ATrinity Hires New Men's Soccer Coach

The College has announced the hiring of Michael Pilger as its new men’s head soccer coach. Pilger comes to Trinity from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and the Cleveland Crunch of the Major Indoor Soccer League, where he coached in 2003 and 2002-03, respectively, after highly successful stints as head coach at the University of Rochester and Kenyon College. He replaces Ed Mighten, who left the position to pursue other interests in the world of soccer.

Pilger coached the Kenyon men’s soccer team from 1988-1991, leading a previously under-achieving program to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament in 1990 and 1991. He was selected as the North Coast Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 1990 and 1991, and the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year and National Coach of the Year in 1990—after leading Kenyon to a perfect, 18-0 regular season.

Pilger guided the Rochester men’s soccer program to University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship titles and NCAA Tournament bids in 1993, 1995, and 1997, and to ECAC Championship titles in 1994 and 2000. He was selected as the UAA Coach of the Year in 1993 and 1997 and the NCAA Northeast Region Coach of the Year in 1995. Pilger posted records of 57-13-3 at Kenyon and 93-55-20 at Rochester in a total of 13 seasons. He was 17-30 in almost two seasons as head coach the Cleveland Crunch professional team and 2-12-1 last fall at Case Western Reserve.

“We are ecstatic to bring in a soccer coach with such a high level of teaching and recruiting skills,” states Trinity Athletic Director Richard Hazelton. “The NESCAC is arguably the best men’s soccer conference in Division III, and we owed it to our student-athletes to bring in someone who would keep us competitive. Mike Pilger was chosen from one of the most outstanding pool of applicants we’ve had for a coaching position here, and we are confident that the program will improve steadily under his guidance.”

Pilger is a 1982 graduate of Boston University with a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education, where he was an all-conference and an all-New England player throughout his career. He went on to play professionally in the American Soccer League and the Lusitana American Soccer Association from 1980 to 1986, and was selected to the all-star squad four times. He will also serve as an assistant outdoor track and field coach and as a physical education instructor at Trinity.

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