LOWELL, Mass. – UMass Lowell Senior Associate Athletic Director for Internal Operations Tracy Ellis-Ward named Joel Bancroft as the new women's soccer head coach on Thursday.

"Joel has established himself as a respected recruiter in the America East Conference and we believe he is the overall best choice to expand our national presence and build a highly competitive team in the years to come," said Ellis-Ward.  "We have every expectation that his leadership as the new head coach will be the catalyst needed for an emerging Division I program."

Bancroft becomes the second fulltime head coach in the program's history, taking over the reins from Elie Monteiro.  After 12 seasons, Monteiro accepted the head coaching position at his alma mater, Southern New Hampshire University.

As an assistant coach at UMass Lowell, Bancroft has been responsible for coordinating the program's recruiting efforts.  He expects to bring in a class of 13 players in September.  

"Coach Bancroft has helped raise the bar for women's soccer at UMass Lowell and has had a tremendously positive impact on the team as an assistant," said Ellis-Ward.

Bancroft, who joined the River Hawk soccer staff a year ago, calls the job a dream come true.

"This is the number one job in the country for me," said Bancroft.  "It's an honor to be the next head coach and to be able to just say that, I am getting goose bumps right now. I could not be more excited for the task that lies ahead."

Bancroft, a Westbrook, Maine native, describes UMass Lowell as a good fit and points to growing up in the metropolitan Portland area.

"I am from a mill town myself," said Bancroft.  "My father was a boxer, so I am very aware of the tradition that Lowell has.  Every day when I cross that bridge and I look to the left and I look to the right, I still get goose bumps. That is why I know this place is for me."

It is a place, as well, that offers the new coach a series of challenges from camps and clinics to developing a larger recruiting footprint and training as Division I athletes.   They are challenges that Bancroft embraces.    

"The opportunities are vast across the board," said Bancroft.  "On the field, we are still at a place where we are coming off a successful spring season and the women can really feel the difference now that they have had one full year of what it's like to train as a Division I athlete and compete. Make no mistake; we still have a lot of ground to cover before we would consider ourselves established in the America East."

Bancroft came to UMass Lowell in 2013 with a wide variety of experience and a history of success at all levels.  He served as an assistant coach with the Penn State women's squad that captured the 2012 Big Ten regular season championship – the Nittany Lions' 15th-straight, regular-season title – and reached the final of the NCAA Championship before losing to perennial power North Carolina, 4-1.  The Nittany Lions posted a 21-4-2 overall record and a 10-0-1 clip in the Big Ten.

Bancroft was involved in all coaching facets at Penn State.  He served as the coordinator of the team's community service efforts, youth clinics, and team banquet as well as strength and performance.

Prior to joining the staff at Penn State, Bancroft was an assistant at Bates for the 2011 season where he was responsible for recruiting, strength and conditioning, as well as scouting and scheduling.

Bancroft spent three seasons (2006-08) at St Joseph's College, two as an assistant and the 2008 season as the head coach. He led the Monks to a 12-7-3 clip in 2008 – marking a school record for wins in a season – up from a 5-11-3 finish in 2007.

St. Joseph's advanced to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament championship match where they suffered a 2-1 loss to Norwich; and to the ECAC Division III Tournament first round.

Before his time at St. Joseph's, Bancroft spent the 2005-06 season as a men's assistant at the University of New England; and three seasons (2003-05) as the men's head coach at Southern Maine Community College where he led the squad to the Maine Small College championship in 2003 and 2004; and the Yankee Conference title in 2003.

Additionally, he was an assistant for two seasons (2001-02) with the women's program at his alma mater, the University of Southern Maine.

Bancroft earned his U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) 'B' license in 2004 and was a head coach within the Maine Olympic Development Program from 2005-09.

As a player, Bancroft was a Little East Conference All-Star as a senior at Southern Maine, from where he earned his bachelor's degree in criminology in 2010. He also has an associate's degree in liberal arts from USM.