JERSEY CITY, NJ (www.NJCUGothicKnights.com)...In his first season as acting head coach of the New Jersey City University men's soccer program, NANSHA KALONJI led a young Gothic Knight squad to several notable victories, including an upset of then #3 ranked Montclair State University, and an appearance on ESPN's Top Plays. Kalonji will have the opportunity to guide NJCU to even more future success after being appointed head men's soccer coach in a full-time role following a search to fill the position.
As a Hall-of-Fame collegian and on the professional soccer ranks, Kalonji excelled as an attacker. Now as the 12th head coach in NJCU history, the experienced soccer veteran brings the same brand of exciting soccer to the Gothic Knights, where he is known as a player's coach who values input from his athletes.
In 2009, he took over a program that had just graduated most of its starting line-up after making championship runs for much of the decade. Despite this obstacle, Kalonji led a young Gothic Knight squad to several notable victories, including an upset of then #3 ranked Montclair State University, and an appearance on ESPN's SportsCenter “Top Plays.” The win over Montclair, one of seven for NJCU during the 2009 campaign, marked the highest ranked team ever defeated in the 51-year history of the program and snapped MSU's 19-game NJAC regular season unbeaten streak—23 games including the NJAC Tournament—and 37-game regular-season unbeaten streak.
Kalonji came to NJCU from NJAC-rival Ramapo College, where he served as an assistant coach from 2006-09 at a program where he was a Hall-of-Fame, record-setting athlete.
In 2007, the Roadrunners were fifth in the NJAC, reaching the league tournament with a 12-5-2 mark and 4-3-2 in the conference.
He served three years as the part-time head coach of Rutgers-Newark from 2004-06 after taking over that program just three weeks before the start of the 2004 campaign.
As an assistant coach at Greensboro (NC) College from 2002-04, Kalonji was an important piece of a perennial NCAA tournament squad under head coach Rusty Scarborough which went a combined 41-14-6 in his time with the program and won back-to-back conference championships.
Kalonji enjoyed a six-year professional playing career, most notably for the New York Red Bulls—then the Metrostars—during the 1999 season, playing three different positions for the Major League Soccer club: right back, right mid and forward.
After spending the 2000 season on injured reserve with a broken leg, he signed with the Carolina Dynamo of the United States Soccer League (USL) in Greensboro, NC, and led the club to its first USL regular season title while serving as captain while playing during the 2001 and 2002 seasons. He began his professional career in 1998 with the New Jersey Reptile of the United States Soccer League.
As a student-athlete at Ramapo from 1993-94 and 1996-97, Kalonji was a record-setting attacker and midfielder for Coach Pepe Pinton, and among the most prolific scorers in the history of the New Jersey Athletic Conference. He was inducted into the Ramapo Hall of Fame in 2007. He concluded his four-year collegiate career with 52 goals, 42 assists, 146 points and 12 game-winning goals—all of which are still all-time program records for the Roadrunners. His 146 points are seventh most in the history of the conference. Kalonji also holds Ramapo's single-season records for goals (19, 1997), assists (18, 1994), points (48, 1997) and game-winners (6, 1997). He earned First-Team All-NJAC and First-Team NSCAA Umbro All-Mid Atlantic Region accolades in 1996 and 1997 and Second-Team All-NJAC distinction in 1994. He was the NJAC Player of the Week on November 4, 1996 and September 27, 1997.
Following his professional playing career, Kalonji completed a major in Social Science with a concentration in Economics, earning a Bachelor of Arts from Ramapo in 2002.
Born in Belgium and a raised in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the 37-year-old Kalonji currently resides in Jersey City with his wife and three sons.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
- Head Coach, New Jersey City University, 2009-present
- Head Coach, Rutgers-Newark, 2004-06
- Assistant Coach, Ramapo College, 2006-09, 1998-99
- Assistant Coach, Greensboro College, 2002-04
- Played six seasons professionally, most notably with New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer in 1999
- 2007 inductee into Ramapo Athletic Hall of Fame
- Ramapo all-time career leader in goals (52), assists (42), points (146), and game-winning goals (12)
- Owns Ramapo single season records for goals (19), assists (18), points (48) and game-winning goals (6)
- Seventh leading scorer in New Jersey Athletic Conference history
- Three-time All-NJAC selection; earned First-Team All-NJAC and First-Team All-Region honors in 1996 and 1997
- Two-time NJAC Player of the Week
—www.njcugothicknights.com—
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