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Chris LeFevre
Chris LeFevre finished his sventh season as Head Coach of the University of the Cumberlands Men’s Soccer program in 2022. LeFevre, who was hired in 2016, has guided the Patriots to a 56-42-16 (32-15-4 Mid-South Conference) record over the course of his six seasons at UC.
This past season, UC made their third straight NAIA Postseason Appearance wih a season record of 11-6-3. Cumberlands finished the MSC season with a record of 8-2-1 to finish third in the conference. The team made it to the MSC Championship game for the second straight year, earning their automatic bid to the NAIA Tournament. The team had seven players earn MSC All-Conference honors with one on First Team, four on Second Team, and a pair with Honorable Mention. Joel Drewery was the lone Patriot on First Team, leading UC in assists with 13 this season which also ranked him fifth in the NAIA. Drewery leaves the UC men's soccer program as one of the most decorated earning the first ever five-time MSC All-Conference honoree, the all-time assist leader (44) and the all-time caps leader (92).
For the 2021 season, season the Patriots won the Mid-South Conference Tournament for the first time since 1996. The team then went to their second NAIA Tournament in two seasons and recorded their first NAIA Tournament win in program history defeating Bethel (IN) 6-0. LeFevre helped lead his team out of the Fort Wayne Bracket and to the NAIA Final Site. The team made it to the quaterfinals defeating Indiana Tech (2-0) and Lindsey Wilson (3-2) along the way. For the season LeFevre's squad went 14-6-2 overall with a 8-2-1 conference record.
The 2020 team set the standard for UC men's soccer with finishing the season as the highest ranked team in program history at #6. UC had nine shutouts, ranking them seventh in the NAIA. On the offensive end the team tallied 48 assists for eighth most in the nation.They also racked up 50 goals for 13th most in the NAIA. UC held opponents to just 16 goals against all year and the Patriots never lost a game by more than one goal. Two Patriots earned First-Team All-Conference recognition four players nabbed Second-Team All-Conference honors, and two student-athletes garnered honorable mentions. This is the most UC has on the All-Conference list since 2008-09 when 13 were named.
In 2019, LeFevre led the men's soccer program to the NAIA Tournament for the first time in history. At the helm, he led the Patriots to the most single-season wins since 2015, finishing with an overall record of 10-7-2. He finished the year ranked in the NAIA across three statistical categories, including 25th for total shutouts with eight.
Under LeFevre, the Patriots have made the Mid-South Conference Tournament every year as the fourth seed or better, peaking as #3 in 2019 and 2020. In 2016, LeFevre won his first MSC Tournament match with a 1-0 win over Shawnee State on 11/4/16. In 2019, the Patriots won the tournament opener against Cumberland 1-0 before falling to Lindsey Wilson in a 1-1 draw, 2-0 in shootout.
LeFevre has had three NAIA All-American Honorable Mentions, eight MSC First Team All-Conference selections, and 16 players garner Second Team All-Conference honors. In addition to his success on the field, the Patriots have had 72 players earn Academic All-Conference accolades, while eight players have been named Daktronics-NAIA All-Americans.
LeFevre is originally from Stockholm, New Jersey. Him and his wife of 17 years, Betsy, have two sons, Isaac (11) and Micah (9). He graduated from Adelphi University in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science in Sports Management and from Canisius College in Buffalo, New York in 2006 with a Masters' Degree in Sports Administration.
After his playing career, LeFevre became the head coach at Genessee Community College bolstering the program into a major player with an overall record of 41-17-1 in three seasons. While there, his teams were the Western New York Conference Champions in 2006 and 2007 and made an appearance in the Regional Final Four.
LeFevre made a stop at NCAA DI Binghamton University in 2008 as an assistant, helping the team finish with a 10-5-3 record and a sixth-straight conference final appearance before spending time at Adrian College (Michigan) from 2009-2013. At Adrian, he garnered a 31-53-13 record over five seasons and had the highest winning percentage in school history earning the first winning season record since 1983.
In 2015-2016, LeFevre was the head coach at NCAA DIII McMurray University. He has coached numerous NCAA All-Region players along with NJCAA and NSCAA All-Americans over his tenure, and his experience in the coaching realm is vast — covering all aspects of the game of soccer on various levels.
"This is a tremendous opportunity. UC has a beautiful campus and has the reputation as a strong academic institution. Not only is the university warm and welcoming, it's also a winner," said LeFevre. "The Patriots have a great tradition of success."
Coach LeFevre describes himself as relentless, detailed, and rational. He expects his players to work hard every day in every way with full effort. He wants his players to care about their teammates and the program.
UC Athletic Director Chris Kraftick commented, "Chris really impressed both myself and the committee during the interview process. His passion and energy for recruiting and developing players will be the cornerstone of his program. I cannot wait to see what he can do with the assets available to him at UC."
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