SRU names Steve Small men’s soccer coach
May 5, 2016
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - Slippery Rock University athletic director Paul Lueken has announced that Steve Small has been named the head coach of SRU's men's soccer team.
"We're pleased to welcome Steve to the University and to the athletic department," said Lueken. "He knows the rigors of our difficult conference and what it takes to thrive in such a competitive environment. I have the utmost confidence that Steve will maintain the program's success and its proud tradition."
Small, a former Millersville University assistant coach, replaces Andy Hoggarth who resigned from SRU earlier in the offseason to become the head coach at Walsh University.
"I would like to thank President Norton, Paul Lueken and the search committee for this great opportunity," Small said. "I am honored and humbled to be selected as the new men's soccer head coach at The Rock. Rock soccer has a strong tradition of excellence and I look forward to working with the team, the alumni and the University as we build on that tradition and look to bring continued success to The Rock."
Small will step in to one of the best situations in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. Slippery Rock won the PSAC Tournament last year after going 14-6 during the regular season and will return 22 players in 2016. SRU has won two out of the last three PSAC Tournament titles and has had just one losing season since 2003.
Before coming to SRU, Small spent the past nine seasons as an assistant coach at Millersville, helping lead the Marauders to an impressive 113-57-11 record. During that stretch, Millersville qualified for the PSAC Tournament eight times, captured one conference title, earned five NCAA Tournament berths and won two regional championships. In 2011, Millersville advanced to the national semifinals.
Small served as a scout and an assistant coach for two years at Elizabethtown College prior to his time at Millersville. In his two seasons at Elizabethtown, the Blue Jays went 25-9-5 and won the Middle Atlantic Conference championship in 2006.
His coaching career is not just limited to only the college game. Small coached within the Lititz Youth Soccer Club, starting at the age of 16. He has since had coaching stints with F.C. Millennium, Leeds United and Ephrata High School. Small also coached the Penn Legacy Soccer Club for four years. Under Small's guidance, 16 players from his Leeds United team went on to play soccer collegiately.
A graduate of DeSales University, Small earned a bachelor's degree in sport management and was a three-year starter on the men's soccer team.
Small is the 12th person tabbed to lead SRU's soccer team in the program's history, which dates back to 1929. Small will make his SRU coaching debut Sept. 1 at Malone University.
MEDIA CONTACT: Jon Holtz | 724.738.4925 | jonathan.holtz@sru.edu