Fernando Barboto has served as the head coach of the NJIT men’s soccer program since 2016 and is one of the most accomplished coaches in the program’s Division I history. He was named the fourth head men’s soccer coach of NJIT’s Division I era after building Iona College into a consistent regional power in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. Under Barboto’s leadership, NJIT reached historic milestones, most notably during the 2019 season when the Highlanders captured both the ASUN Regular Season and Tournament championships and earned the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance at the Division I level. That year, Barboto was named ASUN Coach of the Year and led a staff that earned United Soccer Coaches Atlantic Region Coaching Staff of the Year honors.
Barboto has guided NJIT through multiple conference affiliations while maintaining competitive success, including top-10 regional rankings, school-record win totals, and sustained postseason appearances. His teams have produced numerous conference major award winners, professional draft selections, and nationally recognized student-athletes, including ASUN and America East Players of the Year, Goalkeepers of the Year, and multiple Academic All-Americans. Prior to NJIT, Barboto spent 13 seasons as head coach at Iona College, compiling 116 career wins and leading the Gaels to multiple double-digit win seasons while developing several future Major League Soccer players. His coaching résumé also includes head coaching experience at Saint Francis University and assistant coaching roles at Lafayette, following an early career that began with women’s soccer at Montclair State. A former collegiate All-American and professional player, Barboto is a graduate of Montclair State University and brings decades of Division I coaching, recruiting, and player development experience to NJIT.
