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Wright State University

Dayton, OH 45435
Ohio Midwest
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Travis Sobers

Travis Sobers was named the sixth head coach of the Wright State women's soccer program history on August 4, 2021. Sobers has been with the Raider program since the fall of 2013, most recently serving as the associate head coach prior to his promotion.


Since joining the women's staff in 2013, Sobers has been a part of seven Raider appearances in the Horizon League postseason, including a trip to the 2015 Horizon League Championship game. Along with his position at Wright State, Sobers was also the head coach for the Ohio Galaxies 99 Elite girls, who were the 2018 State finalist and a regional participant. He also coached the Ohio Galaxies 03 girls to a 2017 President Cup Championship and regional finalist title.


Sobers guided Wright State to an 8-7-3 overall record and a 5-2-3 mark against conference opponents in 2022. The Raiders earned a spot in the Horizon League Championship before falling to Youngstown State in the tournament quarterfinals. Marcella Sizer became the second Raider in program history to earn Offensive Player of the Year honors, while Olga Massombo (First Team), Lauren Borchert (Second Team), Elise Canter (All-Freshman Team), and Kaylee Pham (All-Freshman Team) joined her as All-League recipients. In addition to conference honors, Massombo was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-North Region Second Team.


Sobers led the Raiders to a 5-10-3 record in the fall of 2021. WSU opened the year with a 2-1 double-overtime win over Marshall, which marked Sobers' first victory as the head coach of the women's soccer program. The Raiders added three victories and two draws against Horizon League competition. Olga Massombo and Destiny Johnson received All-League accolades following the 2021 season, while Olivia Mace earned Horizon League All-Freshman Team honors. Massombo went on to earn a spot on the All-Ohio Women's NCAA Division I team by the Ohio Collegiate Soccer Association.


Sobers is a 2003 graduate of Wright State, where he was an essential piece of the Raiders' men's soccer program from 1998-2001. Sobers was a member of the 1998 Horizon League All-Freshman Team and a Second Team recipient the following season. Sobers capped his collegiate career with back-to-back Horizon League First Team nods in 2000 and 2001. A three-time All-Mideast Region performer and three-time All-Ohio performer, he was the 2001 Ohio Player of the Year. His six total points and three goals for the Raiders in the 2001 Horizon League Championship game are still League records. Following his career with the Raiders, he went on to play professionally with the Cincinnati Kings in 2005.

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Krystle Seidel

Krystle Seidel joined the Wright State women's soccer coaching staff in May 2023.


Seidel joined the Raiders following a four-year stint as the head women's soccer coach at Macalester College. Before Macalester, she spent nine years at the University of Minnesota, including the last three as the Gophers' associate head coach. She arrived at Macalester in the spring of 2018 and built the Scots into the winning program, punctuated by a 10-6-2 record in 2021. The 10 wins were the program's most since 2015. The Scots surrendered just 11 goals in 18 games in the 2021 campaign, the second-lowest total in the MIAC.


During her nine years at Minnesota, the Gophers made the conference tournament each year and received NCAA Tournament berths four times. The 2010 squad advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen, while the 2016 team won both the Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles. Overall, the Gophers compiled a 107-60-23 record with Seidel on the sidelines.


As a player, Seidel was a standout at Woodbury High School and was the Minnesota High School Gatorade Player of the Year in 2004. She helped the Royals win state championships in 2003 and 2004 while earning All-State honors and ultimately was named a high school All-American by the NSCAA. After three successful seasons at West Virginia University, Seidel transferred home to play for the Gophers as a senior in 2008. That year, Minnesota posted the best record in the program's history (22-4) while advancing to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. She graduated from Minnesota in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science degree in business marketing education.


Seidel has earned a USSF "B" License and the NCSAA National Diploma. In 2015, she was one of 15 female coaches to be selected for the NSCAA's 30 Under 30 Program, which is a year-long education and mentorship opportunity.


Seidel, formerly Krystle Kallman, is one of five siblings to have played Division I soccer. Her brothers Brian and Brent both played at Creighton and for Minnesota United. Her sister Kylie also played for the University of Minnesota, while her younger sister Kassey was an All-American at Florida State University.


Seidel's husband Andy is the head coach of the FC Cincinnati U14 Academy team.

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Alex Van der Sluijs

Alex Van der Sluijs joined the Wright State men's soccer coaching staff in April 2022.


Van der Sluijs joined the Raiders after a four-season stint as the head men's soccer coach at Wilmington College, while he also spent seven years at Defiance College, including serving as the school's head men's and women's soccer coach.


At Wilmington College, Van der Sluijs guided the Fightin' Quakers to four consecutive winning seasons and was named the 2021 OAC Coach of the Year after leading the team to 12 wins, its most victories in a season in 15 campaigns. Under his tutelage, Wilmington earned 19 All-OAC awards, including garnering the OAC Forward and Defender of the Year honors in 2021. Additionally, forward Yusef Muqtadir garnered First Team All-OAC recognition and earned Third Team CoSIDA Academic All-American honors. During his time at Defiance, Van der Sluijs guided the men's program to its first winning season in 11 years, and its most-ever conference wins, in the 2013 campaign. On the women's side, Van der Sluijs led Defiance to the program's first-ever winning season in 2012. He currently still has the second-most wins in both Defiance men's and women's program history.


Van der Sluijs returned to Wilmington College following three years at Chaminade Julienne High School in Dayton, where he served as head boys' soccer coach and led the Eagles to three consecutive winning seasons. A 2007 graduate of Wilmington, Van der Sluijs was a three-time First Team All-OAC selection as a player and was named OAC Forward of the Year on two occasions. He was a key offensive figure on a team that won Wilmington College's most recent OAC regular season title in 2004.


Van der Sluijs resides in Beavercreek with his wife, Paige, son, Yori and daughter, Annika.

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Chris Garcia

Chris Garcia joined Wright State men's soccer as an assistant coach in July 2023.


Garcia joined the Raiders after a four-year stint as head coach at Saint Elizabeth University and played collegiately at Seton Hall.


At Saint Elizabeth, Garcia took over a program that had been 1-17 and guided the program to two consecutive winning seasons and back-to-back playoff appearances, earning playoff berths for the first time in the program's history. He was also the first coach at Saint Elizabeth to qualify a team to the ECAC tournament and was named the 2022 CSAC Coach of the Year after leading the program to 11 wins, the team's most season victories in a season in program history. Off the field, he led the team to their highest overall team GPA (3.1) in school history.


Prior to Saint Elizabeth, Garcia was a volunteer assistant coach at Seton Hall for one season on both the men's and women's sides. He earned a bachelor's degree in Public Relations from Seton Hall and played on the men's soccer team for four years, earning Big East All-Academic Team honors in 2010 and 2014. Garcia is also a product of the New York Red Bulls Academy where he trained with the first team several times alongside of players like Thierry Henry and Rafael Marquez before he was recruited to Seton Hall.


Garcia has earned his UEFA "A" License from the Irish FA, his U.S. Soccer "B" License, and the Premier Diploma through United Soccer Coaches and plans to apply for his U.S. Soccer "A" License.

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