Kalekeni Banda is a celebrated UMass Women's soccer team coach, having held that position from 1980 - 87 and leading the Minutewomen to six consecutive NCAA appearances, including five straight trips to the final four. He graduated from UMass Amherst with a degree in Physical Education in 1975.
A native of Malawi, Africa, Banda also served as women's track and field coach for eight years and as the head men's soccer coach at the University of Wisconsin from 1997-2001, in addition to tenures at Amherst College and UAlbany.
Banda formed the Banda Bola Sports Foundation and the Chituka Village Project in 2007-08, fulfilling a life-long desire to help and serve the children in his beloved homeland of Malawi.
He was inducted into the UMass Athletics Hall of Fame in 1999.
Coach Banda's son, Mtali, graduated from UMass in 2017 as an undergraduate, and is continuing on to his PhD at UMass in Afro-American Studies.
Biography
Via the Banda Bola Sports Foundation
Born in 1951, Kalekeni Banda grew up in the farming village of Chituka in the African country of Malawi. Going to school at Malenga Mzoma Primary School and playing sports in his village, a foundation was laid for his future accomplishments in coaching in the United States.
During his teenage years, his family of seven moved to Germany, and then to Mamaroneck, NY, where his father worked as a diplomat to the United Nations. He graduated from Mamaroneck High School in 1971, where he lettered in soccer and track and field. He was inducted into the Mamaroneck Athletic Hall of Fame in the late 1990’s.
After graduating from high school, Coach Banda was awarded a scholarship to attend the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (UMASS), where he played soccer and ran track. After earning his Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education in 1975, Coach Banda returned to his native Malawi to assume a position of Sports Officer. For the next three years he served as coach of the Malawi Olympic team before returning to the U.S. in 1979.
In the 1980’s, Coach Banda helped put the University of Massachusetts women’s soccer team on the map. He coached the UMASS Minutewomen to six consecutive NCAA appearances, including five trips to the final four. In 1987, his team played in the National Championship, losing 1-0 to the University of North Carolina. During this time also coached the women’s UMASS track team.
He went on to coach the men’s soccer team, and both the men and women’s track teams for Amherst College in Massachusetts. He then piloted the men’s soccer team for the University of Wisconsin in Madison, WI, followed by the women’s soccer team for the University at Albany in New York.
With decades of coaching experience, dating from the 1970’s, Coach Banda developed his own soccer-training program called Banda “Bola” Soccer (“Dancing with the Ball”) The African Art of Soccer. He uses his unique teaching philosophy extensively while training college athletes, high school athletes, and younger children just learning the sport to find their playing potential and surpass physical expectations. Through special trainings and camps, he has helped innumerable players and teams find success through rhythm, balance, and pinpoint execution
Through coach Banda’s distinguished career, there have been many highlights. He has twice received the prestigious NSCAA National Coach of the Year award, and is a three-time NSCAA Regional Coach of the Year. He has also been awarded the New England Intercollegiate Soccer League Coach of the Year, as well as the New England Women’s Intercollegiate Soccer Association Coach of the Year. With the success of his training and coaching programs, he has brought his teams to many NCAA appearances. These include runners-up in the 1987 NCAA Championship game, five NCAA Final Four Appearances, Eight NCAA Championship Appearances, with a total of ten post-season appearances. His players include 25 All-American selections, as well as one National Team player. In 1999, he was inducted into the University of Massachusetts (UMASS) Sports Hall of Fame. He developed and runs Banda “Bola” Soccer and has more recently created the Chituka Village Project, fulfilling a life-long desire to help and serve the children in his beloved homeland of Malawi, Africa.
In December 2007 and January 2008, Coach Kalekeni Banda returned back to his village in Malawi to launch the Banda Bola Sports Foundation – CHITUKA VILLAGE PROJECT for children in grades K-8. Having lived so much of his early life there, he has witnessed first-hand the neglect and lack of support for the children to attend school and play sports the way he used to as a boy. He conceived the idea of after-school sports and education mentoring programs to plant seeds of goodwill and humanity for GLOBAL CHANGE. The Chituka Village Project focuses on education, health and welfare for the youth to grow in an environment, which among other things is conducive to creating a better understanding of personal well-being. HIV/AIDS is widespread and most children are orphans. There are grave dangers from malaria and bilharzia, with 40% of the deaths of two-year-olds being caused by malaria alone. Most parents want their kids to stay home and take care of siblings; teenage girls commonly become brides by the time they reach eighth grade.
Through Chituka Village Project Foundation, Coach Banda is hoping to bring “CHANGE TO THE VILLAGE ONE CHILD AT A TIME”.
INDEX Profiles of Coach Banda's Years at UMass
Women Kickers Excel In Post Season Competition
It was another banner year for Kalekeni Banda and his women's soccer team during the fall 1981 season as the women hooters compiled a 13-6-2 record and competed in both the Eastern and national championship tournaments.
The season started off with a bang as UMass defeated Plymouth State 4-1 to open their record at 1-0 at home. Plymouth State was joined in the victim list by George Washington and Westfield State before Boston College was able to salvage a 2-2 tie with the Minutewomen.
A win over Brown University brought the team's record to 4-0-1 and all of a sudden everybody started hearing rumblings about a possible playoff contender in the making.
But, just as the talk began, two setbacks to Vermont and Connecticut brought UMass back to earth.
The team remained undaunted though, and proceeded to beat powerful Cortland State, 2-1, and then Mount Holyoke, 5-0, to put a winning note back in the talk.
Springfield College came to town after that and managed a 1-1 tie, but after that the hooters were not to be denied the necessary ‘W’s to gain a berth in the playoffs.
The final drive through the regular season was highlighted by wins over a pesky Yale team, 1-0 and a thumping of perennial powerhouse Penn State, 5-0, with both games played before delighted crowds at Boyden Field.
That the women failed to bring a national championship trophy home to UMass is inconsequential. They established UMass as a bona fide national con- tender and that will go a long way by itself.
Second Year of Post Season Play
For the second consecutive year, the University of Massachusetts women's soccer team qualified for post-season play and made it to the quarter-finals of the NCAA Championships.
The team finished with a 15-4-0 record, with 14 shutouts and allowed only one goal at home. The Minutewomen were ranked fifth in the national rankings.
As one of the top teams in the country, the University of Massachusetts hosted the University of Rochester in the first round of the first ever NCAA tournament and defeated the Yellow Jackets 3-1 to advance to the quarter-finals against the University of Central Florida. It was indeed a heartbreak in Florida as the Minutewomen dropped a 2-1 decision to Central Florida.
Overall it was a great season for the women's soccer team - highlighted by the special honor bestowed to Coach Banda by the National Soccer Coaches Association as the New England Region Coach of the Year.
Special performances also highlighted the Minutewomen's excellent season. Sophomore defender Lori Stukes (Hillside, N.J.) who helped anchor the Minutewomen defense which allowed only eight goals, was named for the second consecutive year to the All-New England team.
Senior captain Jackie Gaw (Springfield, MA) the leader on defense during the regular season and the NCAA, was named All-New England and Ail-American.
Nina Holmstrom (Huntington. N.Y.) also a I captain on this year's team was a tremendous asset to the team. Since her freshmen, an all-around player, who had been one of the most dynamic midfield players in the country, was named All-New England and All- American for the second straight year.
A major factor for the success of the Minutewomen was the leadership provided by the four captains - Natalie Prosser (Foxboro, MA) who had six goals, four assists; Debbie Pickett (Hadley, MA) five assists from a full back position and Gaw and Holmstrom were the other captains. Although the freshmen supplied most of the Minutewomen attack, it was done as a team. Eighteen players were involved in this year's scoring. Debbie Harackiewicz (Ludlow, MA), the most talented soccer player to come out of western Massachusetts, led the freshmen with eight goals and four assists for 11 points. Second was Jamie Watson (Phoenix, MD), the surprise of the team, with five goals and four assists. The number one highlight for Watson was scoring the winning and only goal against Harvard.
Sophomore Chris Taggart (Concord, MA) tied with Nina Holmstrom for thirteen total points each. Chris led the team in scoring last year and had six goals and seven assists this season.
Beth Semonik (Hamilton, N.J.) a fresh- men All-American lived up to her billing as she started in all nineteen games. Junior, Stacey Flionis (Malboro, MA) was another super player on the team as she played in all of the games contributing five goals and five assists for ten points. She showed tremendous poise during the playoffs with her one- on-one dribbling skills.
With the talent of these fine players plus the other hard working team members, the women's 1982 soccer team ended their sea- son with a very respectable record. Coach Banda was very pleased with the season and will miss the graduating seniors — but the success does not stop there. The Minutewomen with their talented skills anticipate an- other successful season in the coming year.
Blue Collar Team Reaches Final Four
Under the direction of Kalekeni Banda, the women's soccer team proved that if you work hard enough, dreams can be within reach. Finishing the injury-plagued season with a 12-3-3 slate, the women defeated Brown University 1-0 to advance to the Final Four against North Carolina before bowing out to the two-time defending champions, 2-0.
Despite the injuries and lack of bench strength, the women finished third in the nation and came home Northeast Champions by defeating the University of Connecticut 1-0 in the consolation game.
Defense was the key to all of the team's victories and was one of the best in the nation in 1983. The Minutewomen posted 1 1 shutouts and the freshman goaltending team of Jeanne Paul and Lisa Ellis allow- ed only 10 goals the entire season.
Debbie Harackiewicz scored the goal that sent the team to the Final Four. In the quarterfinal match against Brown, Harackiewicz collected a pass from tri-captain Stacey Flionis with her back to the net, turned, fired, and watched the ball slide through the Brown goal- tender's hands. The team was on its way to Florida to play defending champion North Carolina.
"Now we're playing to win," Banda declared before the final four. "We have to attack more and force the issue. We'll hang in there. There are no superstars here. We're a blue collar team."
The day before the big game, Lori Stukes sustained a sprained knee which put a dent in the defense. Stukes, who was named to the All New England and All American teams, was the squad's best defender. During the 2-0 loss to North Carolina, defenders Michelle Rodney and Deanna Denault injured their ankles as the UMass defense began to disappear.
But, the Minutewomen came back the following day to defeat UConn for the Northeast title.
Nadia Komarowski, who scored the winning goal against UConn, was named to the NCAA Championship All Tournament Team along with Flionis and Chris Taggart. Taggart also won the all around MVP award. Flionis and Taggart were also named to the All New England and All American teams.
The outlook for next season is promising as the Minutewomen only lost Flionis and defenders Mary Szetela and Denault to graduation.
A Strong Tradition
With only five lettermen returning for the women's soccer team, there were questions if UMass could again challenge for the national championship.
There was no question by the end of the season as the Minutewomen posted a 15-3- 2 slate and earned a trip to their second straight Final Four, where UMass finished third. UMass also won the New England championship for the second straight year.
It was a young team that knocked off both Boston College 3-2 in double over- time and Harvard 1-0 in the NCAA play- offs to reach the Final Four in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Coach Kalekeni Banda's squad started six freshmen, including All-New England selection Jolie DePauw, the teams leading scorer with 34 points (14 goals), and an All-New England, Ail-American Kristen Bowsher with 15 points, six goals.
Freshman Cathy Spence, Banda's instant offense off the bench, was the team's second leading scorer with 30 points. Spence set three NCAA tournament re- cords with most goals in a game (three in the 4-1 consolation game win over California), most goals in tourney (five in four games), and most points in a tourney (11 points, five goals, one assist).
The upperclassmen provided the glue that kept the team together. Senior co- captain Lori Stukes was an All-New England and All-American selection for the second straight year. Stukes and junior Sue Bird were named M.V.P.'s. Senior co- captain Chris Taggart ended the season a second team All-New England selection.
And this year makes three
"Number One" is the only way to describe Coach Kalakeni Banda's women's soccer team. This young team made it to the NCAA Final Four for the third year in a row and was ranked number one nationally most of the season. The starting team was composed of four freshmen, five sophomores and the only two seniors on the team, Sue Bird and Jamie Watson. The Minutewomen had an undefeated 15-0 regular season record and an impressive 16-1 overall record. They outscored their opponents 68 to 2 in regular season play, averaging 16.9 shots per game while their opponents averaged two. Starting goalie, fresh- man Jan Holland gave up only one goal in regular season play for a .10 goals against average. Banda had nine players scoring in double figures including team lead scorer Beth Roundtree (10- 4-24), Monica Seta (9-6-24), Carolyn Micheel (5-13-23), Cathy Cassady (7- 8-22), Cathy Spence (9-4-22) and Ail- American Kristen Bowsher (7-6-20). Fullback Debbie Belkin broke a UMass record by scoring 19 points (7-4), which is the most ever scored from that position. Forward Carolyn Micheel ended her season with 13 assists, breaking the UMass record for assists in a single season.
The women played Boston College in the NCAA quarter finals, outplaying them to a 3-0 victory in the first snow- fall of the year. This landed them a spot in the NCAA Final Four Tournament held at George Mason Soccer Stadium in Fairfax, VA. UMass entered the tournament at top seed and was stopped in the semi-finals. George Mason College (17-2-1) handed the Minutewomen a crushing 3-0 loss ending an almost perfect season for the squad.
The team was recognized for its many accomplishments this season by such prestigous institutions as the Bos- ton Globe, the Boston Herald, Channel 4 TV in Boston, and Soccer America. Coach Banda was named Coach of the year by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America for doing a tremendous coaching job this season and in seasons past. And there's more. Six of the Minutewomen were named to the All New England first team. These talented players were sophomore full- backs Debbie Belkin and Chris Schmitt, sophomore midfielders Kristen Bowsher and Carolyn Micheel, fresh- man forward Beth Roundtree and sophomore forward Cathy Spence. The New England Womens Intercollegiate Soccer Association also named three of the UMass women to its All New England Second Team; senior full- back Sue Bird, freshman goalie Jan Holland and freshman forward Cathy Cassady.
There is just no stopping Coach Ban-da and his crew. They have experienced a successful season once again. For the two graduating seniors, it will definitely be another year to remember.
Women’s Soccer Kicks Back After Slow Start
Fortunately for the Women's soccer team the first three games of the season did not reflect how the team performed overall. Coach Kalekeni Banda and the Minutewomen began with a 0-2-1 mark after their first three games to a final mark of 14-3-2. The uphill battle continued to the NCAA semi-finals.
The season opener for UMass was a loss to the University of North Carolina, Following was a tie with George Mason and a second loss to New Hampshire College, "i don't think the scores of the first two games are indicative of the way we can play," Banda said.
The Minutewomen have scored two goals and 'allowed seven, more than they gave up all of last season. Banda knew that it was only a matter of time before UMass made a comeback.
The Minutewomen's next game was the first this season at Boyden Field. Texas A&M handed UMass their first win 9-0. Players who scored included Debbie Belkin, Beth Round- tree, Sarah Szetela, Sue Cooper, Michelle Powers, and Cathy Cassady. The shutout was shared by goal- tenders Carla DeSantis and Brooke Adams.
"We have a winning attitude now," said Banda. The win over Texas A&M was the first of the Minutewomen's ten straight victories. The winning streak continued on the road as well as at home.
One important win was against New England rival University of Connecticut. At the half UMass was down, 1-0. With just over eight minutes left, Powers scored two goals within a 43-second span to give the Minutewomen a 2-1 victory, "i was happy to be able to come through," said Powers. "So far, I have been get- ting good set-ups from my team- mates."
The Minutewomen worked hard for their remarkable comeback. This warranted a rank of first in New England and fifth in the nation.
Beginning with the Adelphi game UMass was scheduled to play five games in 11 days. Adelphi was shut out 5-0 at Boyden Field. This was the second game in a row in which the UMass defense allowed just one shot on goal. Until this solid win UMass had outshot opponents 176-46, but had won five games by just one goal.
The game against Colorado pro- vided UMass with a chance to im- prove their national ranking after their winning streak was snapped with a scoreless tie against Harvard. UMass and Colorado were tied for third in the NCAA Division I poll.
Although UMass outshot Colorado College 15-1, UMass won 1-0 with a left footed goal from Cassady.
The Minutewomen's last regular season test was a home game against the University of Hartford. With a mark of 12-2-2, UMass was ranked first in New England and was given a bid in the first round of the NCAA playoffs.
UMass was seeded second in the NCAA post-season action following North Carolina. Colorado College was third seed.
The Minutewomen were hoping to go to the Final Four for the fourth consecutive year. A continued powerful offense and solid defense gave UMass the edge. Powers, a sophomore forward, finished the regular season as the leading scorer for UMass with nine goals and five assists. The offense took 240 shots on goal while the defense allowed only 54. Sophomore Carla DeSantis played all but one game as goaltender, had 31 saves, and eight shutouts.
UMass' first NCAA game against UConn resulted in a shootout 1-0 victory after 120 minutes of scoreless soccer. The victory allowed UMass to advance to the Final Four with a game against Colorado. The Minutewomen have reached the Final Four the past four years, but have yet to reach the Final Two.
Unfortunately this year was no exception, Colorado defeated UMass in the semi-finals the same way UMass defeated UConn. Colorado's victory was determined by a penalty kick shootout. A second miracle was too much to ask of the Minutewomen.
The Minutewomen finished the season with a record of 14-3-2. Be- fore their loss to Colorado, UMass was not defeated since their third game of the season. A shaky season beginning capitalized into one of the Minutewomen's best seasons.
Oh! So Close!
The impossible became closer to the possible on a cold Saturday afternoon last November when the UMass Women's Soccer team defeated Central Florida in the NCAA semi-finals. This 2-1 victory enabled the team to advance to the NCAA championship game, after five straight years in the Final Four
But, that very next day, number one seeded North Carolina shattered the dreams of the valiant Minutewomen and their legion of supporters.
The Minutewomen entered the Final Four with a 19-1 overall record, culminating a remarkable season that included im- pressive victories over UConn, Boston College, and Harvard. Then, the dreams of these twenty-three women turned into a reality as they squeaked by 7th - seeded Central Florida with a 2-1 victory. Finally, it was time for a repeat confrontation with top-ranked North Carolina.
Over 6,000 die-hard soccer fans braved zero degree weather and crowded Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium to witness this epic battle between two teams destined to fight for the championship trophy.
During the first half of the game, the two teams remained at a deadlock, scoreless at halftime. Then, early in the second half, the tide shifted when UNC captured the lone goal of the game. The goal was barely scored — trickling over the line and cleared by the goal tender. The UNC Tar Heels had won.
So the dream faded, but the spirit, excitement and accomplishments of these women cannot go unnoticed. There were, for example, only eight goals scored against UMass, four of these during the regular season. Even more impressive is the fact that seven players represented UMass on the All-Tournament team. They were: Captain Monica Seta, Cathy Spence, Carolyn Micheel, Kristen Bowsher, Cathy Cassady and Carla Desantis. Debbie Belkin was selected to both the tournament and as most valuable defensive player. Also, Coach Kalekeni Banda was named New England Women's Intercollegiate Soccer Association Coach-of-the-Year for 1987.
And so, the Minutewomen are second in the country. But, more importantly, their dedication and pride has made them a class act, an act that came close . . . Oh, so close.
