STORRS, Conn. – Stefan Defregger and Robbie Montanaro join the UConn men's soccer coaching staff, announced by head coach Chris Gbandi on Friday afternoon. 

"We are excited to welcome both Stefan Defregger and Robbie Montanaro to the UConn Men's Soccer family," said Gbandi. "Both Stef and Robbie have great knowledge of the game and are passionate about coaching and leading young men. They will be huge additions to our program, and we look forward to incorporating them into our group."

Defregger joins the Huskies program after spending this past year as an assistant coach at the University of New Hampshire. Defregger will serve as the associate head coach, replacing Ryan Fahey who had been in that role on Gbandi's staff for the past two years. Fahey recently took a position at the University of Washington as an assistant men's soccer coach. "I would like to thank Coach Fahey for his time with our program over the past two seasons," said Gbandi. "He was a huge part of us making positive strides on and off the field these past two years. Coach Fahey is a great coach and friend, and we wish him and his family all the best as he takes on this new role at the University of Washington."

Prior to his time at UNH, Defregger served as an assistant coach at Northeastern University from 2018 to 2023. During his time at Northeastern, he served as the interim head coach twice, helping lead the Huskies to 18 All-Conference honors, five All-Region accolades, one Rookie of the Year and six student-athletes on to professional soccer careers. 
 
Defregger has also had coaching stints at Seacoast United MLS Next team as the head coach and at the University of Rochester where he was an assistant coach. While at Rochester, Defregger was a member of the 2017 University Athletic Association Coaching Staff of the Year as the team advanced to the Division III Elite 8 for the first time in program history. 

Defregger attended Dartmouth College where he helped the Big Green to Ivy League Championships in 2011 and 2014. He graduated from Dartmouth in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Economics and earned his Master of Science degree in Sports Leadership from Northeastern in 2022. He played pro in the USL with Wilmington (2015-16) and Rochester (2017).

Montanaro joins the coaching staff at UConn after spending this past year as the first assistant at Adrian College. He will primarily coach the goalkeepers on the roster. Montanaro was previously the head coach at Boston University Academy where he led the Terriers to an 11-1 record and a league title in 2023. 

Before his time at Boston University Academy, he was a private goalkeeper coach for high school, college, and professional goalkeepers around the country. 

Montanaro graduated from Bates College where he started 47 games in net and made over 200 saves for the Bobcats. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in Sociology. Montanaro played abroad in Scotland, Puerto Rico, Sweden, and the Czech Republic. While playing pro, he got his master's degree from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.