Steve Axtell was named SUNY Cortland’s men’s soccer head coach in June 2012. He served as the program’s interim head coach for five months prior to his hiring and was an assistant coach for the Red Dragons in 2010 and 2011. He also was a volunteer student assistant coach during the 2007 season.
A goalie for the Red Dragons for three seasons (2006, 2008-09), Axtell earned All-SUNYAC honors in 2008 and appeared in 39 career games with nine shutouts. He earned a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology in 2008 and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in exercise science.
A native of Franklin, N.Y., Axtell holds an Advanced National Diploma and an Advanced National Goalkeeping Diploma from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) with Distinguished Pass and is an Associate National Goalkeeping Staff.
He is also a certified strength and conditioning specialist and has received a conditioning for soccer diploma from the International Coaches Association. Axtell is the founder and director of the One+ Goalkeeper Academy in Ithaca, N.Y., with programs in Elmira and Oneonta and summer camps throughout the Northeast.
Besides assisting with both the men’s and women’s soccer programs at Cortland, Axtell has served as the head coach of the Central Region scholastic soccer team at the Empire State Games and the WAZA FLO soccer club in Ithaca. He has acted as director of soccer at Camp Winadu in Mass. for two years and Ithaca MicroSoccer for one year. Axtell is head coach and Director of Goalkeeping at the TCW Academy in Ithaca and is a New York ODP staff coach.
