Westminster College (PA)

Westminster College Department of Athletics
Memorial Field House - 319 S. Market St. New Wilmington, PA 16172

Division 3 Pennsylvania Northeast

Private Small National competitor

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Coaches

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Girish Thakar

Having coached the Westminster College men’s and women’s soccer teams concurrently since 2002 and the men’s team since 1998, Girish Thakar has won a combined 490 games and ten conference championships, while making 24 postseason appearances. Thakar enters his 25th season with the men and 21st with the women in 2022 for an impressive combined record of 490-313-74 (0.558).

Coach Thakar’s Profile:

PAC Champions: Ten Times

M: 2002, 2006, 2008, 2015, 2018

W: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007

NCAA Tournament: Ten Times

M: 2002, 2004, 2008, 2015, 2018

W: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007

ECAC Championship: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2017

National All-Americans: 4

Regional All-Americans: 46

All-Conference Selections: 200

Academic All-American Selections: 6

Academic All-District Selections: 35

Thakar took the reins of the Westminster women’s program on an interim basis in 2002, then was named permanent head coach prior to the 2003 season. During the past 20 seasons, the Titan women are a combined 251-121-39 (.610) with five PAC championships and four-straight NCAA tournament appearances from 2002-05.

Thakar’s 24-year record as Westminster’s men’s coach is 239-183-35 (0.522), including a team-record 17-6 mark in 2008 after the Titans won the PAC title and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament. In 2015, the Titans won their fourth PAC title; Westminster advanced to the finals after upsetting the No. 2 nationally ranked Thomas More College in the Semifinals. Westminster qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time, however, lost to No. 1/5 Kenyon College in the first round. In 2018, the Titans won their fifth PAC Championship with a 1-0 victory over Grove City College, advancing to the NCAA tournament for the fifth time.

Since Thakar took over both teams, Westminster has qualified for the NCAA Championships ten times, including five for the men (2002, 2004, 2008, 2015, 2018) and five for the women (2002-05, 2007). In addition, the 10 Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) titles the Titans have collected includes five for the men (2002, 2006, 2008, 2015, 2018) and five for the women (2002-04, 2006-07). Thakar was named PAC Coach of the Year six times, three for women’s soccer (2002, 2005, 2006) and three for men’s (2008, 2015, 2018).

Both teams won the PAC title in the same year in 2002 and 2006, with the latter considered Thakar’s finest year of coaching as both teams won the league crowns as underdogs and qualified for the postseason in the ECAC Division III South Championships.

Prior to coaching at Westminster, Thakar was the head men’s coach at his alma mater, Slippery Rock University, from 1993-96, after graduating from SRU in 1991 and later earning a master’s degree from the school. As a player at Slippery Rock, Thakar was a four-year starter who earned All-PSAC honors.

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Regis Kimwanga

Regis Kimwanga enters his fourth season as an assistant coach for the women's soccer team in 2021.

Kimwanga played four years at Pontifical University of Urbaniana in Rome, Italy from 2002-2006. From there, he was a coach and player for after school at risk groups at the Diocese of Brescia, Italy from 2006-2011.

Kimwanga has taught French, catechism and social studies for 24 years in multiple countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Italy and Pennsylvania. Kimwanga is currently a teacher for the Lawrence County Schools. Kimwanga graduated with a bachelor of science degree in philosophy from Saint Augustine University in the Democratic Republic of Congo and a bachelor of science degree in theology from Episcopal Diocesan Seminary in Brescia, Italy. Kimwanga also obtained a masters of science degree in philosophy at Urbaniana Pontifical University in Rome, Italy.

Kimwanga currently resides in New Castle, Pa.

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Jerry Hare

Jerry Hare will enter his seventh year as an assistant coach for the Titans in 2023. Hare brings more than 30 years of coaching experience with specialty in goalkeeping to the men’s and women’s soccer programs.

In 2018, he was part of the Westminster coaching staff that helped guide the men’s soccer team to a Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) title and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Hare was also a part the women’s soccer coaching staff that helped direct the team to a PAC Championship runner-up finish and an appearance to the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament and again in 2021, in which he helped senior Camille Holzschuh rank first in the PAC in goals-against average (0.55) and broke the program record for career shutouts with 25. The Titans only conceded one goal against conference foes in the regular season. In 2022, Hare helped freshman Morgan Murphy to a successful season, which she started all 20 matches for Westminster, going 14-4-2 while posting a league-low .697 goals-against average. Murphy totaled 90 saves and owned a .874 save percentage, which ranked 24th in Division III. In 10 regular season conference starts she went 9-1 with a 0.44 goals-against average. She led the conference with seven shutouts last fall, including four in league play. She was named as the PAC Newcomer of the Year award and the championship tournament's Most Outstanding Player following Westminster's 2-0 shutout of Franciscan in the title match, in which she made 12 saves against Franciscan after recording seven saves and stopping three shootout attempts during the 1-1 semifinal draw with Chatham. Since 2017 at Westminster, his men’s goalkeepers have a combined goals-against average of 1.12 and a combined GAA of 0.86 for the women’s goalkeepers.

Hare is the Founder and Director of the Hare Goalkeeper Academy, which provides year-round education and training to young goalkeepers, ages 7-22 in western Pennsylvania and the surrounding areas.

Hare is also the Head Soccer Coach for Shady Side Academy Middle School 7th and 8th Grade Coed Soccer and spent the past 24 years as varsity assistant soccer coach at Shady Side Academy (SSA), primarily working with the boys and girls goalkeepers. He helped lead the Girls Varsity team to the WPIAL Class A Championship victories in 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019 and finished as a runner-up in the PIAA State Championship game in 2016 and 2019. His girls team won the 2017 PIAA State Class A Championship for the first time in school history. He helped lead the boys to the WPIAL Class A and AA Finals in 2002, 2006, 2008, 2016, 2020 and won the WPIAL Championship in 2017 and 2018. His boys finished in third place in 2019 WPIAL Class AA consolation game.

In 1990 as a volunteer goalkeeper coach, he helped lead Hampton High School Boys Soccer to the WPIAL and PIAA Class AA Championship victories. During his twenty-two years at SSA, his boys goalkeepers have a combined goals-against average of 0.79 and a combined GAA of 1.12 for the girls goalkeepers.

His personal philosophy is to build a motivating and positive environment for growth and development through dedication, hard work, and teamwork. Hare holds national and regional coaching diplomas from the National Soccer Coaches Association. He is a certified CPR Trainer and Sport Safety Trainer from American Red Cross.