University of Hartford Head Men's Soccer Coach Tom Poitras was recently selected as a member of the Connecticut Soccer Hall of Fame's 2017 induction class. Poitras, who owns a career coaching record of 244-148-58 (.607), is one of six honorees being recognized by the Connecticut State Soccer Association for their "significant contributions to the soccer world."
 
The 19^th annual Hall of Fame dinner will be held on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017 at the Radisson in Cromwell, Conn. The program will begin at 5:30 p.m. Ticket information and reservation forms will be posted at CTSoccerHallofFame.org in the coming days.
 
Poitras is coming off a strong 2016 campaign with the Hawks, who reached the America East Conference Championship for the fourth time since he took over the program, in 2011. The No. 5 seed in the conference tournament, Hartford knocked off No. 4 New Hampshire and No. 1 Stony Brook, before falling to No. 2 Albany in the title game.
 
Poitras' arrival at Hartford signaled a turnaround for the Hawks program. The team had put together one eight-win season in the six years before Poitras took over but has won at least eight games in four of the past six years. His .534 winning percentage (53-45-19) with the Hawks is tops among coaches who have coached more than two seasons at Hartford during the Division I era.
 
During his time at Hartford Poitras has also worked as a scout for the U.S. Soccer Development Academy and led the Coaches Mentoring program at Oakwood Soccer Club in the U.S. Development Academy.
 
A Southington, Conn. native, Poitras played collegiately at Southern Connecticut State, where he was a four-year starter and helped lead the Owls to the Division II national championship in 1987. He started his coaching career at the University of New Haven, earning New England Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year in 1996, and compiled an impressive 153-71-34 (.659) record during the next 13 seasons at Southern New Hampshire and the University of Wisconsin Green Bay.
 
He led SNHU to the 2002 National Championship game and, while at Green Bay, Poitras took the Phoenix to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 26 years.
 
Poitras and his wife, Alison, live in Southington, with their two children, Ian and Ella.
 
The 2017 Connecticut Soccer Hall of Fame class also includes Dave Clarke, Joe LaRosa, Chris Parsons, Catherine Spence and Wolfgang Woischke.