Women's Soccer
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- erl210@lehigh.edu
- Phone:
- 610-758-4346
- Alma Mater:
- First Season
Eric Lambinus was named Lehigh’s head women’s soccer coach on February 2, 2010. He arrived at Lehigh from nearby Moravian College where he enjoyed a great deal of success as the head women’s and men’s soccer coach during an 11-year span. “I would like to thank (Lehigh Dean of Athletics) Joe Sterrett and the athletic staff for welcoming me to the Lehigh community,” Lambinus explained. “It needed to be the perfect fit for me to consider leaving Moravian College and it became very clear through the search process that Lehigh is that place for me and my family.”
Lambinus continued, “I feel that I have grown considerably as a coach over the last 11 years and will continue that process as I get to work learning what makes the programs at Lehigh so successful. I truly believe that the philosophy of the Lehigh athletic department perfectly aligns with what I believe is important in leading a women’s soccer program. I am extremely excited to meet the team and getting to know each one of them!”
Sterrett offered his thoughts on the Mountain Hawks’ newest head coach. “Eric Lambinus presents a set of experiences and qualities that can be characterized as ‘a more experienced form of the coach we have hired’ to lead what are now many of our most successful programs. In the end, what matters most to being successful and fulfilled at Lehigh is possessing educational and personal values that are well-aligned with Lehigh; intelligence and yet an eagerness for continued learning; competitiveness, resiliency and also creativity to adapt to the inevitable bumps in the road; a strong work ethic; and a sense of harmony with the community here at Lehigh. It is my belief that Eric Lambinus possesses these qualities and attributes.”
Sterrett continued, “We had a very strong pool of candidates to choose from, which made the evaluation process challenging in a desirable way. During the interview process, Eric displayed an impressive understanding of our approach to athletics at Lehigh and shared that his coaching style has evolved such that it is now built upon clear communication, effective teaching and the expectation of accountability for intended and agreed upon expectations.” He added, “Despite having a very stable position in an environment where he has earned broad respect and credibility, Eric communicated quite clearly his strong desire to join our department and his passion for contributing to the successful history in our program.”
During his tenure leading the Moravian women, Lambinus led the Greyhounds to three NCAA Tournament appearances (2005, 2007, 2008) as well as the 2008 Landmark Conference championship. His teams played in the Landmark and MAC Conference championship game three times and made four appearances in the MAC Commonwealth playoffs. Moravian was the 2003 ECAC Mid-Atlantic runner-up and won 123 games under Lambinus’ tutelage. From an individual standpoint he developed one NSCAA All-American, one Academic All-American, eight All-Region selections, three conference Players of the Year and four conference Rookies of the Year.
Lambinus led the Moravian men to an appearance in the 2002 MAC Commonwealth championship game, four MAC playoff appearances and two appearances in the ECAC Mid-Atlantic semifinals. In addition he produced a pair of Academic All-Americans and three All-Region selections.
During his time at Moravian Lambinus also served as an Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Education as well as the Athletic Department’s Academic Advisor.
“I’ve known Eric as a player during my younger playing days in the Lehigh Valley and watched him develop as a college coach while at Moravian,” Lehigh men’s head soccer coach Dean Koski explained. “I was always impressed with Eric as a player and formidable opponent, but I was even more impressed with Eric as a coach.” He continued, “His teams at Moravian always had a reputation of being very organized and very competitive and I’m delighted that Eric will now be joining the Lehigh athletics team and lead the women’s program. The transition will be seamless and I know Eric has great respect for Manny Oudin and will certainly build on the tremendous foundation Manny has left for his successor.”
Lambinus has previous coaching experience at Washington College (Chestertown, Md.) and ENCO Premiere Soccer Club and is currently the head boys soccer coach for FC Lehigh.
During his playing days at Moravian College Lambinus was a four time All-Conference selection, a two time All-Region selection and a two time Academic All-American. He also served as captain for two years and earned a pair of Team MVP awards. Following his collegiate experience Lambinus spent four seasons with a professional club, the Reading Rage.
Prior to entering the coaching profession Lambinus worked as a tax consultant for Deloitte and Touche in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Lambinus graduated from Moravian College in 1994 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. He later earned his master’s in Sport Management from East Stroudsburg University. Lambinus and his wife Cindy have two children, MacKenzie and Owen.
