George Kostelis enters his second season as a member of the Hartford men’s soccer team’s coaching staff. Joining the Hawks for the 2020-21 season, Kostelis, who was a standout member of Hartford’s men’s soccer team from 1989-93, serves as the goalkeeper coach.
Kostelis’ impact was felt immediately upon his return to Hartford. In his first season — which was abbreviated and played in the spring of 2021 due to COVID 19 — he guided freshman Rotem Fadida to America East All-Rookie Team honors. Fadida posted three shutouts between the posts and ranked fifth among the league’s goalkeepers in GAA that season.
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.
During his time at Yale, he helped guide the Bulldogs to an Ivy League Title and a berth to the NCAA Tournament.
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.
A native of West Hartford, Conn., 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.
