BEREA, Ohio – Baldwin Wallace University men's soccer Head Coach Reid Ayers has announced that Rhys Cannella has joined the staff as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator in 2018.
Cannella comes to BW from NCAA Division II Walsh University in Canton where he was a volunteer assistant coach for one season. His primary responsibilities included creating and implementing practice sessions for the varsity squad, helping to run the day-to-day operations of the program, assisting in recruitment and creating a game plan for each opponent. Cannella was also a volunteer assistant at Division II Ashland University from August 2016 to May 2017 and the College of Wooster from August 2013 to May 2014.
Prior to his time at Wooster, Cannella was a graduate assistant coach at Division II Urbana University for two seasons. He assisted in all facets of the men's soccer program and was a crucial part in recruiting players both domestically and overseas. During his time at Urbana, Cannella helped to lead the Blue Knights to the two most successful seasons in program history with a conference championship coming in his final season.
At the club level, Cannella has worked with the Akron Metro Futbol Club as the Associate Technical Director since August of 2013 where he provides training for children ages 4-18 and markets the club's summer camp schedule of events.
Cannella's soccer experience isn't just limited to being a coach, however, as he was a four-year starter for the Division II Tiffin University men's soccer program from 2007-2011. In his 74 career games, he scored 29 goals and added 14 assists for 72 points. A two-time team captain, Cannella earned Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Offensive Player of the Year and NCAA Division II First-Team All-American honors as a junior to go along with his two All-GLIAC nods.
A native of Luton, England, Cannella played youth soccer in Luton and then went on to play semi-professional soccer for Biggleswade United in the eighth tier of English soccer.
Cannella graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in sports management from Tiffin in 2011 and then went on to obtain a Master of Business Administration degree from Urbana in 2013. He holds his U.S. Soccer National "C" License as well as a U.S. Soccer National Level 3 Futsal License.
