March 1, 2007

PITTSBURGH- University of Pittsburgh women's soccer coach Sue-Moy Chin announced the hiring of Barry Bimbi as the team's assistant coach on Wednesday. Bimbi joins Chin and fellow assistant coach Joenal Castma as a member of the women's soccer coaching staff.

"I am thrilled to have Barry join our women's soccer family," Chin said. "Barry brings with him a wealth of knowledge and coaching experience.  His passion for the game and developing talented players will help our rising program to continue to grow."

Bimbi joins the Panthers with a diverse coaching background and impressive resume. Prior to joining the Panthers, Bimbi served as a coaching staff member of the FC Milwaukee soccer club, one of the premier programs in Wisconsin. While with FC Milwaukee, Bimbi coached the under-16 boys team to a third-place national tournament finish as well as the Regional II championship in 2006. That same year he helped lead the under-15 girls team to a state championship title.

Bimbi served as an assistant coach for the men's soccer team at Marquette from August 2002 - January 2006. While at Marquette, he was the recruiting coordinator for the team and oversaw player development. In 2002, the Golden Eagles earned the top seed in the Conference USA tournament. Bimbi also served as the academic coordinator for the men's soccer team, and established a summer camp at the university.

Before his tenure at Marquette, Bimbi spent six years as the assistant men's soccer coach at his alma mater, St. Francis University (Pa.). He guided the team to the school's first ever back-to-back winning records in Northeast Conference play in both 2000 and 2001.

A 1994 graduate, Bimbi was a four-year starter on the Red Flash soccer team, serving as the team's captain for three years. A four-time All-Northeast Conference selection, he earned first team honors as a junior. He led the conference in scoring as a freshman and led the team to its first-ever winning conference record as a junior. He earned the J. Irving Walley Award as a senior which was presented to the top male athlete at St. Francis.

Bimbi also brings knowledgeable coaching experience to the Panthers as he holds a USSF A license that he received in January 2005. He has coached several Olympic Development teams and served as the Director of Coaching for the Keystone Soccer Club in Hollidaysburg, Pa. from 1996-2002.

The Pitt women's soccer team finished with an 8-8-3 overall record, while earning a 3-6-2 mark in the Big East and competing in the conference tournament for the second consecutive year.

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