Staff

Carlo Acquista
Head Coach

Phil Bannister
Associate Head Coach
Prior to Adelphi, Bannister spent three years at St. John’s University. He served his first two years as a graduate assistant with the Red Storm before transitioning to the position of volunteer assistant and joined St. John’s after one season as a graduate assistant with the women’s soccer team at Bloomsburg. Following a standout collegiate career at Loyola (Md.), the Wallsend, England native was drafted by the Colorado Rapids in the 2011 MLS Supplemental Draft. Bannister went on to play for the DC United U-23 team before returning home to England to play semi-professionally for Blyth Spartans AFC. A four-time All-MAAC selection, Bannister was a two-time first team choice and a two-time second team honoree. As a freshman, the forward earned MAAC Rookie of the Year honors and led all Division I freshmen in scoring after totaling 13 goals and seven assists. Bannister finished his career ranked eighth in program-history in goals (40), a mark that included 13 game-winners, tied for first in assists (29) and sixth in points (109). A Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award Finalist as a senior, Bannister was a two-time ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America selection. Bannister, who owns FA Level 1 and FA Level 2 coaching badges, graduated from Loyola in 2011 with a degree in marketing and earned an MBA in finance from St. John’s.

Tom Giovato
Assistant Coach
Head Coach Carlo Acquista announced the addition of Tom Giovatto to his staff as an assistant coach in August of 2023.
Giovatto comes to the Bronx following 16 years at the helm of St. Francis Brooklyn, which ceased athletic operations this spring. During his nearly two decades in Brooklyn Heights, Giovatto led the Terriers to incredible success, winning the NEC and advancing to the NCAA Tournament five times in an eight-year span from 2013-21. His teams also won four conference regular season titles, highlighted by a pair of back-to-back undefeated ledgers in 2016 and 2017. In the spring of 2021, the Terriers won their NCAA opener against Milwaukee before falling to eventual national runner-up Indiana.
Over his 16 years, Giovatto earned NEC Coach of the Year honors four times, the most recent of which came in 2021. His teams won 10 or more games on nine occasions and he finished second on St. Francis’ all-time wins list with a record of 144-96-44, good enough for a .585 winning percentage.
Giovatto mentored two NEC Players of the Year, four NEC Defensive Players of the Year, three NEC Rookies of the Year, an NEC Goalkeeper of the Year and 34 First Team All-NEC selections.
Giovatto began his collegiate coaching career as an assistant coach at Saint Peter’s in 2001. Two years later, he helped the Peacocks win 18 games and advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before moving on to Stony Brook, where he served on staff until arriving in Brooklyn.
Giovatto played his collegiate soccer at Iona, where he was a three-year letterwinner. After graduating in 1997 with a degree in mass communications, Giovatto played in the preseason with the New York/New Jersey MetroStars of Major League Soccer. He also played professionally for the Brooklyn Knights of the USL PDL and the Baltimore Blast of the NPSL.
Giovatto and his wife, Lisa, have two children.

Fabio Reato
Director of Player Performance and Operations
Joining the Fordham men’s soccer staff is Fabio Reato, who will serve as volunteer director men’s soccer operations.
“Fabio’s international playing experience, passion for development, and player performance make him a unique find. We are excited and privileged to have Fabio join our staff,” said head coach Carlo Acquista.
Reato is a former professional soccer player in Italy, playing for AC Pavia and FC Forli over a four-year career, which was cut short due to injury.
A 2022 graduate from Columbia University with a degree in Financial Economics, he has been a private soccer coach for two years and most recently interned for AXIS Capital after being a business analyst for One Factory SRL in Milan, Italy.

Antonio Ferragonio
Assistant Coach, Goalkeepers
Joining the Rams’ staff in 2022 is a familiar face in Matt Sloan.
“I’m very excited for Matt to transition from player to volunteer assistant coach this year,” said head coach Carlo Acquista. “Matt has always been knowledgeable, passionate and driven as a player, and those tools will assist him in becoming a leader amongst the team.”
Sloan played two seasons at Fordham, serving as a team captain in each of those years. In his first season, he helped the Rams win the 2020-21 Atlantic 10 Championship and was selected as the Most Outstanding Player at the Championship. He earned First Team All-Southeast Region honors from United Soccer Coaches for the 2020-21 season and followed that by receiving Second Team All-Atlantic 10 honors in the fall of 2021. A two-year member of the Atlantic 10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll, he is currently finishing his Master’s Degree at Fordham in Humanitarian Studies.
Prior to Fordham, Sloan played in 46 games over three seasons at American University, where he was a three-time Patriot League Academic Honor Roll and Dean’s List member.