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University of Southern Indiana

Evansville, IN 47712
Indiana Midwest
Public Medium Developing team
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Eric Schoenstein

Eric Schoenstein '93 became the fourth head coach in the history of the women's soccer program in February of 2016. He steadily built the Screaming Eagles into a NCAA Division II regional power since being elevated from the program's first ever assistant coach.


In 2023, Southern Indiana took another step forward in year two of its transition to Division I under Schoenstein. The Eagles finished in a tie for third in the Ohio Valley Conference with a 3-2-4 conference record, finishing with a 4-8-7 overall mark. USI earned a first-round bye in the OVC Championship Tournament, getting to host an OVC Tournament game for the first time as a No. 4 seed. With its second consecutive OVC Tournament berth, the Eagles were a quarterfinalist in 2023 despite having one of the youngest rosters in program history.


In a historic first season for USI in the Ohio Valley Conference and as an NCAA Division I program in 2022, Schoenstein guided the Screaming Eagles to an OVC Championship Tournament berth after a 5-8-4 overall record and a 1-5-2 record in OVC play. USI's defensive unit in 2022 was top-notch, placing themselves among the best in USI history with only 14 goals allowed and a team 0.82 goals against average under Schoenstein.


In the Eagles' final season in the NCAA Division II, Schoenstein led USI to the GLVC championship game for the third-straight year with a 12-6-2 overall record and an 8-5-1 conference mark. The three-straight GLVC Tournament final appearances was a program record.


USI continued to roll in 2020-21, despite having the regular season moved to the spring and the schedule curtailed to GLVC teams only due to COVID-19. The Eagles ended the campaign with a 12-4-1 record, marking the program's first three-straight 12-win seasons and a second-straight appearance in the GLVC Tournament finals.


The 2019 campaign was the Eagles best under Schoenstein as the program won its first ever Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament championship that propelled the program into the NCAA II Tournament for the first time since 1998. USI concluded the 2019 season with a 12-7-2 overall record, 8-6-1 in the league's regular season, and was ranked as high as fifth in the United Soccer Coaches Midwest Region poll.


During the third season under Schoenstein's direction, the 2018 Screaming Eagles entered new territory. USI captured a share of the GLVC regular season championship for the first time in program history with a 9-3-1 league record; reached the GLVC Tournament semifinals for the first time since 1999; and was ranked in the NCAA Division II Midwest Region for the first time since 2010 after finishing the year with a 12-5-3 mark.


The 2017 campaign saw the Eagles finish above .500 for the first time in four seasons with an 8-5-5 overall mark. USI also finished the GLVC schedule with a 6-4-4 record and above .500 for the first time since 2012.


The 6-4-4 mark in the GLVC earned Schoenstein and the Eagles a second-straight appearance in the conference tournament clinching the number five seed.


During his first season at the helm, Schoenstein rebuilt the Eagles into a player in the GLVC. USI was 9-9-1 during 2016, going 6-8-1 in the GLVC and earning a spot in the league tournament for the first time since 2012.


No stranger to the USI soccer program before joining the Athletic staff in 2014, Schoenstein playing a pivotal role during the Screaming Eagles' dominance of the Great Lakes Valley Conference with the Eagles winning league titles in 1988, 1989, 1990, and 1991. He was a senior captain in 1991, earned All-Region honors 1988, was a three-time All-GLVC award winner (1988, 1990, 1991), and finished his career on the 1991 Academic All-GLVC squad. The Evansville, Indiana, native is still among the all-time leaders at USI, ranking third in goals scored (34); fifth in assists (22); and third in total points (90).


Schoenstein has been a mainstay in the Evansville soccer community since the 1980s. He became a part of the USI coaching staff after serving as the Sporting Southern Indiana (formerly Southwest Indiana Soccer Association) Director of Coaching and Player Development since 2002. He was named the 2013 Indiana Girls Travel Coach of the Year and was the 2008 Indiana Director of Coach Award winner.


During his tenure with Sporting Southern Indiana, Schoenstein enlarged the club from 12 to 32 teams, growing the recruiting base from 200 to 600 players.


In 2021, Schoenstein won his 12th state championship and second with the Sporting Southern Indiana Pride. The title was Schoenstein's first since Sporting Southern Indiana Lady Courage U18 team won the state crown in 2017. The Lady Courage finished undefeated, while winning the Midwest Regional League title in that year.


Schoenstein compiled a record of 269-80-60 as the head coach of the SWISA Rush U-18 Girls, winning two state championships and appearing in six-straight state finals. The Rush were ranked nationally in the top-25 and Midwest Regional semi-finalist in 2012.


In 2013, he won state titles with the SWISA Crush U-17 Girls and the SWISA Mutiny U15 Girls, who went on to win a Midwest Regional title and finished 3rd at USYSA National Tournament.


In 2006, Schoenstein was named Indiana High School Coach of the Year while leading the Bosse High School program and is Bosse's all-time winningest coach with over 150 wins.


Schoenstein, who was inducted into the USI Athletics Hall of Fame in 2023, has two kids, Alex and Morgan, and one grandchild, Adam.

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Larry Nohalty

Larry Nohalty '94 joined the USI women's soccer staff in July of 2015 as women's soccer assistant coach. He assists Head Coach Eric Schoenstein, focusing on the training of goalkeepers. Since joining the women's soccer staff, Nohalty has helped guide the Screaming Eagles' goalkeepers to a sub 1.00 goals against average in six of the last seven seasons and program record-tying 11 shutouts in 2019.


In 2022, the first season for USI Women's Soccer in the Ohio Valley Conference and as an NCAA Division I program, Nohalty coached the Screaming Eagles' goalkeepers to a 0.82 goal against average and seven shutouts.


Nohalty, who graduated from USI with a bachelor's degree in business administration, was a part of two GLVC championships (1990, 1991). He also helped guide USI's transition to NCAA Division I in 1992.


A native of Jeffersonville, Indiana, Nohalty has coached locally for more than 20 years. He was the Bosse High School goalkeeper coach for 14 season, taking the helm as the head coach in 2014 and 2015.


At the club level, he has been at Sporting Southern Indiana since 2004 and helped lead 5 teams to State championships and has held numerous positions within the club. Nohalty has an NSCAA advanced regional and goalkeeping licenses along with USSF "F" license. He has been a member of the NSCAA since 2012.


Larry and wife Wendy have four children - three daughters (Abby, Nora, Annie) and one son (Liam).

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Mat Santoro

Mat Santoro, who became the ninth head coach of the USI men's soccer program in 2009, moves into his 15th season at the helm of the Screaming Eagles. The Eagles are 111-108-27 during his tenure, including six post-season berths that have included trips to the NCAA Division II Tournament.


During USI's first season at the NCAA Division I, Santoro led the Eagles into a tie for sixth in the Summit League standings and would have earned a spot in the league's post-season tournament had USI been eligible. The 2022 Eagles also feature a trio of Academic All-District honorees (Nick Faddis, Ryan Nevins, Colton Walsh).


Santoro concluded the Eagles final season in the NCAA Division II with a 5-9-2 overall record, 4-8-2 in the GLVC. The Eagles had battled through a season with four overtime contests and six one-goal deciding matches.


In the COVID-19 spring season in 2020-21, Santoro directed the Eagles to a record setting campaign, finishing 7-6-1 overall. He became USI's all-time winningest coach with his 98th win; the first USI men's soccer coach to reach 100 victories; and led the Eagles to a school-record sixth-straight winning season.


The 2019 campaign saw the Eagles battle through numerous pre-season injuries by rallying to earn a trip into the post-season. USI saw its season come to a conclusion with a 9-7-3 overall mark, 8-5-2 conference finish, after reaching the GLVC Tournament semifinals.


In 2018, Santoro's Eagles were nothing short of dominating in the regular season and the GLVC campaign. He directed the Eagles to a 13-4-1 overall record, reaching 13 wins for the second time in three season, and a impressive 11-1-1 mark in conference action, capturing the GLVC regular season championship for the first time since 1990.


USI also reached the NCAA II Tournament for the second time in three seasons and was the number two seed in the Midwest Region for the first time program history. The Eagles also hosted an NCAA II regional for the first time since 1982 and finished the season ranked 15th nationally.


Santoro, the 2018 GLVC Coach of the Year, and the Eagles were ranked as high as 11th nationally during the 2018 regular season, the highest level since 1982.


The 2017 Eagles, who were nationally ranked early in the season, used an 8-1-1 dash in their final 10 games to earn a berth in the GLVC Tournament championship game and finish the year with an 11-7-1 overall mark.


Santoro's Eagles had a historic 2016 campaign, reaching the NCAA II Tournament for the second time and advancing for the first time in the history of the program. The Eagles, who also spent four weeks in the NSCAA Top 25 poll, were 13-4-4 overall, reaching 13 wins for the first time since 2002.


In addition to the energy sparked by the last two seasons, USI has had seven GLVC Players of the Week; 10 All-GLVC awards; seven All-Region picks; the 2016 GLVC Freshman-of-the-Year; and the program’s second-ever Academic All-American.


USI men’s soccer also has excelled in the classroom under Santoro’s direction. The program earned the NSCAA Team Academic Award eight times and the Team Academic All-GLVC Award the past two years. Seven of the program’s 2016 and 2017 graduates have won the GLVC Council of Presidents’ Academic Excellence Award, and the program has earned 109 Academic All-GLVC awards since 2009.


Prior to coming to USI, Santoro was an assistant coach at The University of Memphis of NCAA Division I Conference-USA, assisting in all facets of the program.


Santoro began his college coaching career as an assistant at Rowan University (NJ). During his time coaching at Rowan, Santoro was the primary recruiter for a program, which won two conference championships; qualified for three NCAA tournaments; and hosted the 2000 NCAA III Final Four in which the Profs were the national runner-up.


As a student-athlete, Santoro started for University of Maryland before transferring to Rowan where he was a three-time All-Conference and two-time All-Region performer. His 1990 national championship team was inducted into the Rowan Athletics Hall-of-Fame in 2017.


Santoro has a bachelor’s of arts degree in philosophy and religion with a minor in physical education. He also is a member of the International Association for the Philosophy of Sport and the United Soccer Coaches.

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Robert Bennett

Robert Bennett joined the USI men's soccer coaching staff in the 2013 season and assists Head Coach Mat Santoro in all facets of the program, including on-field coaching and recruiting.


During USI's first season at the NCAA Division I, Bennett helped lead the Eagles into a tie for sixth in the Summit League standings and would have earned a spot in the league's post-season tournament had USI been eligible. The 2022 Eagles also feature a trio of Academic All-District honorees (Nick Faddis, Ryan Nevins, Colton Walsh).


Benntt and USI concluded the Eagles' final season in the NCAA Division II with a 5-9-2 overall record, 4-8-2 in the GLVC. The Eagles had battled through a season with four overtime contests and six one-goal deciding matches.


The Eagles complete a record-setting campaign in 2020-21 spring season by posting a sixth-straight winning season, breaking a pair of five-season streaks (1982-86; 1988-92).


In 2018, Bennett helped guide Eagles to a dominating regular season and GLVC campaign. He directed the Eagles to a 13-4-1 overall record, reaching 13 wins for the second time in three season, and a impressive 11-1-1 mark in conference action, capturing the GLVC regular season championship for the first time since 1990.


The 2017 Eagles, who were nationally ranked early in the season, used an 8-1-1 dash in their final 10 games to earn a berth in the GLVC Tournament championship game and finish the year with an 11-7-1 overall mark.


Bennett helped Santoro guide the Screaming Eagles to a historic 2016 campaign, reaching the NCAA Division II Tournament for the second time and advancing for the first time in the history of the program. The Eagles, who also spent four weeks in the NSCAA Top 25 poll, were 13-4-4 overall, reaching 13 wins for the first time since 2002.


Bennett, who has a pair of coaching licenses from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, becomes a part of the USI coaching staff after helping lead the Evansville Soccer Club since 2008. He also was the assistant director in 2012-13.


A mainstay in the Evansville soccer community since the 1980s, Bennett was a member of the Screaming Eagles' dominating Great Lakes Valley Conference title runs in 1989 and 1990. He earned All-State and All-GLVC honors after captaining the USI squad as a senior. The Evansville, Indiana, native finished his USI career with eight points on three goals and two assists in 41 appearances and 33 starts.


Prior to his two seasons with USI, Bennett played two years at nationally-ranked University of Evansville.


Bennett's history with winning programs began before he reached the collegiate level. He was a member of two state championship teams with Memorial High School (Evansville, Indiana), earning several All-City and All-State awards.

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