WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - University of Hartford men's and women's soccer assistant coach George Kostelis was recently inducted as a member of the Connecticut Soccer Hall of Fame's class of 2022. Kostelis, who returned to the Hawks in 2021, was one of eight honorees recognized by the Connecticut State Soccer Association for their "significant contributions to the soccer world."
 
The annual Hall of Fame dinner was held this past Saturday, April 2, at The Hook and Ladder in North Haven, Conn.
 
A native of West Hartford, Conn., Kostelis is a member of both the Hartford's men's and women's soccer team's coaching staffs, serving as the Hawks' goalkeeper coach. He returned to the men's team in 2020 and recently finished his first season as a member of the women's coaching staff.
 
Kostelis, who has 20 years of collegiate coaching experience in Connecticut and Rhode Island, returned to his alma mater after spending two seasons as a goalkeeper coach for Connecticut's professional soccer team, the Hartford Athletic of the United Soccer League (USL), in 2019 and 2020.
 
Prior to coaching at the professional level, Kostelis spent two seasons as an associate head coach for the women's soccer team at Rhode Island in 2017 and 2018. In addition to his time at Rhode Island, he spent one year as an assistant men's soccer coach at Southern Connecticut State, five years as head men's soccer coach at Western Connecticut State and 10 seasons as an assistant men's soccer coach and goalkeeper's coach at Yale.
 
Kostelis, who got his collegiate coaching career off the ground as an assistant men's soccer coach at Hartford in 1995, was also an assistant coach for UConn's women's soccer program from 1997-2000. With his guidance, the Huskies were NCAA Tournament quarterfinalists two times, and were also NCAA Finalists in 1997.
 
Kostelis enjoyed a decorated collegiate playing career at Hartford. A three-time All-North Atlantic Conference goalkeeper who earned All-New England honors in 1992, he helped lead Hartford to the program's first and second Division I NCAA Tournament appearances in 1991 and 1992.
 
Kostelis' career statistics still rank among the best in Hartford's 37-year Division I history. Boasting the top career goals-against average (1.07) and the most wins (36) in program history, he is second in save percentage (.846), fourth in saves (343), fourth in shutouts (17) and fourth in minutes played (6,216).
 
A 1993 graduate who earned a degree in human service, Kostelis went on to play professionally in Greece for two seasons. He was inducted in the Hawks' Alumni Hall of Fame in 2007. 
 
The 2022 Connecticut Soccer Hall of Fame class also includes Neville R. Brown, Mick D'Arcy, James Leahy, Carl Lombardo, Dave Lombardo, Joe Mingachos and Chafik Rebai.