atlantic Regional, the Golden Knights dropped a 2-1 decision in overtime to third-seed Bloomsburg in the opening round.

Petersen was named the PSAC West Coach of the Year for the third time, after previously being selected in 2008 and 2015.  The season included a 3-2 win over 11th-ranked Edinboro.

In addition to Petersen, five Golden Knights earned All-PSAC West accolades. Taylor Lewis and Laurel Prokopchak were accorded first team All-PSAC West honors, while Leah Bermudez, Kayla Bevacqua, and Kennedy Solymosi were named to the second team. Lewis became a rare four-time All-PSAC honoree, earning first team recognition in 2016 and 2017 and second team honors in 2018. She was also named the Freshman of the Year in 2016. It marked the first time earning PSAC postseason honors for the other four players.

Lewis would go on to earn D2CCA All-Atlantic Region honors for the fourth time and United Soccer Coaches All-Region recognition for the third time. She was named to the second team by both organizations. In addition, Emilie Hilliard was the recipient of the PSAC Champion Scholar award.

Through the years numerous Golden Knights have received postseason honors. The list includes nine All-Americans, five PSAC Players of the Year, one PSAC Defensive Player of the Year, and five PSAC Freshmen of the Year. A total of 43 players have earned All-PSAC accolades, including 19 named to the first team. Five more players received All-GLIAC honors. In addition, Gannon has had 50 All-Region selections.

Courtney Rowan was the initial Golden Knight to earn All-American honors as a Daktronics honorable mention pick in 2008. Mani Brueckner earned All-American accolades three different seasons. In 2012, she was an NSCAA second team All-American and third team Daktronics. In 2013, she repeated as a third team Daktronics All-American. In 2015, Brueckner and Olivia Augustyniak were accorded NSCAA first team honors, with Brueckner a first team D2CCA choice and Augustyniak an honorable mention pick.

The 12 wins in 2021 were the most since the 2017 team won 13 matches. The 2012 team also finished with 13 wins. The 2015 edition set the standard, however, with arguably its best season in school history at 18-3-0. The Golden Knights ran off 17 straight wins to open the season, climbing to number one in the NSCAA Division II Top 25 for four consecutive weeks while becoming just the third PSAC squad to win 17 matches in a row. It was the first number one ranking in program history.

Petersen's club spent two weeks as the only team at any level of the NCAA without a loss or tie, before falling at East Stroudsburg in the regular-season finale. The top seed in the PSAC West, Gannon hosted the PSAC Final Four and first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever. Unfortunately, Edinboro proved a stumbling block for the Knights. They handed Gannon a 3-1 setback in the PSAC Semifinals, and a week later won a 2-1 decision in overtime in the NCAA Atlantic Regional.

Petersen was named the 2015 NSCAA Atlantic Region Coach of the Year in addition to capturing PSAC Coach of the Year honors. He is the first women's soccer coach in school history to be named a regional coach of the year.

A school record seven players earned All-PSAC honors, with Mani Brueckner named the PSAC Player of the Year for the third time in her career, and Olivia Augustyniak selected the PSAC Player of the Year. Both would go on to earn first team NSCAA All-American recognition.

The 2015 team began a string of three years in a row that the Golden Knights reached the PSAC Semifinals. After doing so again in 2016 while finishing at 10-6-3, the 2017 team tied for the second-highest win total, ending the year at 13-5-2. Gannon reached the PSAC Semifinals for the fourth time in the last five years while qualifying for the conference postseason tournament for the seventh straight year.

The Golden Knights went on to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The squad rose as high as 20th in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 while reaching 13 wins for the third time in five years. It also marked the fifth season in the last six with double-figure victories.

One of the best campaigns in school history unfolded in 2012. The Knights went 13-4-2 overall and 10-3-1 in league play. In the process, Gannon set school single-season records at the time for victories (13), shutouts (12), fewest goals allowed (12) and fewest losses (4). The squad also achieved the highest national ranking in school history at the time when it was tabbed seventh in the NSCAA Top 25 Poll.

Gannon finished third in the PSAC regular-season standings, before falling in the conference quarterfinals via penalty kicks after battling to a scoreless tie against East Stroudsburg. The Knights went on to make the second NCAA Division II Tournament appearance in program history.

The Gannon women’s soccer program made history in 2009, advancing to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the first time. The Knights battled Indiana (Pa.) to a scoreless tie, before the Crimson Hawks advanced to the second round via penalty kicks. The squad finished 10-7-2 overall and placed fourth in the PSAC Western Division with an 8-5-1 conference slate.

In 2008, Gannon won the PSAC Western Division during its first season in the league. The squad finished 11-6-2 overall and 9-3-2 in conference play, equaling the second-highest victory total in school history and reaching double digits in victories for the first time since 1999. As a result, Petersen was named PSAC Western Division Coach of the Year.

As successful as Gannon has been on the pitch, the Golden Knights have been even more successful in the classroom during Petersen’s tenure. They captured the inaugural PSAC Women’s Soccer Top Team GPA Award in 2011 as its 3.505 grade point average was the best among all PSAC programs. In all, 195 PSAC Scholar Athlete awards have been handed out to Gannon women’s soccer student-athletes under Petersen’s guidance. That included an incredible 28 in 2021-22.

Prior to 2002, Petersen was an assistant under former head coach Rob van Rheenen for two seasons. The men’s program posted a 13-21 record during those two years, while the women’s program was 4-13-1 during its only season under van Rheenen in 2001. Petersen also worked in the Gannon Admissions Office for two years (2000-01).

A native of Vereeniging, South Africa, Petersen was a four-year starter for the Golden Knights from 1993-96. Gannon advanced to the NCAA Final Four during his freshman season in 1993, losing to Southern Connecticut State in the semifinals.

He earned all-region accolades in 1993 and 1996. He was also named to the All-GLIAC first team during Gannon’s first two seasons in the league in 1995 and 1996. While playing forward, he is 11th all-time at Gannon in points (92), 11th in goals (35) and 13th in assists (22). His best season came during the 1993 campaign, when he recorded 13 goals, six assists and 32 points.

Petersen received his bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Gannon in 2000. He is married to the former Lia Lombardo, who was an outstanding player on the Gannon women’s soccer team. The couple resides in Erie with their four children. Maddie is a senior and a member of the Gannon cross country team, while Charlie and Owen also attend Gannon and are members of the men’s soccer team. Charlie is a junior and Owen a freshman. Lincoln is their youngest child at the age of seven.