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Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA 24502
Virginia Northeast
Private Large Developing team
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Lang Wedemeyer

Lang Wedemeyer has helmed the Liberty's Women's Soccer team for six seasons (2017-22), collecting a 62-39-15 record. Wedemeyer is a two-time ASUN Coach of the Year (2021, 22) and was selected as the VaSID Coach of the year in 2022. Wedemeyer and the Lady Flames secured their first-ever ASUN Championship title in the 2021 spring season. Wedemeyer's teams have steadily improved since taking over, achieving a .409 jump in win percentage from 2018.


Wedemeyer came to Liberty following a highly successful 17-year run as the head women's soccer coach at South Dakota State. During his time at the helm of the Jackrabbits' program, Wedemeyer led South Dakota State to four Summit League championships and trips to the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship (2008, 2014, 2015 and 2016).


Wedemeyer guided the Lady Flames to a conference best 14-3-4 record (8-0-2 ASUN) in 2022. Liberty's season came to an end in the ASUN Championship with the No.1 seed Lady Flames falling in penalty kicks 1-1 (3-4) to FGCU. In 2022, Wedemeyer was awarded with the United Soccer Coaches Association Faith Based Coach of the Year. Liberty was honored with nine ASUN All-Conference team members including the ASUN Goalkeeper of the Year, Ainsley Leja, in addition to four being named to the All-Freshman team.


In the 2021 fall season, Wedemeyer led the Lady Flames to an 11-7-1 (6-3 ASUN). The Lady Flames' season ended in the ASUN Quarterfinals to Eastern Kentucky (1-0). Four Lady Flames earned All-Conference honors including Madison Ellis being selected to the first team.


Wedemeyer and the Lady Flames secured their first ever ASUN Championship title in the 2021 spring season (moved from 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic). Liberty earned a 7-6-5 record and topping four teams in the ASUN Championships including besting Kennesaw State 1-0 in OT to claim the title.


Wedemeyer became the Liberty’s head women’s soccer coach on Jan. 31, 2017, becoming the eighth in the program's history.

The 2019 season saw the squad come into form with Wedemeyer ushering the team to an 11-6-2 (6-2 ASUN) record. The Lady Flames season ended with a loss to NJIT in the ASUN Quarterfinals.


Wedemeyer's second season in 2018 saw more roster and schedule transition, the Lady Flames secured a 6-11 (5-3 ASUN) record. This was also the first season for Liberty in the Atlantic Sun conference. The Lady Flames faced tougher competition with the move to the ASUN in addition to adding Clemson, Virginia and LSU to make for an increasingly challenging schedule.


In his first seaon with the Liberty, Wedemeyer found quick success as he guided the squad to a 10-7-3 (7-1-1) Big South record. The season came to an end in the Big South Semifinals facing Longwood (2-0).


Under Wedemeyer, the Lady Flames are one of just 11 Division 1 teams to earn the United Soccer Coaches Sportsmanship and Ethics award.


Wedemeyer has his United Soccer Coaches Master of coaching Diploma, a U.S. Soccer "A" License, his NSCAA Premier diploma, an NSCAA Level 3 Goalkeeper diploma and a U.S. Youth Soccer National license. Throughout his coaching career, Wedemeyer has been around elite competition coaching against youth national teams in the Netherlands, Germany, Portugal, Spain and Belgium with ODP Regional teams.


South Dakota State Tenure


During his 17 seasons at South Dakota State, Wedemeyer posted a 161-123-39 record, including 10 seasons with 10 or more victories. During the Jackrabbits’ run of three-straight Summit League titles, South Dakota State has posed a 32-21-9 record the last three years.


In addition to four postseason championships, Wedemeyer guided South Dakota State to Summit League regular season titles in 2008, 2009 and 2011. Additionally, his squad captured a United Soccer Conference championship in 2006 prior to South Dakota State joining the Summit League in 2007.

Wedemeyer helped start the South Dakota State program in 2000 and guided the program through its transition to Division I in 2004. He has been honored for his coaching success, earning Summit League Coach of the Year honors in 2013 and 2014.


Additionally, he was named North Central Conference Coach of the Year in 2001 and South Dakota Sportswriters Women’s College Coach of the Year in 2008.


Wedemeyer has coached three Summit League Offensive Players of the Year and two Defensive Players of the Year. He also helped develop the skills of the 2012 Summit League Freshman of the Year.


Under his tutelage, 61 of Wedemeyer’s players have earned all-conference honors, including 27 first-team selections, 18 second-team honorees and 16 newcomers/freshman team members.


Wedemeyer’s teams have also had success in the classroom with his squads receiving the NSCAA Team Academic Award nine times (2006-07, 2009-14, 2016). Two of his former players have earned CoSIDA Academic All-America honors, while 10 players have earned CoSIDA All-District accolades.


In addition to his 17 years of service at South Dakota State, Wedemeyer has worked with the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) as a national staff coach, conducting coaching certification and running clinics over the past 20 years.


Wedemeyer at a Glance


Played professionally for seven years.

Wedeyemer has coached two All-Americans, 14 All-Region players, over 50 All-Conference players, eight Conference Players of the Year, and six players that have played professionally.

Four Summit League Championships, five Summit League Regular Season Titles, four NCAA Tournament appearances and one Big South Regular Season Title (2017).

Coached nine ASUN All Conference Selections, two All-South Region Selections, eight Big South All-Conference Selections (Time at Liberty).

187-148-44 Record

Wedemeyer, a native of Roanoke, Va., began his collegiate playing career at Virginia Tech where he was voted the Hokies top defensive player in 1991 and 1992. He finished out his career at Old Dominion where he served as a team captain and was a 1994 CoSIDA Academic All-America second-team honoree.


Wedemeyer is married to Tabitha Wedemeyer. The couple has four children, Brooks, Isabella, Caroline and Hunter.

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Maryanne Kilgore

Maryanne Kilgore joined the Liberty coaching staff in Feb. 2023.


After a five-year career at Western Carolina, Kilgore spent the 2022 season as an assistant coach at her alma mater. The Catamounts qualified for the Southern Conference tournament with a 4-4-1 conference mark before falling in the quarterfinals.


Kilgore played in 83 games during her Western Carolina career, starting 75, from 2017-21. The defender finished with nine career points, scoring three goals with three assists. For three seasons, the Jefferson, Georgia native served as a team captain for the Catamounts. She also was named to the SoCon All-Freshman team in 2017.


Kilgore earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Western Carolina in 2021. She earned inclusion on the SoCon Honor Roll every semester of her playing career. In addition, she was a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) for four years at Western Carolina and served as its president during the 2019-2020 academic year. She is pursuing a master’s degree in sports management from Western Carolina.


In 2021, Kilgore played in the Women’s Professional Soccer League (WPSL) for Asheville City 2021.


She has completed her USSF D license and plans on obtaining her NSCAA National diploma this summer.

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McKinley Burkett

Coach Lang Wedemeyer and the Liberty Women’s Soccer team announced the hiring of former Lady Flame McKinley Burkett as an assistant coach on August 16, 2023.


Burkett was a midfielder for three seasons at Liberty after transferring from Tennessee in 2021. She joins the Lady Flames coaching staff after graduating in 2022.


As a Lady Flame, Burkett played in 55 games and registered nine goals. In her first season, she helped guide the squad to its first ASUN Championship title in 2021 (spring). Burkett was named to the ASUN All-Conference first team in 2022 and the ASUN All-Conference second team in 2021 (Spring).


Burkett earned an ASUN All-Tournament team honor in the 2021 (spring) ASUN Championship for her accomplishments including netting the game-winning goal in overtime of the ASUN Championship to defeat Kennesaw State 1-0.


Burkett also had a stellar career in the classroom, earning a spot on the ASUN All-Academic team in 2022. Burkett was honored with the selection while enrolled in doctorate courses while pursuing an Executive Certificate in Strategic Leadership. She also posted a 3.83 GPA in earning her master’s degree in sport management from Liberty.


A Mosely, Va. native, Burkett for Richmond United in the UNCL and was a member of the ODP Virginia State team during her prep career. Burkett played at Tennessee from 2018-2020 where she played in 38 games, notching 14 points (four goals, six assists).

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Kelly Findley

With over two decades of coaching experience, Kelly Findley took over the Liberty men's soccer program in December of 2018.


Known for player development, Findley has compiled a 133-114-33 record and led two teams to the NCAA Tournament during head coaching stints at Liberty, Mars Hill (1999-00), Butler (2006-10) and NC State (2011-16).


After seeing the 2020 season moved to the Spring of 2021, the Flames posted a 7-3-2 mark in Findley’s second year in Lynchburg. For the first time in program history, Liberty received a national ranking during the year, climbing as high as 15th in the United Soccer Coaches Poll on March 15.


The Flames opened the season with a program-record six consecutive shutouts, including the program’s first-ever win at North Carolina. Liberty went on to finish the year with eight shutouts to post the second-best shutout percentage in the nation (.667).


Off the field, the program has made its mark academically during Findley’s two seasons. The Flames posted the highest team GPA of any Liberty male sport with a 3.55 GPA during the 2020-21 season. The men’s soccer program had 24 of its 27 student-athletes post a 3.0 or better for the academic year.


Meanwhile, during a challenging and unique year due to COVID-19, the Flames had 28 of their 30 student-athletes or 93% of its roster post a 3.0 or better for the 2019-21 academic year. The Flames posted the highest GPA of any Liberty men's team during the spring semester.


In addition, senior midfielder Ruben Garcia was named to the 2019 CoSIDA Academic All-America Division I men's soccer team in program history, becoming only the third player in program history to garner selection to the prestigious squad. Garcia also was named the 2019 ASUN Men's Scholar Athlete of the Year.


Findley came to Liberty after serving as the associate head coach at Davidson during the 2018 season and a one-year term with the Sporting Kansas City Development Academy in 2017.


During his time as head coach at NC State, Findley had three nationally ranked recruiting classes, including the No. 3 ranked class by TopDrawerSoccer.com in 2014.


The Wolfpack spent multiple weeks ranked in the national polls during several different seasons. NC State was ranked during a six-week stretch in 2015, climbing as high as No. 20 in the polls, while his team was ranked as high as No. 14 in 2012.


Findley's ability to develop young talent established his program as a launching pad to the professional ranks. In 2014, Clement Simonin was the No. 9 overall pick in the MLS SuperDraft by Toronto FC and Conor Donovan was the No. 22 overall pick by the Orlando City SC. Additionally, Alex Martinez was selected in the third round of the draft in 2013.


Prior to his days in Raleigh, Findley posted a winning record during four of his five seasons as the head coach at Butler. With the Bulldogs, Findley posted a record of 59-25-15 overall and 24-7-8 in Horizon League conference play. He was named the Horizon League Coach of the Year in both 2009 and 2010, after guiding Butler to the NCAA Tournament both seasons.


His 2010 Butler squad entered the NCAA Tournament ranked No. 5 nationally and was one of only two unbeaten teams in the nation. The squad finished the year 16-1-3. He also mentored the Horizon League Player of the Year and Herman Trophy semifinalist Ben Sippola and two-time Horizon League Defender of the Year Matt Hedges.


Sippola and Hedges were named to the NSCAA All-America first team and later drafted by MLS teams. Sippola was taken by the Columbus Crew in the 2011 MLS Supplemental Draft and went on to play for the Crew. Later, he played professionally in Sweden and New Zealand.


Hedges, who was the 11th pick in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft, became the all-time leader in MLS appearances for FC Dallas in 2020. The 2016 MLS Defender of the Year, he was selected to the MLS Best IX in 2015 and 2016 and has been a MLS All-Star three times. He has also seen National Team caps.


The 2009 squad also won the Horizon League championship, and over his final three years at Butler went 18-1-5 in conference play.


Findley spent five seasons at Charlotte, serving as an assistant coach (2001-03) and associate head coach (2004-05).


During his tenure at Charlotte, the 49ers compiled a 42-40-14 record, including an 11-7-1 mark in 2004. During his third season at Charlotte, the 49ers reached the finals of the Conference USA Tournament for only the second time in school history, losing the title game on penalty kicks.


Findley jumpstarted his head coaching career at Mars Hill College where he led the program during the 1999 and 2000 seasons. He guided the Lions to a 17-22 mark over the two seasons, including a 10-8 overall record and a runner-up finish in the South Atlantic Conference in 2000.


Findley also spent one season as an assistant coach at Miami (Ohio) University (1998), two seasons as an assistant coach with the Charlotte Eagles professional soccer team (1996-97) and one season as an assistant coach at Judson College (1992). During his tenure with the Charlotte Eagles, the professional club won two South Atlantic Division Championships, made two playoff appearances and posted a national runner-up finish.


Findley was a four-time Most Valuable Player as an undergraduate on the men's soccer team at Judson University in Elgin, Ill. He graduated with a secondary education degree.


He was a three-time NAIA All-American, a three-time NCCAA All-American and a two-time NSCAA All-American as a midfielder. He was named the Northern Illinois Intercollegiate Conference Player of the Year for three consecutive seasons, and he was named Judson's Athlete of the Year in 1990.


Findley helped Judson to its first NCCAA National Tournament championship in 1991, and he finished his collegiate career in fifth place on Judson's all-time assist chart with 48 career assists. He was named to Judson's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005.


Following his collegiate career, Findley played professional soccer with the Charlotte Eagles for six seasons. He helped the Eagles to three South Atlantic Division Championships, five divisional playoff appearances and two trips to the national finals.


A former North Carolina ODP State Team coach, Findley holds a USSF "A" license and an NSCAA Premier Diploma. He and his wife, Joanne and children Gabe, Elysia, Corinne, Stephen and Keane live in Lynchburg.

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Jake Berry

Jake Berry joined the Flames men's soccer staff as an assistant coach in January of 2020.


"Coach Berry’s experience and background are an excellent fit for Liberty Men's Soccer,” stated Flames head coach Kelly Findley. “He brings a passion for people and player development, and his strong faith, work ethic and character will help our players reach their potential."


After helping to guide the program through the postponement of the 2020 season, the Flames posted a 7-3-2 mark in Berry’s first season on staff during Spring of 2021. For the first time in program history, Liberty received a national ranking during the year, climbing as high as 15th in the United Soccer Coaches Poll on March 15.


The Flames opened the season with a program-record six consecutive shutouts, including the program’s first-ever win at North Carolina. Liberty went on to finish the year with eight shutouts to post the second-best shutout percentage in the nation (.667).


Berry joined the Liberty men's soccer staff after three seasons as an assistant and five years on the coaching staff at Belmont Abbey. A goalkeeper during his college career, Berry worked with the team's goalkeepers from 2015-17, before moving into an active role in the team's recruiting and preparation. The Crusaders posted a 24-20-5 overall record, but dominated the Carolinas Conference with a 19-6-5 mark during his tenure.


In 2017, his first at Belmont Abbey, Berry was part of the Carolina Conference Staff of the Year. The Crusaders posted a 9-6-1 overall record and a 6-3-1 mark during the year.


Along with his time at Belmont Abbey, Berry coached at Campbell in 2014 and began his collegiate coaching career at his alma mater Messiah in 2013. As an assistant, he helped in guiding the Falcons to the NCAA Division III National title.


He also spent three seasons as an assistant coach and Director of Coaching with the United Soccer League's (USL) Charlotte Eagles, 2015-17. The Eagles, a soccer ministry, won the Premier Development League National Championship in 2017.


Berry was part of three NCAA Division III National Champion teams (2009, 2010, and 2012) while at Messiah. The goalkeeper appeared in 49 games for the Falcons, earning Mid-Atlantic Conference All-Commonwealth honors in 2010 and 2011. In 2012, he played with the Buxmont Torch of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL).


Berry graduated from Messiah with a bachelor's degree in business administration in 2013 and later earned a MBA with a concentration in international entrepreneurship from Cairn.


Berry and his wife Christie live in Lynchburg.


Berry at a Glance


Assistant Coach for 2017 Premiere Development League Champion Charlotte Eagles; spent three years as an assistant coach and Director of Coaching with the USL and soccer ministry team friom 2015-17

Carolina Conference Staff of the Year at Belmont in 2017

Assistant Coach for his alma mater Messiah during their 2013 NCAA Division III National title run

Goalkeeper on three National Championship teams in 2009, 2010 and 2012, earning all-conference honors in 2010 and 2011

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Douglas Oliveira

Douglas Oliveira joined the Liberty men's coaching staff as an assistant coach during the fall of 2020.


After helping to guide the program through the postponement of the 2020 season, the Flames posted a 7-3-2 mark in Oliveira’s first season on staff during the Spring of 2021. For the first time in program history, Liberty received a national ranking during the year, climbing as high as 15th in the United Soccer Coaches Poll on March 15.


The Flames opened the season with a program-record six consecutive shutouts, including the program’s first-ever win at North Carolina. Liberty went on to finish the year with eight shutouts to post the second-best shutout percentage in the nation (.667).


Before joining the Flames staff, Oliveira served as an assistant coach for two seasons with the Mississippi Brilla FC. Based in Clinton, Miss., the soccer ministry and USL-2 team is Mississippi's only Premier Development League (PDL) franchise and performs ongoing inner-city work through its Urban Soccer Project. Also, while working on his master's degree in human performance at Liberty, Oliveira served as the Flames team manager from Feb. 2019 through May 2020.


The Campinas, Brazil native played two collegiate seasons at Indiana Wesleyan and two collegiate seasons at John Brown. The Wildcats' center back, he was part of Indiana Wesleyan's NCCAA National runner-up squad in 2017. In addition, he played for the PDL's Charlotte Eagles from 2016-18. In 2017, he was named to the All-Eastern Conference team, as the Eagles won the PDL title.


Oliveira graduated from Indiana Wesleyan with a bachelor's degree in exercise science with a minor in coaching. He earned a master's degree in human performance with a strength and conditioning cognate from Liberty in May of 2020.


He holds a National "D" Coaching License from U.S. Soccer.

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