Vitagliano, who previously served as an assistant coach for the men's and women's soccer programs at Maryland, replaces Guy Abrahamson, who served one season with the Fightin' Blue Hens before accepting the head coaching position at St. Peter's College last fall.
"Bryan has an accomplished playing and coaching record at the University of Maryland and I am obviously thrilled to have him on board,” UD Head Coach Ian Hennessy, who led the Hens to a record of 6-8-2 in his first season, said. “He has a good eye for the game and can still jump in and play with the lads, which is a bonus. Bryan's playing pedigree commands instant respect.”
A native of Scottsdale, Ariz., Vitagliano served the last two seasons as a volunteer assistant coach for the Maryland women's team under Brian Pensky, helping lead the squad to a 9-7-4 record and a berth in the NCAA Division I championship tournament in 2005 and a 5-9-4 record last season. He also doubled as a volunteer assistant with the Terrapin men's program in 2004 under head coach Sasho Cirovski. The Terrapins went 17-6-1, captured the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season title, and advanced to the NCAA semifinals.
Vitagliano, 25, was a four-year standout defender at Maryland, helping the Terrapins post a four-year record of 61-26-2 and advance to the NCAA tournament each of his final three seasons. The team advanced to the NCAA semifinals and won 20 games in both 2002 and 2003. Vitagliano had five career goals and six assists in 65 career games with 30 starts. He earned a bachelor's degree in marketing in 2004 and a master's degree in kinesiology with a specialization in sport commerce and culture in 2006.
Vitagliano was a Dean's List student at Maryland, earning the University of Maryland “M” Club's Presidential Award for Academic Achievement in 2003 and earning a place on the Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Honor Roll four times. He is also a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars (2000-03) and the Phi Sigma Theta National Honor Society.
