Messiah University

Mechanicsburg, PA 17055

Pennsylvania Northeast

Private Small Developing team

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Coaches

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Scott Frey

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The 2023 season is Scott Frey’s 23rd season (24th year) as the Messiah women’s soccer head coach. During his two-plus decades, Frey has led the Falcons to six National Championships, 19 Conference Championships, and 14 Final Four appearances. Prior to his appointment as the head women’s soccer coach at Messiah, Frey was the head men’s coach at Alma College (1993-1999) and an assistant coach with the Messiah men’s team (1988-1992).

NOTABLE ACCOLADES

457-29-33 overall record at Messiah

His winning percentage of .912 is the highest winning percentage in NCAA women’s or men’s soccer across all three divisions.

Six NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer National Championships

2005, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2019

22 NCAA Tournament Appearances

74-11-11 (.828 winning percentage) overall record in the NCAA Tournament

Six National Championships

10 National Championship Game Appearances

14 Final Four Appearances (including nine-straight from 2004-2012)

19 Conference Championships

2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022

Four-time National Coach of the Year

2005, 2009, 2011, 2019

Four-time Regional Coach of the Year

2002, 2004, 2005, 2015

Seven-time Conference Coach of the Year

2000, 2007, 2013, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021

Coached four MAC Senior Scholar-Athletes of the Year

Kelsey Gorman (2011), Alicia Frey (2013), Kayla Deckert (2016), DJ Cole (2018)

Coached 25 Conference Players of the Year

Coached 12 Conference Rookies of the Year

Coached 93 All-Region honorees

Coached 41 All-Americans

Coached Six National Players of the Year

Amanda Naeher (2008, 2010), Erin Hench (2009), Alex Brandt (2012), Nikki Elsaesser (2015), DJ Cole (2018)

COACHING BIO

A 1984 graduate of Messiah University, Frey began his college coaching career as an assistant with the Messiah men’s team from 1988-1992. In 1993, Frey took over the men’s team at Alma College in Michigan. There, he led the program to two MIAA Conference titles, three NCAA Championships appearances, and a berth into the NCAA Division III Final Four in 1999. He was recognized as the Great Lakes Regional Coach of the Year in 1999.

Frey holds both an Advanced National Diploma and a USSF “B” License.

In addition to his coaching duties, Frey holds administrative duties with the Athletic Department, including locker room organization and game management.

He and his wife, Sheila, have an eldest son Drew and two daughters, Alicia and Maggie.

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Holly Hoy

Holly (Burgard) Hoy enters her sixth year with the women's soccer team in the 2022 season.

Hoy earned her first National Championship on the sidelines during the 2019 campaign, contributing to the coaching staff that led the Falcons to a 22-1-3 overall record.

During her playing career, Hoy was a part of Falcon teams that made the NCAA Tournament all four seasons, reaching the sectional semifinals in 2013, sectional final in 2014, final four in 2015, and winning the program’s fifth and most recent National Championship as a freshman in 2012. During her four seasons, Messiah sported a record of 88-4-8 overall and 33-0-1 in the MAC Commonwealth. Her 99 games played as a Falcon ties for eighth in program history.

As a forward, Hoy registered career totals of 23 goals and 33 assists resulting in 79 points, which ranks 15th in Messiah’s all-time record books. Her senior season was her strongest, notching 13 goals and dishing out 10 assists. She was named All-MAC Commonwealth in 2014 and 2015 and NSCAA All-Mid-Atlantic Region in 2015.

Hoy lives in Mechanicsburg with her husband, and former Messiah men's basketball player, Zac Hoy ’15.

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Nikki (Murren) Elsaesser

Nikki Elsaesser enters her second non consecutive year as an assistant coach on the Messiah women's soccer coaching staff in 2022.

Elsaesser was a graduate assistant coach for the Falcons for a season in 2018 before accepting the head coaching position at Houghton College where she coached from 2019-2021. While at Houghton, she compiled a 17-20-4 record.

Nikki returns to Messiah College most recently from coaching soccer, teaching physical education, and supporting teams as an athletic trainer at a private school in Connecticut. While there, she got to draw upon a multitude of sports ministry experiences she gained throughout her college years.

While a Messiah College student-athlete, Nikki had a very successful career on the soccer field-- coupling that success with a ministry minded approach to her sport. The culture of her team provided an environment in which she was mentored as an underclassman and grew to be a strong leader by her senior year.

Just prior to her senior year, Nikki spent a summer with Missionary Athletes International, a soccer ministry in Charlotte, NC. Her time in Charlotte was eye-opening, as she experienced how powerful the ministry platform of sports can be, especially in connecting with people that don’t have a faith background. She returned to Messiah with a renewed passion for using her senior year to pour into her teammates spiritually. She and her fellow classmates were responsible for team devotions, as well as leading a small group for the underclassman. Together they sought to see their teammates grow spiritually while also challenging them to pursue excellence on the field.

In a wider scope of experiences at Messiah, Nikki was involved in AROMA as a student through attending chapels and going on an international trip to Uganda. Her experience in Uganda lead to a relationship with AROMA’s international partner, Sports Outreach, where she would eventually serve as an intern, gaining even more experience in a different aspect of sports ministry. This also lead her back to Uganda with AROMA and Sports Outreach; this time as an alum.

Drawing upon this wide breadth of experiences, Nikki pursued opportunities to love and serve her students through her many roles in Connecticut. Her passion to continue in sports ministry ultimately brought her back to Messiah as the AROMA Graduate Assistant. She desired to be surrounded by other people with a passion for ministry and to glean all she could in order to prepare for wherever God calls her next. While here, she is excited to develop meaningful relationships with female athletes on campus, giving in the same ways she received in her time here.

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Brad McCarty

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The 2023 season is Brad McCarty's 14th season (15th year) as the head coach of the Messiah men's soccer team. McCarty took over the program prior to the 2009 season, but served as an assistant in the program for eight years prior to taking over the head coaching role. Before coming back to Messiah men's soccer program as an assistant in 2001, McCarty served as head men's soccer coach at Hesston College (1994-1999), head women's soccer coach at Erskine College (2000), and the Messiah men's junior varsity coach (1993).

NOTABLE MESSIAH ACCOLADES

266-19-18 overall record at Messiah

His winning percentage of .908 is the second highest winning percentage in NCAA men’s or women’s soccer across all three division, trailing only Scott Frey.

Five NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer National Championships as Head Coach

2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2017

Five-time National Champion as an assistant coach – 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008

12 NCAA Tournament Appearances

39-6-2 (.840 winning percentage) overall record in the NCAA Tournament

Five National Championships

10 Conference Championships

2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022

Three-time National Coach of the Year

2009, 2012, 2017

Four-time Regional Coach of the Year

Most recently 2022

Seven-time Conference Coach of the Year

2010, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021

Coached Six MAC Senior Scholar-Athletes of the Year

Coached 14 Conference Players of the Year

Coached Three Conference Rookies of the Year

Coached 50 All-Region honorees

Coached 26 All-Americans

Coached Seven National Players of the Year

Geoff Pezon (2010), Jeremy Payne (2012, 2014), Josh Wood (2013), Jacob Bender (2016), Nick West (2018), Matt McDonald (2022)

COACHING BIO

A 1993 Messiah graduate, McCarty was named head coach of the Messiah men’s soccer Feb. 9, 2009, becoming the seventh head coach in the program’s storied 44-year history.

As the Falcons’ top assistant coach for the previous eight years, McCarty helped Messiah to five of its first six NCAA Division III National Championships, returning to his alma mater at the outset of the 2001 season as the lead assistant. Success was quick to follow, as Messiah claimed national titles in the 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2008 seasons — posting an overall 173-14-8 (.908) record with McCarty on staff. During his time as an assistant coach, Messiah reached the Final Four in all but one season, while 15 NSCAA All-Americans and four NSCAA National Players of the Year came through the program.

McCarty was a standout performer on Shoemaker Field as a collegian. He claimed NSCAA All-Region honors as a senior and was a two-time All-Middle Atlantic Conference First Team member, earning Adidas First Team All-America Scholar-Athlete accolades as a senior as well.

McCarty continued on to play professional soccer for four seasons following his collegiate career, serving as a member of the United Soccer League’s Charlotte Eagles Soccer Club during the summers of 1993 to 1995 and again in 1997, becoming a staple in the franchise’s backfield.

During his playing career, McCarty assumed other duties during the off-seasons, coming back to Messiah in the fall of 1993 to coach the men’s junior varsity squad. He obtained his first collegiate head coaching role the following year, taking over the reigns of the Hesston College (NJCAA Division I, Hesston, Kan.) men’s soccer program at the start of the 1994 fall season. He remained with the Larks’ program for six years, departing to take over the women’s soccer program at Erskine College (NCAA Division II, Due West, S.C.) in 2000. After spending one season with the Flying Fleet, McCarty returned to his alma mater to work under Dave Brandt, helping Messiah’s former leader to unprecedented levels of success at the Division III level.

In addition to his coaching duties, McCarty serves as the Associate Athletics Director for Facilities at Messiah.

McCarty has long been a major part of Messiah’s highly successful summer soccer camps, and has traveled to work the University of North Carolina-Charlotte and Butler University soccer camps as well. He’s performed soccer clinics for area high schools, and takes over as director of the Messiah University boys’ soccer camps in conjunction with his head coaching role.

As mentioned, McCarty graduated from Messiah in 1993 with a degree in health and physical education. He completed his master’s degree Summa Cum Laude at Wichita State University in December of 1997, focusing on sports administration. He resides in Dillsburg with his wife, Jodi. The couple has four children: daughters Madison and Morgan, and sons Ian and Finnley.

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Aaron Faro

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Aaron has been a part of the AROMA program since it’s inception in 2011. A former standout on the soccer pitch for the Falcons, Faro also serves as the Assistant Coach for the men’s soccer team and the Athletic Department's recruitment coordinator, functioning as a liaison between the admissions and intercollegiate athletics departments at Messiah.

In his role as AROMA Director, Faro provides vision and leadership to a program that has become a distinctive of Messiah’s athletic experience. He is passionate about seeing athletes align their purpose in sport with their purpose in life—glorifying God.

Prior to returning to his alma mater in 2009, Faro spent five years playing professional soccer while also working in sports ministry with Missionary Athletes International (MAI), one of the world leaders in sports ministry. Faro both played and worked for the United Soccer League’s Charlotte Eagles organization — a subsidiary of MAI. Faro’s playing career spanned five seasons with the Eagles, helping the club to the USL National Championship in 2005 while aiding to runner-up finishes in both 2004 and 2006.

Faro also spent five years as the Charlotte Eagles camp director, overseeing all aspects of 20-plus camps each summer while managing over 60 staff members. Under Faro’s leadership, the Eagles’ sessions grew to include camps for high school and college teams as well as camps for underprivileged youth in the inner city and Hispanic communities of Charlotte.

In 2008, Faro began splitting his summers between Charlotte and Chicago where, in another MAI office, Faro served as an assistant director for the Chicago Eagles Summer Academy. The academy program engaged college athletes in a myriad of sports ministry opportunities including an international trip to Brazil, inner-city and suburban camps in Greater Chicago and daily intentional one on one and team discipleship. These experiences played a significant role in God’s call to full time ministry with college athletes.

Faro’s leadership has helped Messiah athletes, coaches and alumni impact our campus, our local community and the world. His transformational work in all of his roles at Messiah supported his receiving of the Messiah University Pride in Performance Award in the spring of 2015. He also received Messiah’s Young Alumnus of the Year Award in 2016.

Faro and his wife, Christine, reside in Mechanicsburg with their two daughters, Emma and Abby.