Paul Vasconcelos is in his 20th year as head coach for the women's soccer team at Lesley University. He is the program's all-time winningest coach, boasting an overall record of 259-83-29 that included a mark of 108-3-1 in New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) play before the team re-joined the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) in 2023. In their first season back in the NAC, he guided the squad to a perfect 6-0 mark in East Divisional play for the regular-season crown, and 2023 also marked the 12th time (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2025) in Vasconcelos' career that he was voted Conference Coach of the Year by his peers.  

 

Vasconcelos and his staff guided the Lynx to their 11th conference title in 2025 and returned to the NCAA Tournament. 2025 also marked the 12th time (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2025) in Vasconcelos' career that he was voted Conference Coach of the Year by his peers.  

 

Under his direction, Vasconcelos has turned the Lynx into a premier program in the region. He has compiled a .758 winning percentage, which puts him in the top 10 winningest-active coaches at the NCAA Division III level. From 2009 to 2016, his squad went unbeaten in 62 consecutive NECC games, posting a 61-0-1 record over that stretch during regular-season play.

 

His teams have also excelled in the classroom as they are annually honored by the United Soccer Coaches with the Team Academic Award, a distinction that recognizes programs that compile a combined grade-point average of 3.0 or higher. He also saw four of his student-athletes earn CSC Academic All-District honors during the 2024 season. 

 

In his first year on staff, the women's program made a remarkable turnaround, improving to 14-4-1 in the 2007 season and getting into the record books as the NCAA All-Time Most Improved Division III program in the country.  As a result, Vasconcelos was selected as the 2007 North Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year.

 

He has now coached a total of 81 All-Conference players, including eight Conference Players of the Year, seven All-New England selections, and five Conference Rookies of the Year.

 

Prior to his time at Lesley, he was the assistant coach at Milton Academy, where he stayed for just one season before leaving to become the assistant coach at Emerson College. At Emerson, he helped lead the Lions to their best record in the program's history in just his first year.  He stayed at Emerson for three seasons, leading the Lions to two straight Great Northeast Athletic Conference semifinal matches.

 

He holds a USSF National B License, KNVB Dutch Advanced License, NSCAA Director of Coaching Diploma, and Portuguese Level III. He also coached in the Massachusetts ODP system for over 10 years. 

 

"My staff and I are dedicated to recruiting top-flight student-athletes to come in and make an immediate impact on our already successful program,” said Vasconcelos on his role at Lesley. “We aim to be one of the elite programs for years to come."