John Parente enters his seventh season as head coach of the men's soccer program at Penn State Altoona.  Parente has guided the program since its inception in 2001 and, through just six seasons, has accumulated a career record of 71-38-10.  From a win/loss standpoint, the 2006 season was the most successful in program history as the Lions finished the year 15-4-2 overall and runner-up in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference.  Aside from 2001, the team has reached double digit victories every year and has been a fixture in the AMCC and ECAC (Eastern College Athletic Conference) playoffs.  Parente has coached 37 AMCC all-conference selections and six NSCAA Regional All-Americans while himself winning conference Coach of the Year honors twice, in 2001 and 2004.

Before undertaking coaching duties at Penn State Altoona, Parente served as the men's assistant head coach at State University of New York College at Fredonia from 1994-1997.  In three seasons at Fredonia, comprising a 48-13-1 record, John helped guide the Blue Devils to two SUNYAC titles, two NCAA Division III playoff appearances, and a ECAC post-season appearance.  During this time, the Blue Devils were ranked in the top 20 nationally, including a #1 ranking in 1996, and a #2 ranking in 1995.  Once arriving in Central Pennsylvania, Parente remained active in coaching soccer through the Centre Soccer Association, Keystone Soccer, and several local camps.  In addition, he served as a volunteer assistant for the State College High School boy's team for three seasons.