May 17, 2006

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern assistant coach Justin Serpone has been named assistant men's soccer coach at Duke University, Blue Devils' head coach John Rennie has announced. Serpone heads for Durham after spending three seasons as the Wildcats' assistant, including this past year as the top assistant.

Serpone leaves Northwestern after serving as assistant coach for the past three seasons. He helped the Wildcats to an overall record of 31-20-10 and NU's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2004. In addition, he helped Northwestern advance to the 2004 Big Ten title match and achieve a program-best No. 14 ranking in the NSCAA poll.

While at Northwestern, his duties included overseeing the day-to-day operations of the team and assisting in all aspects of recruiting. As primary video coordinator, he was responsible for evaluating opposition and preparing comprehensive scouting reports. Serpone also was responsible for the organization, advertisement and hiring of the Northwestern Boys Soccer Camps.

"Justin has been a great asset to the program the last three years and really has helped us develop the soccer program here," head coach Tim Lenahan said. "He will be missed by the players and the coaching staff alike, but we realize this is a great opportunity for him to learn from a great coach in John Rennie and take a step closer to his ultimate goal of being a head coach at the intercollegiate level."