Athletic Director Jim Paschal announced yesterday that assistant coach Mike Collins will replace Owen Wright as head coach of the University of La Verne men’s soccer team beginning next fall.
“Being able to recruit for soccer during the baseball season is hard. I wasn’t able to go to the games and follow up,” said Wright after he announced that he would be stepping down.
Wright will continue as head baseball coach and professor of physical education.
Collins has been the head soccer coach at Alta Loma High School for the past eight seasons. He took Alta Loma to the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) championship and was named Coach of the Year in 1993 and 1995. Collins has also been Wright’s assistant coach since the 1993 season.
“He is a real disciplined and motivational coach, he gets the players to play to their potential,” said senior Willie Sinon of Collins. Sinon has played soccer at ULV for the last four years.
Collins played soccer for Wright at ULV in 1992 and at Azusa Pacific University in 1988 and 1989.
“He [Collins] is a very fine coach,” said Wright.
“I understand that it takes time to change,” said Collins in a University press release. “I will expect my players to work hard for me and play hard for each other and when we leave the field following a game, we will know that we gave it our best.”
—Heather Morales
