Kiefer Named NSCAA East Region Coach of the Year
December 01, 2015 | Men's Soccer
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, DEC. 1, 2015 – George Kiefer has been rewarded for leading USF men's soccer to another highly successful season on the pitch.
Kiefer has been named National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) East Region Coach of the Year. The accolade puts Kiefer on the ballot to be considered for the NSCAA National Coach of the Year award.
Kiefer refers to the honor as the NSCAA East Region coaching staff of the year award because of all the hard work put in by assistants Fred Dikranian, Bryheem Hancock and Jose Robles for making it possible.
“Anytime you get recognized by your peers, it's always a nice accomplishment,” Kiefer said. “Clearly you look at the award and it's for the entire staff. The amount of time and dedication my assistants give to this program is tremendous. We're all so committed to USF.”
Kiefer earned his second NSCAA Regional Coach of the Year award by guiding the Bulls to their eighth NCAA tournament appearance in the past nine years. USF (11-6-3) received the No. 14 seed in the NCAA tournament bracket and got to host a second-round match after a first-round bye.
No. 15 USF earned the No. 2 ranking in the NSCAA East Region and posted double-digit wins for the ninth time under Kiefer in 14 seasons. The Bulls went undefeated at home during the regular season and finished with a 9-1-2 record at Corbett Stadium.
“To become one of the seeded teams in the NCAA tournament, I think as a company you would look at that as a successful turnaround,” Kiefer said. “What the year has done has left us very hungry to put together a tough spring and get back at it.”
Since taking over the program in 2002, Kiefer has racked up 152 victories with two Elite Eight appearances (2008, 2011) and three trips to the Sweet 16 (2007-08, 2011). During Kiefer's tenure, USF captured Big East Red Division titles in 2005 and 2011, a Big East Tournament crown in 2008 and an American Athletic Conference tournament championship in 2013.
The winner of the NSCAA National Coach of the Year award will be announced on Wednesday, Dec. 16. View the complete list of regional award winners HERE.
2015 Men's NSCAA Regional Coaches of the Year
NCAA Division I
|
Region |
Name |
School |
|
East |
South Florida |
|
|
Far West |
Jeremy Gunn |
Stanford |
|
Great Lakes |
Brian Wiese |
Georgetown |
|
Midwest |
Chris Little |
Elon |
|
Northeast |
Charlie Inverso |
Rider |
|
South |
Mike Noonan |
Clemson |
|
Southeast |
Scott Calabrese |
Florida International |
|
West |
Peter Fewing |
Seattle |
The men's soccer program has been one of the most successful on campus over the years, advancing to seven NCAA tournaments in the last eight seasons. The Bulls return 13 letterwinners and five starters from 2014 on top of bringing in the third-ranked signing class according to College Soccer News. They won the inaugural American Athletic Conference Championship in 2013 and head coach George Kiefer has also led the Bulls to two Elite Eight appearances and four conference/division titles in his 13 seasons as the head man. Follow the men's soccer team on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information.
