UNH men's soccer coach Marc Hubbard's ties to Clemson coach Mike Noonan go back to youth

DURHAM — On Sunday, with a berth in the NCAA men's soccer Elite Eight on the line, University of New Hampshire head coach Marc Hubbard will see a familiar face on the opposing sideline in Clemson University head coach Mike Noonan.

The relationship between Hubbard and Noonan, who served as the UNH head coach from 1991 to 1994 and led the Wildcats to their first NCAA Tournament appearance, goes back to when Hubbard was 11 years old.

Hubbard grew up in Durham, graduated from Oyster River High School and played for one of the first Seacoast United club soccer teams in 1992. Noonan, along with Paul Willis and two others, started Seacoast United, and Noonan was Hubbard's first coach.

"Had a great relationship with Marc and (Seacoast United) for the time that I was in New Hampshire," Noonan said after Tuesday's practice at Clemson. "(Hubbard) was bright and picked up on concepts really quickly. He wasn't the most athletic player, but he understood tactically. At 11 years old, you're dealing with simple concept and technique, and Marc was just a great kid."

Hubbard recalls Noonan being "very chilled out" during those early days.

"(Noonan) brought out his lawn chair, and sort of sat there and kind of let us play," Hubbard said during a break practice this week ahead of Sunday's game. "But obviously a lot of his influence on me as a player came from his time at UNH with camps and the way he interacted with the local community."

Noonan calls UNH a 'special place'

Noonan compiled a record of 48-23-9 during his time as UNH's head coach. In 1994, his final season, Noonan led the Wildcats to its first NCAA tournament, where the Wildcats lost to Brown University, 3-2, in double overtime in the first round.

Noonan was then hired at Brown University, where he spent 15 years before arriving at Clemson in 2010.

Hubbard is in his ninth season as head coach of the Wildcats. He was an assistant at UNH from 2003 to 2007 before serving as the Southern New Hampshire University head coach for four years, winning the NCAA Division II national championship in 2013, before returning to Durham to lead the program.

Now, Noonan and Hubbard will square off Sunday. Game time is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Wildcat Stadium.

"I texted (Noonan on Monday morning) 'congrats' and 'welcome back to Durham,'" Hubbard said. "He's someone that a couple of times a year, I'll reach out to. He's always very cordial and complimentary of what we've done here."

Noonan said this weekend's visit back to Durham at his old stomping grounds "fills his heart with joy more than anything else."

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"(UNH) was a special place," Noonan said. "We were able to do some special things when I was there, and Marc has taken that to a whole another level. To be able to see someone from the community doing that warms my heart. I'm really, really excited to get up there and see a lot of old friends. I left New England to come down here about 15 years ago. There's a lot of people in the soccer community throughout New England who will be in New Hampshire on Sunday, and that's really, really rewarding. I couldn't be happier."

Noonan watched Hubbard's career path from afar

Noonan said he followed Hubbard's career dating back to his playing days at Oyster River, and then as a player for Colgate University in the Patriot League, to his three-year professional career with the New Hampshire Phantoms of the USL, and then, ultimately, his coaching days.

"Am I surprised (Hubbard) has turned into as good as a coach as he is? Not really. Am I proud? Absolutely," Noonan said. "He was a cerebral young man then, and he's a cerebral coach right now.

"If there's something that Marc is curious about or I'm curious about, we always contact each other," Noonan said. "We're not on speed dial, but we talk pretty frequently."

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Hubbard said Noonan is someone he has gone to for career advice, more than advice on coaching or running a program.

"He's always been very receptive," Hubbard said. "I think he really thinks of his UNH days very fondly, and all of the relationships he was able to create."

More alumni ties associated with Sunday's UNH-Clemson game

Ryan Leib played for Noonan at UNH from 1991 to 1994. Leib's son, Matthias Leib, is now a freshman defender playing for Noonan at Clemson.

"Those (alumni) ties are very good," Hubbard said. "I know a lot of those (alumni) are coming up for the game (on Sunday). I think it's a meaningful game in a lot of ways. For a lot of our alumni who played under Coach Noonan, who I've gotten to know well over the years, this is a great opportunity for them to come back, reminisce and celebrate. I'm looking forward to it."

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: UNH's Hubbard, Clemson's Noonan to reunite in NCAA men's soccer clash