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Jacksonville State University

Jacksonville State University Athletic Dept
 700 Pelham Road North Jacksonville, AL 36265
Division 1 Alabama Southeast
Public Medium National competitor
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Sean Fraser

Jacksonville State has hired a proven winner at multiple levels to lead its women's soccer program with the hiring of Sean Fraser in December of 2022.


In 10 seasons as a head coach, he has compiled a 120-69-12 record on the field and won three conference titles, two in Division II and one in NAIA. Jax State is his fourth head coaching stop after coaching the men's team at NAIA Midland University from 2011-14 and the women's teams at Div. II Lincoln Memorial from 2017-19 and Division I ULM from 2020-22.


At ULM, he took over a team that also went 3-13-2 prior to his arrival and had 14 wins by season's end of his second season in Monroe, La. That 2021 Warhawks team had a program-best RPI of 128 and won in the postseason twice with Sun Belt Tournament wins over Troy and No. 1 seed Arkansas State after not holding a postseason win since 2004.


He also claimed three United States Soccer Coaches Team Academic Awards in three seasons at ULM, while also earning the United States Soccer Coaches Team Ethics and Sportsmanship Award in 2020. He also had two All-Sun Belt players, matching the total number of honorees the school had in its 15 previous seasons in the conference.


Fraser was hired at ULM after a three-year stint at Lincoln Memorial in Harrogate, Tenn., that saw him take over a team that went 3-10-2 and then post a 38-20-2 record and win two South Atlantic Conference titles over his tenure. He won seven games in his first season before posting a 14-5-2 record in 2018 and a 17-5 record in 2019, winning the SAC Tournament in both of those campaigns. He was the 2018 SAC Coach of the Year after leading LMU to the NCAA Division II Sweet 16. One year later, he led the Railsplitters to the Round of 32.


At LMU, Fraser coached 10 All-SAC selections and seven All-Southeast Region player, as well as one SAC Freshman of the Year. He also led LMU to an impressive run in the classroom, where his 2019 squad placed 19 student-athletes on the SAC Honor Roll and posted a team GPA of 3.38.


Prior to his time at LMU, he was the Assistant Men's Coach at the University of Charleston in Charleston, W.Va. for the 2016 season. The Golden Eagles went 19-3-2 with a Division II Nation Runner-Up finish, while also claiming the Mountain East regular season and tournament titles. Charleston won the Atlantic Region title, had three All-Americans and eight All-MEC players, while also claiming the Team Academic Award for that season.


From 2011-15, Fraser turned the Midland men's team around. He took over a Warriors team that went 4-10-2 prior to his arrival and posted double-digit wins in each of his four seasons. MU went 53-25-6 under his guidance, including the 2013 Great Plains Athletic Conference Tournament title.


Midland reached the conference championship in all four seasons under Fraser, who coached 32 All-GPAC players and three All-Americans.


He got his coaching career started as a graduate assistant at his alma mater of Bethel University from 2008-10, winning a 2008 NAIA National Championship and the 2009 TranSouth Conference crown.


A native of Durham, England, Fraser received his bachelor's degree in PE, teaching and coaching from Bethel in 2008. He also has a master's degree in education from Bethel, as well as a master's in strategic leadership from Charleston and an MBA from Southwestern College.

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Brandon Ponchak

One of Sean Fraser's first additions to the Jacksonville State soccer program was Brandon Ponchak, one of the top mentors in goalkeeping in the college ranks.


Ponchak joins the Gamecocks after spending two seasons on the men’s soccer staff at Northern Kentucky.


While at NKU, Ponchak managed the budget, travel, equipment and other administrative duties for the Norse program. On the field, he mentored the goalkeepers and helped the club to a 6-11 over mark in 2021 and achieved the best Horizon League finish in the history of the program at 4-6. Ponchak tutored Jesse Randall, who was named the 2021 Horizon League Freshman Player of the Year. Randall also earned All-League First Team and All-Freshman Team selections after his first season at NKU.


Ponchak served in a soccer operations role at Kings Hammer FC in the Bluegrass State. Prior to that, he spent four seasons with the Cincinnati Dutch Lions in three different capacities, ranging from GM to assistant coach to director of operations.


Ponchak's resume includes five years in USL League Two, eight years in college coaching and served as the head coach of Sterling College in Kansas, as well as experience in NPSL, youth club, and high school. He ventured into the business side of soccer by forming S1 Goalkeeping USA based out of Hebron, Kentucky. The company serves as an apparel provider for goalkeepers.

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