Mark Dawson brings extensive knowledge of soccer in the Northeast Region to the C.W. Post program, and 2005 was his first season at the Brookville, N.Y. school.

Dawson came to the Pioneers after a seven-year stint at Southampton College, where he was the head coach of the women's program before the Long Island University-based campus closed its doors to undergraduate programs. He led the Colonials to an 80-50-6 mark during that time span, as well as a No. 3 national ranking in the 2004 campaign when Southampton played host to the NCAA Division II Championship's Northeast Regional. A two-time NYCAC Coach of the Year (2001, '04), Dawson also received Northeast Region Coach of the Year accolades from the NSCAA in his final season with the program.

The Mastic, N.Y. resident also served as an assistant coach with Southampton's men's soccer program from 1996-2004, helping the Colonials to the "round of eight" in an NCAA Division II Championship tournament. Since 2004, Dawson has also coached in the Eastern New York Olympic Development Program (ODP) in the Under-12 to Under-19 age groups.

Dawson, the former director of Pro Soccer Camps from 1998-2003, has served as a physical education in the William Floyd School District's elementary ranks since 1999. He was a team captain for the men's soccer program at Southampton, where he received a bachelor's in business administration in 1995. Dawson also received a master's of physical education from Hofstra in 1998, and is slated to receive a professional diploma in "Administration in Education" from Dowling College in May, 2006.