University of NC - Greensboro

UNCG Athletic Department
PO Box 26168 or 1408 Walker Avenue Greensboro, NC 27412

Division 1 North Carolina Southeast

Public Large National competitor

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Coaches

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Chris Rich

UNC Greensboro announced on July 30, 2019, that Chris Rich has been named men’s soccer head coach.

In four years, Rich has led the Spartans to three Southern Conference regular season titles, two Southern Conference Tournament championships, two NCAA Tournament appearances, and many national rankings.

In his second year, Rich and the Spartans won the Southern Conference Tournament championship and hosted a first round game in the NCAA Tournament. In addition, the Spartans received votes in the final United Soccer Coaches poll of the 2021 spring season … UNCG finished with a 9-3-2 record and a .714 winning percentage, the best since 2005 (.717). Rich coached five players who earned All-SoCon recognition, including co-Freshman of the Year, Theo Collomb.

Nationally, UNCG ranked 12th in total goals (27) and corner kicks per game (6.79), 19th in goal differential (+13), 20th in shots per game (14.64), 22nd in total points (73), 23rd in scoring offense (27), 30th in shots on goal per game (6.14), 32nd in winning percentage (.714), 33rd in total assists (19), 42nd in shutout percentage (.429), 43rd in points per game (5.21), and 49th in goals against average (.958).

In his first year, he led the Spartans to a Southern Conference Regular Season title in 2019, finishing with a 9-9-1 record, while going 5-1-0 in conference play. Entering the SoCon tournament as a No. 2 seed, UNCG reached as far as the conference final after defeating No. 6 Belmont in the semis. Senior Casey Penland earned the Spartans' first SoCon Player of the Year honor for the first time since 2015, with six players receiving conference postseason honors in all. Coach Rich's squad ranked second in the SoCon with a goals against average of 1.29, while shutting out five squads over the course of the season. Penland also earned United Soccer Coaches All-Region honors in his first season under Coach Rich, later signing a contract with USL club Charlotte Independence.

Rich spent the previous 12 years as an assistant coach, with his three most recent stops being at Atlantic Coast Conference schools Duke, North Carolina and Virginia Tech.

Success In The ACC

Over the past three seasons, Rich served as assistant men’s coach and recruiting coordinator at Duke, where he helped guide the Blue Devils to two NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearances and finishes in the top 15 of the final United Soccer Coaches poll.

During that span, Duke also garnered 12 All-ACC selections including six last season, the most earned by the school in a single season since 2001. Additionally, the Blue Devils had a combined five players selected in the Major League Soccer Draft in 2017 and 2018.

In his role of recruiting coordinator, Rich secured three top-12 Top Drawer Soccer national recruiting classes while the men’s soccer team maintained a 3.3 cumulative team GPA.

During the 2014 and 2015 seasons, Rich was an assistant coach for North Carolina’s men’s soccer team, aiding in all aspects of running the program including recruiting, scouting, video analysis, practice and game preparation, and operations. In those two seasons, the Tar Heels won a combined 30 games and advanced to the Elite Eight of the 2014 NCAA Tournament.

In 2012 and 2013, Rich also served as an assistant coach with Virginia Tech where he oversaw scouting of opponents along with the development of First-Team All-ACC selection Kyle Renfro. Renfro was only the second Hokie to earn First-Team All-ACC honors.

Starting At His Alma Mater Before A Move To Division I

Rich began coaching in the Division I ranks in 2011 as an assistant coach at Florida International after spending four seasons at Barry (2007-10) – his alma mater -- as assistant coach.

While on Barry’s coaching staff, Rich was instrumental in the Bucs making two trips to the NCAA Tournament. In 2010, Barry set a new program-record with four All-American selections.

Rich is also a scout for United States Soccer Federation and has been a national instructor for United Soccer Coaches since 2011. He earned his B.S. in Sport Management from Barry in 2006 and his M.S. in Sport Management from Barry in 2009, and is married to his wife Korie Rich.

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Jonathan Lagos

Lagos comes to Greensboro from Wake Forest after spending three years as a volunteer assistant coach.

"Coach Lagos is a great addition to the UNCG soccer family," Rich said. "He comes to us after working with one of the best coaches and programs in the country, but also has previous experience in the SoCon which is extremely valuable. He is a promising young coach and a top-notch human being. I know he will be a great asset to our student-athletes and will help us continue our pursuit of conference championships and NCAA tournaments."

He joined the Demon Deacons as a volunteer assistant coach prior to the 2019 season. In his first three seasons in Winston-Salem, the Demon Deacons collected a record of 42-15-5 as 12 alumni earned professional contracts including three Homegrown Contract signings and four first-round selections in the MLS SuperDraft.

"It's an exciting time to be a Spartan," Lagos said. "I am blessed and honored to be a part of this special program and university. The staff and players have high expectations for this program, and I'm excited to help achieve our goals and add to the already established success. Looking forward to working with these talented young men and joining the staff. Let's go G!"

During the 2021 season, Wake Forest earned an 11th-straight trip to the NCAA Men's Soccer Championship and a seventh-straight Sweet Sixteen appearance. The program earned three victories over top-25 opponents including top-five foes in Pitt and Virginia Tech.

Opening the 2020-21 season ranked No. 1 in the country, Wake Forest finished the split campaign 13-3-2. In the fall, Wake Forest claimed the ACC's South Region before advancing to the Elite Eight in the spring.

In 2019, the Demon Deacons advanced to the program's sixth College Cup, as Wake Forest finished the season 16-5-2.

Lagos joined the Demon Deacons after a season as the top assistant at Wofford in 2018. He previously spent a year at his alma mater, North Greenville University, and also worked for a year at Presbyterian (2016) and Southern Wesleyan University (2015).

At Wofford, Lagos helped the Terriers increase their win total and also helped guide Kyle Nelson to an all-conference season as he went on to sign a pro contract with USL side Charleston Battery after the season.

With North Greenville, he served as the recruiting coordinator and helped lead the Crusaders to their first conference tournament appearance in four years.

He joined a Presbyterian team which was coming off a winless season and assisted in guiding the Blue hose to a seven-win campaign and helped lead the team to its first conference tournament semifinal. He helped bring in a recruiting class which went on to win the Big South Tournament and make the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.

At Southern Wesleyan, Lagos helped lead the Warriors to the NCCAA national title, as well as the national player of the year.

The Brentwood, New York, native also served as the academy director for United FC in Greenville, S.C., Lagos holds a number of professional certifications, including a national C Coaching licenses from U.S. Soccer and a FA Talent Identification certification.

He won two Region X championships at the junior college level at Spartanburg Methodist before playing his final two seasons with North Greenville, where he graduated in 2015 with a bachelor of science degree in sport management.

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Isaac Lindahl

Lindahl joined the Spartan coaching staff during February 2023 as the assistant coach and goalkeeper coach.

"We are excited to welcome Isaac to the UNCG soccer family,” stated coach Rich. “Isaac has the qualities that we are looking for here at UNCG, both professionally and on a personal level, so we are thrilled that he is now a Spartan. He has a great blend of experience after coaching at both the NAIA and Division I level, with extensive experience working with goalkeepers. We are looking forward to seeing him make a real difference with our goalkeeper group, and in all aspects of the program."

Lindahl joins UNCG after a year with the USC Upstate men’s soccer team. The Spartans went 6-6-5 overall and 4-1-3 in the Big South, where USC Upstate fell to the second-seeded High Point in the semifinal game. Goalkeeper Luca Bulfon was named to the Big South All-Tournament Team, All-Conference second team, and All-Academic Team. Bulfon was part of nine All-Conference awards earned by the Spartans.

Lindahl arrived to Spartanburg after serving two years as an assistant soccer coach at Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana.

Lindahl played collegiately at Bethel University (Ind.) and was the starting goalkeeper for the final three years helping the Pilots to three NCCAA national tournament appearances.

Upon graduation he was afforded the opportunity to play professionally in Sweden, Spain, and Bolivia.

Lindahl returned to the United States in 2019 and served as a graduate assistant soccer coach at Grace College (NAIA/NCCAA) and over the course of three years advanced from goalkeeper coach to being the first assistant for the men’s program, the goalkeeper coach for the women’s program and the head JV coach. With Lindahl’s guidance, the Lancers captured the NCCAA men’s national championship in 2020 and the women’s national title in 2021.

Prior to arriving at Grace, Lindahl was the director of coaching and head coach for Illiana Futbol Club in Cedar Lake, Indiana, a club he worked with previously from 2012-16.

Lindahl holds a B.A. in sports management from Bethel University and a master’s in business administration from Grace College.

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Peter Merritt

UNC Greensboro (UNCG) head men's soccer coach Chris Rich has announced the addition of Peter Merritt to his staff as an assistant volunteer coach on Dec. 15, 2021.

Merritt joins the Spartan program from Averett University where he served as an assistant coach for two years.

"We are excited to add Peter to our coaching staff," Rich said. "He comes highly recommended after a successful stint with Averett. We know that he'll be a great asset to our players and program as we continue to take steps forward and compete for championships."

While pursuing a master's degree in business administration at Averett, he helped the program achieve back-to-back appearances in the USA South Conference Semifinals. Merritt assisted the development of student-athletes on and off the field. He helped multiple student-athletes achieve All Conference honors as well as aiding in the overall Team GPA growth of 2.7 to 3.2.

Merritt came to Averett following a four-year playing career at N.C. Wesleyan College from 2016-19. A center back, Merritt helped the Bishops win three USA South regular season crowns, two conference tournament titles and make two NCAA Tournament appearances. He was a three-time USA South Academic All-Conference performer.

In addition to his collegiate playing career, Merritt has coached multiple youth and ID camps at multiple levels.

A native of Huntersville, North Carolina, Merritt graduated from N.C. Wesleyan in 2019 with a degree in business administration and marketing.

"I am excited and thankful for this opportunity to be joining this prestigious program," Merritt said. "I look forward to helping bring more success to the program."