Springfield MO Soccer

PRESS RELEASE

ROLLA, Mo. – The University of Missouri-Rolla has named Joe Ahearn, an assistant coach at Colgate University, as its new men’s soccer coach. Ahearn is taking over for Vince Darnell, who resigned from the position last month to pursue other career opportunities.

“Everything makes so much sense – good academics, good program, good conference, good people and a good location,” Ahearn said. “There are a lot of exciting things going on at UMR and we look forward to being a part of it.”

“Joe will bring excellent experience and a strong technical background to our program,” said UMR director of athletics Mark Mullin. “I am extremely pleased and feel fortunate to have him join our staff. He will be an excellent leader of our men’s soccer program. His character and amiable personality will make him an excellent recruiter and an outstanding representative of UMR athletics,” he added. “His recent experiences at Colgate University have prepared him well for the academic environment at UMR. I am excited for him to get started as I know he is.”

Ahearn has spent the last two seasons at Colgate, a school located in Hamilton, N.Y., and a member of the Division I Patriot League. The Raiders finished the 2006 season with a record of 8-4-5 after going 9-7-3 in the 2005 season, making the Patriot League Tournament in both seasons.

Before joining the staff at Colgate, Ahearn spent three seasons as an assistant coach at DePaul University where he played his collegiate soccer. While on the DePaul staff, he was involved in the day-to-day operations of the program and assisted in game preparation.

Prior to that, he worked as the equipment operations coordinator for the United States Soccer Federation and traveled with the national team to the 2002 World Cup held in South Korea and Japan. He also traveled with the team when it took part in the Under-20 World Championships in Argentina. In addition, he served as the associate director of the Chicago City Soccer Camps.

Ahearn is a 2000 graduate of DePaul, where he played in 67 games over his four-year career for the Blue Demons and started in every game in his last three years. He was selected to the Conference USA all-league team as a third-team selection following the 1999 season and was chosen as his team’s most valuable player.

He is the holder of a United States Soccer Federation National A coaching license.

“What you will see with our team is that it will be a hard working group on both ends of the field,” Ahearn said. “I want this to be a well-balanced team. Our organized defense and creative attack will give us the opportunity to be a top team in the conference.”

Ahearn and his wife, Katie, have one son, Frankie.