After a national search to replace outgoing men’s soccer head coach Bo Oshoniyi, Dartmouth Athletics announced on Dec. 19 that Connor Klekota will serve as the next Bobby Clark Head Coach of Men’s Soccer. A proven winner, having won national championships as a player and a coach, Klekota’s hiring comes at the end of a year in which Dartmouth’s men’s soccer program finished with a 3-8-3 record.
Klekota arrives from Georgetown University, where he served as an assistant coach for the past eight seasons. During his time at Georgetown, Klekota helped transform the Hoyas into a national powerhouse in college soccer, with the program securing the 2019 National Collegiate Athletic Association National Championship, six Big East Conference Regular Season titles and five Big East Tournament titles.
In a way, Klekota’s appointment is a “full circle.” Klekota was a captain and a 2013 National Champion at the University of Notre Dame under the legendary coach Bobby Clark, for whom Dartmouth’s coaching position is named. For the men’s soccer program, the name “Bobby Clark” — called ‘boss’ by his players — represents a standard of excellence that defined an era.
“To be working under his name each day is incredibly special and a really big honor, because of how big he was in my life and in my growth and development,” Klekota said. “It’s actually really special that this position is titled after him, because it shows that the alums also felt similar with how Bobby affected their lives.”
According to Klekota, the most important lesson he learned from Clark is to understand how to carry yourself at all times. For him, this meant that “you prioritize how you handle people, how you handle your teammates and how you handle each other”.
“His ability to make his teams understand that was something that will forever be remembered,” he added.
With championship experience at both Georgetown and Notre Dame, Klekota pointed to a shift in the team’s mindset and competitive standard as the first step towards success.
“We have to reestablish what it means to have a championship work ethic and standards,” he said. “Does that mean you're going to win a championship right away? No. Does that mean you're going to win one in five years? I couldn't tell you that, but it means that we carry ourselves in the right way, which is step one.”
Klekota spent his eight seasons at Georgetown under head coach Brian Wiese ’95, who played under Clark while at Dartmouth, adding another layer to Klekota’s ties to Dartmouth’s soccer program.
“It was very similar, because he worked for Bobby for 10 years,” Klekota remarked about his time as a member of Wiese’s staff. “It was about the work, and enjoying the work, and finding joy in the relationships with one another each day.”
Forward Trenton Blake ’27 expressed excitement about the new coach.
“I’m ready to get to it,” Blake said. “I think this winter and spring will be great for us to just get a better feel for how he wants to play, and how he is around the guys.”
“Everybody’s already on the same page about it,” midfielder Nick Kashambuzi ’28 said, about Klekota’s plans for the program. “I’m excited to get to work.”
