Mark Dawson is in his seventh season as the head coach of the LIU Post women's soccer team.  He currently holds a record of 80-25-10, and is the second-winningest coach in LIU Post women's soccer history.

The 2013 season saw continued success for the Pioneers, as they finished with a 13-5 record and a seventh consecutive appearance in the East Coast Conference Championships.  Sophomore Susanne Vistnes was once again the ECC Offensive Player of the Year after leading the conference with 14 goals and 34 total points.  Vistnes also claimed the ECAC Division II Offensive Player of the Year award, and was named an NSCAA All-America Third Team member for the second consecutive season. She also received All-American accolades from Daktronics, as did teammate Jeanine Ambrogi.  Ambrogi was a member of the All-ECC First Team.
 

Coach Dawson also had a marquee moment during the season, as the team's 3-1 win over Caldwell College on Sept. 23 gave him 70 career coaching wins.  That mark surpassed legendary head coach Bob Blitz for second all-time on the wins list.
 

In 2012, the Pioneers saw both individual and team success, as they finished the regular season with the No. 1 seed in the ECC and brought home at least a share of all five individual ECC awards. Freshman Susanne Vistines won both the ECC Offensive Player and Rookie of the Year awards, and was also named to the NSCAA/Continental Tire All-America Third Team. Karina Rizzo was awarded ECC Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors, while Nicole Fierro was named ECC Goalkeeper of the Year. Dawson rounded out the sweep by taking home the ECC Coach of the Year award.  The Pioneers finished the season with a 15-3-2 record overall.
 

The 2010 squad put together an excellent season, winning the ECC Championship and advancing to the third round of the NCAA Championships with a final record of 14-2-4.  LIU Post ended the season ranked 13th in the nation and swept the ECC major awards. The ECC Offensive Player of the Year went to Ivana Babic; ECC Defensive Player of the Year was Anna Svensson; ECC Goalkeeper of the Year was Allie Weiser; ECC Rookie of the Year was Alexa Niciforo; and Dawon earned Coach of the Year.  In addition, seven players earned All-Conference honors, three players earned NSCAA All-Region accolades, and Danielle DeLuca was named an NSCAA All-American.
 

Dawson’s teams continued to perform well in the classroom as well as on the field, as Svensson and Babic earned CoSIDA/ESPN Academic All-District honors and Svensson was named CoSIDA/ESPN Second Team Academic All-America.

Under his guidance, Dawson’s squad earned its second consecutive ECC tournament berth with a 12-6-1 record in 2009, falling just short of returning to the NCAA East Regional.
 

During his debut season at the helm, Dawson guided the Pioneers to their second consecutive East Coast Conference Championship and appearance in the NCAA Division II Northeast Regional. With a record of 17-3-1, Dawson and the Pioneers tied the program record for wins, previously set during the 2007 season.  For his efforts, Dawson was selected as the 2008 ECC Coach off the Year.
 

As an assistant in 2005, Dawson helped the team to their first-ever NYCAC tournament championship, defeating conference rival Adelphi and 10th ranked New Haven. The Pioneers advanced to the NCAA Division II Women’s Soccer Championship tournament, marking the first time the Pioneers had reached the national tourney since 1999.
 

Dawson has extensive knowledge of soccer in the Northeast Region, both with the LIU Post program, and with the former Long Island University – Southampton College. He originally joined the Pioneers after a seven-year stint at Southampton College, where he was the head coach of the women’s program.
 

He led the Colonials to an 80-50-6 mark during that time span, as well as a No. 3 national ranking in the 2004 campaign when Southampton played host to the NCAA Division II Championship’s Northeast Regional. A two-time NYCAC Coach of the Year (2001, ‘04), Dawson also received Northeast Region Coach of the Year accolades from the NSCAA in his final season with the program.
 

The Mastic, N.Y. resident also served as an assistant coach with Southampton’s men’s soccer program from 1996-2004, helping the Colonials to the “round of eight” in an NCAA Division II Championship tournament.   He currently assists head men’s soccer coach Andreas Lindberg with the men’s soccer program.
 

In addition to his coaching duties at LIU Post, Dawson serves as a physical education instructor in the William Floyd School District.