Following the reassignment of former Binghamton women’s soccer head coach Sarah McClellan in October, BU Director of Athletics Patrick Elliot announced on Wednesday that Neel Bhatacharjee will take over as head coach of the program for 2016. With a reputation as a top-level recruiter and developer of elite talent, this will be Bhatacharjee’s first season as a head coach. Before coming to Binghamton, the longtime assistant spent a total of 10 years on the sideline with Syracuse, Boston College and George Washington University.

“Neel is a highly respected coach and leader on a national level, and has accumulated significant quality experience with championship programs and elite student-athletes,” Elliott said in a press release to bubearcats.com. “We are excited to have Neel join our athletics family and lead our women’s soccer program into the future.”

The search for a new head coach began after BU finished with a 3-12-2 mark in 2015, including a 2-5-1 mark in America East play. The Bearcats have also failed to capture an AE title in 11 seasons, despite making the trip to the conference tournament eight times since their last championship in 2004. During his time with BC, Bhattacharjee helped in guiding the Eagles to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA tournament in 2009 before playing a crucial role in the team’s semifinal and Sweet Sixteen finishes in 2010 and 2011, respectively. Bhattacharjee also assisted in putting together a top-20 recruiting class with Syracuse in 2014, as the Orange transitioned from the Big East to the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Bhattachrargee has also built a name for himself outside of collegiate competition, serving as the goalkeeper coach for the Under-21 United States women’s soccer national team in 2006 and holding an ‘A’ coaching license — the top coaches license in the country — from the United States Soccer Federation. Set to officially begin his tenure with Binghamton on January 5, Bhattacharjee is excited to continue his record of success on the pitch.

“I have a vision for the program that is shared by the Binghamton leadership and that energy and passion will lead to future success,” Bhattacharjee said in a press release to bubearcats.com “Given the direction of the athletics program and strong blend of academics, Binghamton is well suited to have a very competitive women’s soccer program that will make the community, alumni and fans proud.”