UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Head coach of Penn State men’s soccer, Jeff Cook, announced the addition of assistant coach Ryan Sandell to his staff. The Medford, New Jersey, native brings seven years of coaching experience to Happy Valley.
“I am delighted to welcome Ryan Sandell to the Penn State men’s soccer program,” said head coach Jeff Cook. “Our goal with this hire was to attract the best emerging goalkeeper coach in the country and I believe we have achieved that. Ryan stood out very early in the process as the right fit, he has an excellent background developing elite goalkeepers but also has significant experience in all aspects of Division I coaching. I am excited to add Ryan to our staff and look forward to his contributions to the Nittany Lion men’s soccer program!”
Sandell arrives in State College, Pennsylvania from his most recent stop at Temple where he served as the goalkeepers. Sandell helped guide the Owls to a conference leading save percentage (.794) and saves per game (4.53) in 2024. The save percentage ranked in the top 20 in the nation. Sandell’s goalkeepers ranked second in the American in shutout percentage, earning a clean sheet in over 41 percent of their games. In two seasons, the team posted eight shutouts under his watch.
“I’m incredibly excited to join the program at Penn State, and to work with some exceptional goalkeepers, players, and staff,” said Sandell. “It is a special place, with a proven history of success, and it is an honor to be given the chance to help contribute to the successes to come. I couldn’t be prouder to be a Nittany Lion!”
Sandell made a stop across town prior to joining the Owls, where he worked with Penn. During his two seasons with the Quakers, he commanded the goalkeeper room. Penn won the 2022 Ivy League Championship with a 13-3-2 overall record while going 6-1-0 in conference play. Penn's keepers allowed less than one goal per game and posted seven shutouts during the run.
He got his start in coaching with Drexel, where he served as a volunteer assistant coach and goalkeepers coach before arriving in Allentown, Pennsylvania to serve as a full-time assistant with Muhlenberg College. While at Drexel, he coached alongside current Nittany Lion assistant coach Sean Lawlor. The pair guided Drexel to an undefeated non-conference campaign in 2018.
The city of Philadelphia has been familiar to Sandell for quite some time as he was a standout goalkeeper for St. Joseph's Prep, earning first-team All-Catholic league honors. He would then play collegiately for Elizabethtown College where he finished his career with a 0.68 GAA, a .825 save percentage, and eight shutouts.
Following graduation, Sandell started his semi-professional career with the Philadelphia Fury of the American Soccer League before heading overseas for Skellefteå, Sweden to join Morön BK. While there, he helped lead the team to a league title while starting all 22 games for a 15-2-1 regular season record. In over 1,620 minutes, he held a 0.66 GAA and had eight shutouts between the pipes.