Killian Riley is in his second season as an assistant coach for the Owls – he specializes in goalkeepers. He joins the Owls after spending a year at nearby University of New Haven where he helped the team to their first winning record in 21 years. Prior to New Haven, he served as the head men's soccer coach for six years at Thiel College in Greenville, Pa
At Thiel, he led the team to their first 3-0 start in program history. He also led his players to holding the team assists record, career assists record, and career shutout record. He had 10 All-PAC Conference Award honorees and 31 All-PAC Honor Roll honorees. He managed all of the operations of the program, wrote detailed practice plans to continue developing players, created a comprehensive recruiting structure to build a bigger and more diverse team, and guided players through their academics by focusing on good study habits.
He also spent some time as a professor of health and physical education while at Thiel. Riley reconstructed the syllabus for the coaching practicum course making it more focused on field experience. He was able to help students develop their coaching philosophy, create training sessions, deliver those training sessions, and understand performance environment.
Riley earned a bachelor’s degree in sports management from Heidelberg University in 2011 where he was a member of the men’s soccer team. He also earned a master’s degree in business administration from Ottawa University in 2013 where he served as a graduate assistant coach. He helped guide the team to a KCAC Championship and the NAIA National Tournament during his first year with them.
