Casey Derkacz - Associate Head Coach - Women's Soccer Coaches

Casey Derkacz

Title:
Associate Head Coach
Email:
caseyder@buffalo.edu
Phone:
716-645-6982

Casey Derkacz enters his 10^th season with the Bulls and his sixth year as Associate Head Coach for the University at Buffalo women’s soccer program. Derkacz's main responsibilities include serving as the primary coach for the field players, recruiting coordinator and prospect camp coordinator, video analysis and budgeting. He also serves as the team's academic liaison and assists in fundraising efforts.

Derkacz led the Bulls to a historic season in 2022 as the Bulls claimed its second regular season MAC Championship, second-ever MAC Tournament Championship and second ever NCAA Tournament appearance. Under his guidance, UB recorded 36 goals on the year, the most in Derkacz’s tenure, while also setting a new program record with a 17-game unbeaten streak and recorded 14 shutouts on the season, tied for the most in program history.

The Bulls received several individual recognitions, highlighted by Emily Kelly and Hannah Callaghan who were named USC All-Americans. Six Bulls earned All-MAC recognition and five were named to USC All-Midwest Region teams. Off the pitch, Kelly and Leah Wengender were named USC Scholar All-Americans and the Bulls tied a program record placing 12 student-athletes on the Academic All-MAC team.

In Derkacz’s nine seasons in Buffalo, the Bulls have qualified for the Mid-American Conference Tournament in eight straight seasons and have averaged 10.5 wins per season in that span, the only MAC school to accomplish that feat. Under his guidance, UB has had four USC/NSCAA All-American selections, 20 USC/NSCAA All-Region selections and 44 All-MAC honorees. Buffalo has received two MAC Offensive Players of the Year and three MAC Defensive Players of the Year awards, highlighted by sweeping the individual conference awards in 2014, a first in MAC women’s soccer history.

The Bulls were back-to-back MAC East Champions in 2014 and 2015 for the first time in program history and won the MAC regular season and MAC Tournament titles, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament in 2014 and 2022.

Derkacz has led Buffalo to success off the pitch as well, as UB has had four USC/NSCAA Scholar All-Americans, five USC/NSCAA Scholar All-Region recipients and 78 Academic All-MAC selections. The Bulls are six-time United Soccer Coaches Academic Team Award recipients and earned the “Bulls Pride” Team Award for Distinguished Community Service and School Spirit.

In 2021, Derkacz helped guide the Bulls to a 13-4-3 record and their second straight appearance in the MAC Tournament semifinals. UB recorded 34 goals on the year, good for second-best in Derkacz’s tenure. The Bulls received several individual recognitions, highlighted by Marcy Barberic earning a spot on the prestigious MAC Hermann Trophy Award Watch List. Four Bulls earned All-MAC recognition and a trio of Bulls were named to United Soccer Coaches All-Midwest Region teams. UB placed a program-record 12 student-athletes on the Academic All-MAC team.

In an unprecedented 2020 spring season Derkacz led Buffalo to a 6-1-1 overall record, including ending the season on a seven-game unbeaten streak. The Bulls received several individual recognitions including a historic Second Team All-American honor for Marcy Barberic as well as three All-Midwest region selections and a league-best five All-MAC recognitions, highlighted by the Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year. UB also placed nine student-athletes on the Academic All-MAC team.
The Western New York native had a hand in just about everything that helped the 2014 team be the most successful in program history as he worked closely with the goalkeepers as well as the forwards.

Derkacz helped Laura Dougall turn in one of the greatest goalkeeping seasons in MAC history in her freshman campaign as she earned MAC Freshman of the Year honors. The Bulls also recorded the highest shutout total in program history with 14 on the year.

Offensively, Derkacz helped develop Katie Roberts into the MAC Offensive Player of the Year as she scored a MAC-best 11 goals. The UB offense improved drastically as they scored 33 goals, good for second in program history. The Bulls finished with an 11-0-2 record in conference play, becoming just the third undefeated team in MAC history, while also setting a program record for win totals, finishing with a 16-3-3 overall record. UB received votes in the NSCAA Top 25 poll and finished with the highest RPI in program history (32).

Prior to arriving in Buffalo, Derkacz helped lead Slippery Rock to two straight NCAA Tournaments, a Sweet 16 appearance in 2012 and an Elite 8 appearance in 2013. The Rock earned the PSAC Championship in his first season with the team and they won the Atlantic Region title in 2013. Over his two years at Slippery Rock, Derkacz guided The Rock to a 29-10-5 record while helping them finish the 2013 season ranked No. 6 in the Division II national poll.

Before Slippery Rock, he helped guide the Penn State Behrend men’s and women’s teams to NCAA Division III tournament berths and Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference championships while receiving a master’s in business administration from Penn State Behrend.

Derkacz played collegiately at Penn State and UB. Derkacz and his wife Danielle, both Hamburg, NY natives, currently reside in Buffalo.