Emily Buccilla - Soccer Coach - East Carolina University Athletics

Emily Buccilla

Title:
Assistant Coach
Email:
Buccillae18@ecu.edu
Phone:
(252) 737-1429

Emily Buccilla (byoo-sil-ah) was named the sixth Head Coach in East Carolina Soccer history on Dec. 17, 2024. She had previously served as an assistant coach with the program for seven seasons.

At East Carolina – As Assistant
The Pirates saw a period of improved success with Buccilla on the staff as an assistant, with the team finally breaking through for an American Athletic Conference Tournament Championship and NCAA Tournament berth in 2024, the first in program history.

That season also saw six Pirates earn American postseason recognition and five earn All-Tournament honors, led by Annabelle Abbott and Maeve English who were named Tournament Most Outstanding Offensive and Defensive Players. The team’s 10-4-7 record for the year represented the best winning percentage for the program since 2008.

In 2023, the Pirates’ earned their first over-.500 record since the 2018 season with a 9-5-5 finish. The season also saw four players earn All-Conference recognition while Jazmin Ferguson became the first ECU player to earn player of the year honors since 2008 as she was named the 2023 American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

In 2022, running out to a 5-2-1 record and earned votes in the United Soccer Coaches Poll for the first time in program history following a win at then-No. 19 SMU. The program earned six votes on Sept. 13 and seven votes on Sept. 20. Battling injuries, the Pirates would go on to an 8-8-3 record in 2022. That season, Buccilla helped guide three players to All-Conference honors and helped Jazmin Ferguson to the American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year award, the second Pirate in a row to win the honor.

In 2021, Buccilla helped guide two Pirates to All-Conference honors and Haley McWhirter to the AAC Rookie of the Year award.

During the 2019 season, Buccilla helped two Pirates earn AAC postseason honors with goalkeeper Melanie Stiles and defender Kim Sanford both earning Second-Team All-AAC honors.

In her first season in Greenville, Buccilla helped guide the Pirates to a 10-6-3 record and an appearance in the AAC Championship Semifinals, marking the first time since 2014 that ECU had achieved those feats. Under her guidance, Jayda Hylton-Pelaia and Courtney Cash were named to the AAC All-Conference Second-Team while Grace Doran was named to the All-Conference Rookie Team.

Prior to East Carolina
Buccilla spent the prior four seasons as an assistant women's soccer coach at Stetson University.

Buccilla was specifically responsible for working with Stetson's attackers during her time in DeLand. Her work with Sarah Collins helped her turn in a historic season in 2015 when she tied the school record with 12 goals and earned first-team All-Atlantic Sun Conference honors.

Prior to her time at Stetson, she served as the girls' head varsity coach at Canal Winchester High School in Winchester, Ohio. In addition to her duties at CWHS, Buccilla also coached the Barcelona Ohio FC U12 & U13 club teams.

Buccilla has been coaching since graduating from St. Bonaventure University with a bachelor's degree in visual arts in 2012. She spent one year as head coach of the U12 Pickerington (Ohio) Blast, and was the assistant girls track coach at Ridgeview Junior High and the junior varsity girls' soccer coach at Pickerington North High School.

Buccilla was a four-year letter winner and team captain at St. Bonaventure where she was part of the winningest senior class in SBU history - the first senior class to go to four straight Atlantic 10 Championships.