Hylton Dayes Head Coach
Entering his 27th season as a collegiate head coach in 2017, Hylton Dayes has compiled a diverse background of experience as both a successful coach and an accomplished player while becoming the longest-tenured coach at the University of Cincinnati.
Dayes is gearing up for his 17th season as head coach at Cincinnati but his 32nd in the college coaching ranks. He has served as a head coach for 26 seasons, during which time he has compiled a 222-221-61 record. He led the Bearcats to their third-ever appearance in the NCAA championships in 2006 and has put together a 125-136-42 mark as UC’s head coach, good for No. 1 on the Bearcats’ wins list. As an assistant coach, Dayes helped develop teams that made three appearances in the NCAA championships. As a player, he earned all-America honors in all four seasons of competition as Wright State University.
Highlighted by NCAA Tournament teams in 2003 and ‘06, Dayes has guided the Bearcats during a pair of conference transitions, first from Conference USA to the BIG EAST and now into the American Athletic Conference. Most recently, in 2016, he led the Bearcats to a 9-7-1 overall record and a tie for fourth-place in the consistently-strong The American -- UC's most total wins since 2007. He also oversaw four postseason all-conference selections including Midfielder of the Year Adam Wilson, second team all-league pick Patrick Nielsen, and all-rookie team members Ryan Melink and David Sanz. The 2016 Bearcats also recorded the program's highest-ever team GPA of 3.195.
Cincinnati has made the conference tournament in five of the last seven seasons. In 2010, the Bearcats advanced to the BIG EAST Championship semifinals for the first time in school history and posted a final record of 7-5-7 overall. UC knocked off No. 5 Connecticut in penalties in the BIG EAST Championship quarterfinals and set a school record for goals against average with a 0.68 GAA.
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In 2008, Dayes led one of the youngest teams in Division I soccer to a BIG EAST Tournament berth, UC’s fourth in four years as a member of the elite conference. UC posted a 7-10-2 overall mark playing a torturous schedule, which included matches against eight ranked opponents. The Bearcats fielded a team with 17 newcomers and first-year starters in nine positions.
Dayes’ 2007 squad qualified for its third straight BIG EAST Tournament and won its first conference tournament match, a 2-0 win at Providence. Kenny Anaba became the third straight first-team all-BIG EAST selection and the fourth Bearcat to be drafted by an MLS team, as he was selected in the supplemental draft by Real Salt Lake.
Dayes led UC to a BIG EAST Red Division title in 2006, just the second season in the prestigious league for the Bearcats. UC earned an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament after finishing 11-5-2 during the regular season and reaching as high as No. 14 in the national rankings. Dayes tutored Omar Cummings, who earned first-team all-America honors, the first player in school history to do so. Cummings then became the third Bearcat to be drafted by a Major League Soccer franchise under Dayes’ watch when he was chosen by the Colorado Rapids in the 2007 MLS SuperDraft.
In 2005, Dayes led the Bearcats to a 10-7-2 overall record and a third-place finish in conference play. UC was ranked as high as No. 15 in the nation and reached the BIG EAST Tournament in the school’s first year affiliated with the conference.
During the first three seasons in the BIG EAST, the Bearcats won a division title, earned seven postseason all-conference awards, and made an NCAA appearance. Dayes has authored six wins against nationally-ranked opponents over the last three seasons, including a victory against No. 1 Connecticut in 2005.
Justin Ferguson Assistant Coach
Justin Ferguson will enter his third season as assistant coach with the University of Cincinnati men’s soccer program in 2017. Ferguson came to Cincinnati following two seasons as an assistant at Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, North Carolina.
Ferguson spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Gardner-Webb, while also serving as director of coaching for recreation with the Greater Cleveland County Soccer Association and as a coach with the North Carolina Olympic Development Program. He holds a B-license from the United States Soccer Federation, as well as level one and two goalkeeping certification from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and is currently completing his premier diploma from the NSCAA. Ferguson also worked with the Westminster Association Football Club as Youth Academy Coordinator and coached for Happyfeet Charlotte. His coaching experience extends to several camp settings, including elite college identification camps at Gardner-Webb and North Carolina.
The Denver, Colorado, native played collegiately at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. He was a four-time All-Academic Team selection while playing in 54 matches. He recorded a pair of goals and three assists during his senior season before spending one year playing at Division II Queens University in Charlotte. He played professional soccer for the Springfield Demize of the Premier Development League and participated in the USL Pro Combine in 2012 before moving into coaching.
Ferguson earned a bachelor’s of science in video production from Belmont in 2010 and has completed a master’s of arts in sport science and pedagogy from Gardner-Webb.
MATT DEMING ASSISTANT COACH
Matt Deming was announced as a member of the University of Cincinnati men's soccer coaching staff as an assistant on June 26, 2019.
Deming spent the past five seasons at Lehigh where he was an assistant. He played collegiate soccer at Lock Haven University in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania from 2003-07.
At Lehigh, Deming helped guide the Mountain Hawks to the program’s second-ever Patriot League Championship and fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in 2015. Prior to joining the Lehigh coaching staff, he was a graduate assistant coach at Lock Haven from 2011-13. At his alma mater, he assisted with all facets of the program and helped guide the Bald Eagles to a regular-season league championship in 2011.
Deming earned a pair of degrees from Lock Haven: a bachelor’s degree in recreation management in 2008 and a master’s degree in sports administration in 2011.
DARREN GALLAGHER Director of Operations
University of Cincinnati men’s soccer Head Coach Hylton Dayes announced on July 30, 2019 the addition of Darren Gallagher to his staff as volunteer director of operations/coach.
A Wisconsin native and former University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh student-athlete, Gallagher was most recently a scouting manager with FC Cincinnati after previously serving as an operations manager with the club. Gallagher boasts years of collegiate soccer coaching experience, as well as stints in various levels of professional soccer.
Gallagher has spent the last three years in pro soccer, in operational roles first for Switchbacks FC and next FCC. He spent a season as a head men’s and women’s soccer assistant at Illinois Springfield after serving as a men’s soccer assistant coach at Colorado Colorado Springs from 2013-16. Prior to UCCS, Gallagher was the head coach at NJCAA Division I Ancilla College. He was head coach for two years with Indiana University men’s club team and spent two seasons as the men’s soccer assistant at UW-Oshkosh. He returned to the UW-Oshkosh program after serving as an assistant coach at Ripon College in 2005 and 2006.
A 2006 UW-Oshkosh graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in education, kinesiology, coaching, and English, the defender helped the Titans to a 59-13-6 record and three NCAA Division III postseason appearances. The Mukwonago High School alumnus went on to earn a master’s degree in educational leadership & athletics/sport leadership and management from UW-Oshkosh in 2009.