Jan. 21, 2004

Fairfax, VA--Assistant Vice President/Director of Athletics Tom O'Connor announced today that Jac Cicala, head women's soccer coach for the past 12 years, has resigned and will accept a teaching and coaching position at Centreville, H.S.

Cicala will teach U.S. Government and coach boy's varsity soccer. Cicala returns to the high school ranks where he once guided the Lake Braddock boy's varsity soccer team to four Virginia Group AAA state championships in nine years (1982, 83, 88, 89) and taught political science and government.

"Jac has been an integral part of George Mason soccer, first as a player, then playing a critical role in the development of the women's soccer program to the national level," said O'Connor. "We appreciate his dedication to the program, the student-athlete and the pride he fostered in the university community. We will miss him and wish him success."

"My decision to leave George Mason was based on family reasons," said Cicala. "It was a great experience with many positive memories. I'm thankful I had the opportunity to coach Division I soccer at George Mason. I owe so much of my success to the players whom I will truly miss."

The 1993 National Coach of the Year, Cicala leaves Mason as the all-time leader in women's coaching victories with a career mark of 139-93-22, surpassing program founder Hank Leung (126-58-19, 10 seasons). His 139 total wins rank him among the top-50 active coaches in Division I.

The 1975 George Mason grad, Cicala had two stints as an assistant coach -- in the first three years of the program (1982-84) and again in 1990-91 -- before assuming head coaching duties in 1992. As head coach, he has taken the team to four NCAA Tournament appearances, including a berth in the championship game in 1993, and has kept the Patriots at or near the top of the Colonial Athletic Association (55-18-6 all-time mark in conference games) during his tenure. His 55 conference victories rank second in the league.

The 1993 squad had a school-record 18 wins en route to the NCAA Tournament championship game, the program's fourth appearance in the finals in 12 years, and the Patriots reached the "Sweet 16" in 1994. After a sub-par campaign in 1995, George Mason returned to national prominence with two more trips to the NCAA Tournament, reaching the "Sweet 16" once again in 1997. Cicala also was named the 2002 co-Coach of the Year in the CAA.

For the past six years, George Mason has been knocking on the door in its quest for a 12th NCAA Tournament berth. Despite key injuries to some of the team's top players, Cicala's 2001 squad still managed to win almost 10 games, losing seven contests by a one-goal margin. The Patriots were 12-9 and advanced to the CAA Tournament championship game in 2000, and the 1999 squad ranked 14th in the NCAA in scoring offense and was the only team in the top-20 not to have an overall winning record.

Cicala's system has produced a trio of All-America goalkeepers and numerous all-region, All-CAA and All-Virginia players. Three Patriots were selected in the 2001 WUSA inaugural draft.

In addition to his collegiate coaching responsibilities (until 1999), Cicala was the head coach for the Region I Girls Olympic Development Program (ODP) and has been one of the coaches for the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) under-20 national women's team. During the summer of 1993, Cicala led the East squad to the silver medal in the U.S. Olympic Festival in San Antonio. For the past 17 years, he has been a certified instructor for the Joint Coaching Program (JCP) in Virginia where he teaches coaches about instructing soccer.

A native of Italy, Cicala spent his youth living in various countries in Latin America. He has lived in Virginia for more than 28 years, and he currently resides in Fairfax with Barbara, his wife of 24 years. They have three daughters -- Stephanie, Jennifer and Kristen.

THE CICALA RECORD 1992: 8-6-3 1993: 18-3-2 (CAA Co-champion, NCAA national runner-up) 1994: 16-3-2 (NCAA "Sweet 16") 1995: 8-12-1 1996: 14-7-2 (NCAA first round) 1997: 14-6-4 (NCAA "Sweet 16") 1998: 12-8-1 1999: 9-11-0 2000: 12-9-0 2001: 9-11-1 2002: 10-11-0 2003: 9-6-6 Totals: 139-93-22 (55-18-6 CAA)