LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – Rider University Men's Soccer Head Coach Chad Duernberger has announced the hiring of Drew Munoz and Gus Valeriano to complete his coaching staff for the 2023 season. Munoz comes to Rider from Trinity College, while Valeriano was the Goalkeeper Coach for Stockton University in 2022.
"I'm thrilled to have Drew & Gus come on board to complete our staff," said Duernberger. "Drew's attention to detail and hard-working mentality have stood out to me for years. As for Gus, I've had the opportunity to watch him work with goalkeepers and I knew he was the right fit to help develop our guys in goal. Both bring a high level of energy to our environment. Along with Maxx, I'm thankful this group of great coaches have joined me to serve our student-athletes here at Rider."
Munoz spent the last year at Trinity after prior stints at the University of Hartford and Dartmouth College. Prior to Dartmouth, Munoz was an assistant and goalkeeper coach at Bridgton Academy in Maine. At Dartmouth, Munoz created and managed set pieces plays and defensive restart assignments, organized road trip logistics, and managed the team's social media accounts. He served as the recruiting coordinator for Trinity Head Men's Soccer Coach Methembe Ndlovu.
Munoz graduated from Bates College in 2019 where earned a bachelor's degree in rhetoric. He was a four-year letterwinner on the pitch for the Bobcats, started 26 games and earned team rookie of the year and NESCAC All-Sportsmanship awards. As a senior captain, Munoz helped Bates earn its first NESCAC Tournament appearance in eight seasons. He also served as the team's community liaison and as vice president and treasurer for the Bates College Special Olympics Club. Munoz holds his United States Soccer Federation D License and Grassroots License.
Valeriano has gained a variety of coaching experience since graduating from California University of Pennsylvania in 2020. He's served as Director of Goalkeeping for Real JFC since August 2020, handling responsibility for all goalkeepers, both boys and girls, who compete in MLS NXT, Girls Academy and EDP Leagues. He's organized, planned and executed training sessions and oversaw film review. He served a year each as Goalkeeper Coach at Camden County Community College and Stockton University, while also gaining experience as an individual and group trainer for Fearless Futbol and owner/founder of Gus's Goalkeeping.
Valeriano also brings 20 years of goalkeeping experience, including over a year training with both the Philadelphia Union and Philadelphia Union 2. He also played for the Ocean City Nor'easters and Lehigh Valley United of USL 2 during the Summers of 2017-19, while competing for California University of PA from 2016-20. Prior to his collegiate playing days, he competed with the South Jersey Elite Barons, who ranked in the Top 25 in the country. Valeriano graduated with a degree in criminal justice, specializing in Homeland and International Security. He holds a Goalkeeper Level 1 Diploma and a USSF F License.
