Ben Graham joined the Northeastern coaching staff as an assistant coach in 2012 after serving as the head men’s and women’s soccer coach at Marymount (Calif.) College for three seasons.
Since joining the coaching staff, Graham has helped lead the Huskies to their first-ever CAA championship in 2012, an appearance in the NCAA tournament for the first time in a decade and the program’s first-ever NSCAA national ranking. As the lead goalkeeper coach for Northeastern, he also coached senior goalkeeper Oliver Blum to the fifth-lowest goals against average (0.56) in the NCAA in 2012.
The 2012 campaign was a season to remember for the Huskies as Northeastern set program records for most wins (14), fewest losses (three), longest unbeaten streak (12) and fewest goals allowed (16). Led by Third Team All-American Don Anding, the Huskies captured their first-ever CAA title and earned an automatic berth into the NCAA tournament.
During the season, the Huskies remained unbeaten on Parsons Field for the second straight season, where they have not lost since Nov. 6, 2010. At the height of NU’s 12-match unbeaten streak, the Huskies cracked the NSCAA/Continental Tire NCAA Division I Men’s National Poll for the first time ever, coming in at No. 25.
While at Marymount, Graham built the men’s and women’s soccer programs, the school’s first varsity teams, from the ground up as they transitioned to fully-accredited NAIA programs. In three seasons he led the Saints to 31 combined wins and matched a men’s program-best with eight wins in 2010. Under Graham’s tutelage, three Saints earned all-conference status and two were named NAIA/Daktronics All-Scholar athletes.
Prior to Marymount, Graham was an assistant coach at California State University, Bakersfield for two seasons and assisted in the Roadrunners’ transition from Division II to Division I. He also served as a graduate assistant at the University of Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas, from 2005 to 2007, where he helped lead the Cardinals to the NCAA Division II tournament in both of his seasons.
Originally from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England, Graham received his bachelor of laws and juris doctor in law degrees from the University of Sheffield (England) in 1996 and 1997, respectively. He played semi-professionally in the U.K. before coming to the United States to pursue coaching at the high school and club level in 2001. He won a high school state championship in Maine in 2002 and was named the NSCAA Coach of the Year for the state.
Graham is still active in club coaching and is currently head coach of the pre-academy boys team for FC Bolts club team, based in central Massachusetts.
