New Jersey City University Athletics

Career Record Years: 6 Record: 38-57-5 (.405)

All-Conference Honors Second Team All-NJAC: 3 Honorable Mention All-NJAC: 4

Team Academic Honors Second Team Academic All-NJAC: 2 Honorable Mention Academic All-NJAC: 28

National Weekly Honors USC DIII National Player of the Week: 1

Team Weekly Honors NJAC Offensive Player of the Week: 3 NJAC Defensive Player of the Week: 3 NJAC Rookie of the Week: 2

Last Updated: July 15, 2022

Former Division III All-American men’s soccer star and 2018 Montclair State University Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Joseph Cullen was appointed the 13th head coach in the history of the New Jersey City University men’s soccer program in June  2016.

2021: Cullen helped lead his Gothic Knights to his second-best win total since taking over the program, as well as the second-most wins since the 2012 season. As per usual, NJCU started off the season strong in non-conference play, flying out to a 7-0-1 mark, highlighted the Bryan Karl Tournament Championship following a 0-0 double-overtime tie with Division II D'Youville University, which ended in a 4-2 PKs victory. Jersey City also played a quartet of one-goal New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) games and ended the season with Honorable Mention All-NJAC selections in then-sophomores Maximo Vargas and Anthony Salmeron.

2020-21: In a non-traditional Spring season, which consisted of just four regular-season games all in NJAC play due to the Fall COVID cancelations, Cullen guided the Gothic Knights to their first NJAC Tournament since the 2008 season, as well as their second-straight year of postseason play. Team captain and then-first-year senior Nelson Segovia picked up Second Team All-NJAC honors.

2019: For this first time in his head coaching career, Cullen guided NJCU to the postseason as the squad finished the year with a 11-10-1 overall record and ended play as 2019 ECAC Division III Men's Soccer Championship Quarterfinalists. The Gothic Knights started off the season with a 9-0 record, their best start in the program's history, as well as a program-best winning streak. Then-senior Joe Burgos was named NJAC Offensive Player of the Week and United Soccer Coaches (USC) NCAA Division III National Soccer Player of the Week on Sept. 11, 2019. Additionally, three plays were selected as part of ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays throughout the season. Cullen helped guide the seasons of then-seniors Michael Almeida and Koshane Marshall to All-NJAC seasons, picking up Second Team and Honorable Mention honors, respectively.

2018: Cullen helped his squad to a 3-0 start at the beginning of this season, as well as a pair of NJAC weekly honors. Almeida notched NJAC Defensive Player of the Week (9/3), while then-senior Theo Sanah was named Offensive Player of the Week (9/24). Almeida also earned Honorable Mention All-NJAC honors to close out the year.

2017: Cullen's second season at the helm also started off strong as the Gothic Knights posted a 3-0-01 mark to kick off the campaign, including the championship at the 2017 CSI Soccer Fall Classic with a pair of 1-0 wins. Cullen's players also collected a trio of weekly awards: then-senior Luis Cruz was named NJAC Defensive Player of the Week (9/4), while then-freshman Walter Salmeron was named NJAC Rookie of the Week and ECAC Metro Rookie of the Week on Sept. 26 and 27, respectively.

2016: Prior to his 2018 season, the squad's 2016 start (7-0-0) was the previous best in program history. The Gothic Knights once again won the CSI Soccer Fall Classic. One highlighted match for the year was a 3-3 double-overtime draw with New York University on Sept. 21.
 

	Overall			Conference
Year	W	L	T	W	L	T	Postseason
2016	8	10	1	0	9	0
2017	4	12	2	0	8	1
2018	6	11	0	0	9	0
2019	11	10	1	0	9	0	ECAC (Quarterfinal)
2020-21	0	5	0	0	4	0	NJAC Tournament (Quarterfinal)
2021	9	9	1	0	9	0
Overall	38	57	5	0	48	1

Before NJCU:
A 2010 graduate of fellow NJAC institution Montclair State, served four seasons as an assistant coach at his alma mater from 2010-13. Most recently, he served in the same role for two seasons at Moravian College from 2014-15 and also earned his MBA during his time in Bethlehem in 2016.

His four-year tenure at Moravian was a successful one. Prior to that, during his time on the Red Hawks' staff, he helped his teams reached the NCAA Tournament each season, advancing to the second round in 2010 (14-5-3) before surging to the NCAA national semifinals in 2011 (19-4-3). As an encore, MSU reached the Elite 8 in back-to-back years in 2012 (19-3-1) and 2013 (17-4-3) — marking the program’s third consecutive appearance in the national quarterfinals during his tenure. Montclair posted a combined 69-16-10 ledger (.779).

On the pitch as a player for the Red Hawks, Cullen produced one of the finest men's soccer careers in MSU history, teaming with his brother, Michael, to catapult the Red Hawks to four consecutive NJAC championships in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 and four straight NCAA Tournament appearances. In four seasons, Montclair was an incredible combined 77-7-4 (.898) with Cullen in the lineup and boasted a near-perfect mark of 32-3-1 (.903) in the conference; ironically two of the three losses came against NJCU.

Cullen’s career culminated when, as a senior co-captain in 2009, he became the 24th All-America recipient in Montclair history, garnering NSCAA Division III Second Team honors. A three-time All-Region selection by the NSCAA, he was First Team All-NSCAA South Atlantic and First Team All-ECAC in 2009. He also earned First Team All-Region distinction in 2008 and Second Team in 2007. A three-time All-NJAC selection, Cullen was selected the 2009 Pat Baldiserra Midfielder of the Year. He was named First Team All-NJAC in 2008 and 2009 and Second Team All-NJAC as a sophomore in 2007.

Cullen appeared in 87 career contests — more than any player who has ever donned a Montclair State uniform — starting 80 times. He capped his career ranking third all-time in assists with 28 and netted 16 goals for a 60-point career, including nine game-winning tallies. In all, 81 of his 206 career shots were on target, As a freshman, MSU went 20-1-1 and reached the NCAA Round of 16 as Cullen logged eight assists (one goal) for 10 points, playing in all 22 games with 16 starts. He would start all but one game the remainder of his career. As a sophomore, MSU was 19-3-1, knocked off NJCU in the NJAC championship game, then again in a classic 3-2 overtime game in the Round of 16 to reach the Elite 8. He had two goals and five assists (nine points) in 23 games (all starts). Statistically, his junior season was his most prolific as Cullen bagged career highs of eight goals and 10 assists for 26 points, including four game-winners while playing in all 22 contests (21 starts) for an MSU team that opened the year with a 21-0 record before losing to Messiah, 1-0, in two overtimes in the Round of 16 to wrap up a 21-1 campaign. As a senior, Montclair went 17-2-2, advanced to the NCAA second round and he produced five goals and five assists (15 points) with three game-winners in 20 games (20 starts).

A 2005 graduate of Highland Regional High School in Blackwood, N.J., he earned All-State honors for the Tartans. A native of Clementon, N.J., Cullen resides in River Vale, N.J., with his wife.