Clarion Athletics

Rob Eaton, 45, a native of England who has an extensive background in soccer as a player, coach and clinician, is in his fourth year as the women's soccer coach at Clarion University in 2013.

Eaton, who is entering his 19th season as a collegiate soccer coach (13 men, 5 women), has a career record of 156-140-24 and won his 150th career game in 2010 while becoming the first Clarion head soccer coach to earn PSAC Coach of the Year honors.

In his first season as the Golden Eagle mentor, Eaton led Clarion to the most PSAC victories (4) and most PSAC points (15) in school history and a 5 1/2 game improvement in the conference standings while keeping the Golden Eagles in the PSAC playoff race into the final weeks of the season. Clarion was 4-9-4 overall and 4-7-3 in the PSAC in 2010. The Golden Eagles followed that up by going 4-10-2 overall and 2-9-2 in the PSAC in 2011 and 2-10-5 in 2012 giving Eaton a two-year record of 10-29-11 at Clarion. All three of his teams have been the best defensive teams in Clarion history allowing 28 goals in both 2010 and 2011 and a school-record low of 27 goals in 2012. 

The founder and owner of the Soccer Training Network, a developmental youth soccer academy and one of the top soccer training academies in the state located in Beech Creek, Pa., for the last nine years, Eaton has has been instrumental in developing talented boys and girls soccer players. STN develops players from ages 7 through high school with several types of developmental programs including summer camps and clinics, private instruction and 16 developmental teams that travel. STN has a player base of 250 year-round team players, with about 1,000 more taking advantage of the camps, clinics and private instruction.

Prior to starting STN, Eaton coached was the head men's coach at Lock Haven from 1997-2001 after serving one year as the head men's coach at Methodist University (1996), six years as the head men's coach at Lycoming (1990-95) during which time he founded the Lycoming women's program and coached it for two years as well (1994-95) and one year as the first head men's coach at California (Pa.) in 1989.

At Lock Haven, his alma mater, Eaton led the Bald Eagles to a 53-32-6 record including a PSAC regular-season championship in 1997 and PSAC tournament runner-up spots in 1997 and 1999. Lock Haven also finished second in the PSAC in the regular season in 1998, 1999 and 2000.

Prior to coming to Lock Haven in 1997, Eaton led Methodist to a 13-3-1 record in 1996 and the Dixie Conference Title.
 
As the Lycoming men's coach from 1990-1995, Eaton led Warriors to a six-year record of 66-39-4 while winning conference championships in 1994 and 1995. he also led the Lycoming women to a 4-12-1 mark in its first season while improving the team to 6-12 in 1995.

A native of Loughborough, England, and a 1982 grad of Harry Carlton Comprehensive School, Eaton's soccer education was a rich one where he was rated one of the very best young players in the nation, just missing out on the national team in 1979.

He was invited to tryouts with several pro teams and gained the benefit of phenomenal coaching at such places as Nottingham Forest, Leeds United, Leicester City, Derby County and the English Youth Team before deciding to join Notts County Football Club. He played four years for the Magpies and was the leading goal scorer in the youth team and a significant player in the Midlands Club reserve team.

Eaton was recruited to Lock Haven University in 1984 and played four years for the Bald Eagles. He was a 4-year starter and 3-year captain at LHU helping the Eagles to PSAC team titles in 1984, 1986 and 1987 while being named a first team PSAC-West choice in 1985, 1986 and 1987. He was an All-Region choice three times as well as an NSCAA All-Academic selection three times. Eaton scored 32 career goals and accumulated 83 career points. He led the LHU team in goals with 10 in 1984 and 1987.

Eaton earned a B.S. degree in Recreation Management from Lock Haven in 1988. He was the men's soccer G.A. coach in 1988.

Rob and wife Michelle reside in Beech Creek, Pa., and have a daughter Rebecca and a son Thomas.

THE EATON WOMEN'S FILE

THE EATON MEN'S FILE

CAREER RECORD: 156-140-24