Robert Bennett joined the USI men's soccer coaching staff in the 2013 season and assists Head Coach Mat Santoro in all facets of the program, including on-field coaching and recruiting.
During USI's first season at the NCAA Division I, Bennett helped lead the Eagles into a tie for sixth in the Summit League standings and would have earned a spot in the league's post-season tournament had USI been eligible. The 2022 Eagles also feature a trio of Academic All-District honorees (Nick Faddis, Ryan Nevins, Colton Walsh).
Benntt and USI concluded the Eagles' final season in the NCAA Division II with a 5-9-2 overall record, 4-8-2 in the GLVC. The Eagles had battled through a season with four overtime contests and six one-goal deciding matches.
The Eagles complete a record-setting campaign in 2020-21 spring season by posting a sixth-straight winning season, breaking a pair of five-season streaks (1982-86; 1988-92).
In 2018, Bennett helped guide Eagles to a dominating regular season and GLVC campaign. He directed the Eagles to a 13-4-1 overall record, reaching 13 wins for the second time in three season, and a impressive 11-1-1 mark in conference action, capturing the GLVC regular season championship for the first time since 1990.
The 2017 Eagles, who were nationally ranked early in the season, used an 8-1-1 dash in their final 10 games to earn a berth in the GLVC Tournament championship game and finish the year with an 11-7-1 overall mark.
Bennett helped Santoro guide the Screaming Eagles to a historic 2016 campaign, reaching the NCAA Division II Tournament for the second time and advancing for the first time in the history of the program. The Eagles, who also spent four weeks in the NSCAA Top 25 poll, were 13-4-4 overall, reaching 13 wins for the first time since 2002.
Bennett, who has a pair of coaching licenses from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, becomes a part of the USI coaching staff after helping lead the Evansville Soccer Club since 2008. He also was the assistant director in 2012-13.
A mainstay in the Evansville soccer community since the 1980s, Bennett was a member of the Screaming Eagles' dominating Great Lakes Valley Conference title runs in 1989 and 1990. He earned All-State and All-GLVC honors after captaining the USI squad as a senior. The Evansville, Indiana, native finished his USI career with eight points on three goals and two assists in 41 appearances and 33 starts.
Prior to his two seasons with USI, Bennett played two years at nationally-ranked University of Evansville.
Bennett's history with winning programs began before he reached the collegiate level. He was a member of two state championship teams with Memorial High School (Evansville, Indiana), earning several All-City and All-State awards.
