The College of New Jersey women’s soccer coach Joe Russo joined an exclusive club on September 23 when he garnered his 300th career victory with the Lions' 5-0 win over Montclair State during TCNJ's first game played in its new soccer stadium.

With the win, Russo is now just the fourth women’s coach in Division III to hit the milestone. Overall, he is also just the eighth women's soccer coach in all Divisions to record 300 or more wins.

Russo, who was appointed as the head women’s soccer coach at TCNJ on September 18, 1989, previously served as an assistant men’s soccer coach at TCNJ for seven seasons (1981–87).

In 1993, Russo’s team wrapped up the season by capturing the NCAA Division III National Championship when it defeated Plymouth State College, 4-0 to finish the season with a 20-1-3 record, setting a school record for most shutouts.  Russo was chosen as the NSCAA/Umbro Division III National Coach of the Year after earning the same for the NSCAA Division III Southeast Region in addition to New Jersey’s Collegiate Coach of the Year.

His troops successfully defended their NCAA crown in 1994 as they tallied a 4-3 sudden-death overtime win over the Tritons of the University of California–San Diego and finished the year with a 22-1 mark, setting a school record for best win percentage (.956).  Russo was honored by Sports Illustrated with a selection to the “Faces in the Crowd” section in December 1994 for his accomplishments. 

On March 13, 2004, Russo added to his list of honors as he was inducted into the Ewing High School Athletic Hall of Fame.  He also earned his NSCAA Premier Diploma on January 11, 2004, which is the highest coaching license one can attain.  Russo was named both the 1991 and 1992 New Jersey College Division Women’s Soccer Coach of the Year by the New Jersey College Soccer Coaches’ Association and was named the NSCAA/Umbro Northeast Coach of the Year for the 1992 season. Russo has been selected as the NJAC Coach of the Year six times in his career.