Paul Leese is the third head coach in NCAA Division I program history.
2019 (UTRGV): Leese guided the program to its second-straight winning season after posting a record of 8-6-2. For the first time in program history, UTRGV cracked the top-25 of the Top Drawer Soccer rankings while also receiving votes in the national poll. Once again, UTRGV earned a spot in the United Soccer Coaches reaching as high as No. 5.
UTRGV finished the season allowing the fewest goals in the WAC while recording the second most shutouts with eight. Leese guided eight student-athletes to All-WAC honors with
Kyle Edwards and
Guillermo Martinez being named to the All-WAC First Team,
Arthur Rogers,
Andy Rios, and
William Akio being named to the All-WAC Second Team, and
Lukas Moser,
Angel Lopez, and
Elyad Shojaei earning All-WAC Honorable Mention.
2018 (UTRGV):In his fourth season at UTRGV, Leese guided the program to its most wins (14) and conference wins (8) in program history. UTRGV earned its first-ever regional ranking reaching as high as fourth in the United Soccer Coaches Far West Region and even received votes in the national poll.
Leese guided UTRGV to its best WAC finish in the regular season earning the No. 2 seed in the WAC Tournament. He helped nine student-athletes to All-WAC awards including
Kyle Edwards and
Antone Jarvis coming away with All-WAC First Team honors.
2017 (UTRGV):In his third season at UTRGV, Leese guided the program to its second straight appearance in the WAC Tournament as the No. 5 seed after being picked to finish eighth in the preseason polls. Leese’s team played Seattle U, who was ranked No. 18 at the time, to a 2-2 tie at home. UTRGV closed out the season with a couple of key road victories over Houston Baptist and Incarnate Word to clinch a spot in the WAC Tournament.
In non-conference play, UTRGV won the NIU Adidas Invitational Championship after defeating Loyola Chicago and Northern Illinois. Leese guided Michael Faber, Ilias Kosmidis, Angel Lopez, and Dimitris Strantzalis to All-WAC Honorable Mention honors.
2016 (UTRGV): In his second season at UTRGV, Leese stunned the WAC by not only guiding UTRGV to its first WAC Tournament berth, but by earning the No. 5 seed after being picked to finish 11
thin the preseason coaches poll. Leese’s squad defeated eventual WAC Tournament Champion UNLV for the second year in a row and played eventual WAC Tournament runner up Air Force, which was receiving votes in the Top 25 polls, to a double overtime draw. UTRGV also picked up critical road wins during WAC play, winning at WAC Tournament participant CSU Bakersfield, and then closing the season with a win at San José State.
During non-conference play, UTRGV won the Marriott Houston Westchase Invitational by tying Fairfield and beating Georgia Southern at Houston Baptist. UTRGV jumped 26 spots in the RPI from 2015 and had its first-ever All-WAC selection, with Frederik Frankman earning All-WAC Second Team honors.
2015 (UTRGV): In his first season with UTRGV, Leese re-started an NCAA Division I program that hadn’t taken the field in 18 years, built a roster and produced several memorable moments despite having only one senior. UTRGV opened the season with a 3-0 win over Huston-Tillotson before playing a tough Buffalo team to a double overtime draw in a home tournament. UTRGV scored is biggest win on Oct. 4, knocking off defending WAC Tournament Champion UNLV, a team that was receiving votes in the Top 25 poll, 1-0 on the road. UTRGV also shocked CSU Bakersfield 3-0 toward the end of WAC play on Nov. 1.
Leese developed a solid foundation for the program to build on, including freshman Isidro Martinez, who led the team with nine points on two goals and five assists.
2009-13 (Coker College): Leese had immediate and sustained success in five seasons at Coker College, leading the Cobras to the Conference Carolinas Tournament Championships in his first season before going on to win back-to-back conference championships in 2011 and 2012.
Despite not having any seniors, the 2011 team went 18-3-0, the second best winning percentage in the nation, including 10-1-0 in conference, en route to winning the first conference regular season and tournament championships in program history and a berth in the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament. The Cobras hosted the NCAA Regional Championship for the first time in program history. The Cobras were ranked as high as No. 5 in the nation and No. 1 in the Southeast Region that season.
Five student-athletes earned First Team All-Conference honors, including Conference Carolinas Player of the Year Carlos Recinos, with an additional Cobra selected to the Second Team. Five student-athletes earned NSCAA First Team All-Southeast Region honors with freshman defender Fernando Bedoya also getting recognized as an NSCAA All-American. For his efforts, Leese earned his first Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year award.
The 2012 team finished 12-4-1, including 8-1-1 in conference play as Leese earned his second-straight Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year honors. That team boasted five First Team and two Third Team All-Conference selections. The Cobras also claimed the top conference honors with Player of the Year Niko Tirkkonen and Defensive Player of the Year James Sweeney. Along with their on-field success, Leese’s squad also placed six players on the Academic All-Conference team in and claimed the NSCAA Team Academic Award for the first time on program history.
This past season, Leese led the Cobras to a 9-5-3 record, including a 6-4-1 mark in conference play. One of his forwards, Daniel Jackson, was selected by Real Salt Lake in the fourth round (70
thoverall) of the Major League Soccer SuperDraft, making him the first Coker player to ever get drafted.
In 2010, Leese led the Cobras to back-to-back conference finals and the program’s first top-10 NCAA Southeast region ranking at the end of the season.
Upon his arrival as head coach in 2009, Leese brought instant success to Coker, taking a team that had gone 7-12-1 and finished ninth in the conference and leading them to their first winning season in over 20 years along with their first-ever conference tournament championship.
Overall, the Cobras went 58-24-12 (.681) under Leese, including a 31-15-5 (.657) mark in conference play.
Leese’s squads also excelled in the classroom. His team improved in each of his four years at the helm and his last team posted a cumulative team grade point average of 3.09. Two student-athletes were selected to the 2011 Capital One All-America Team while junior goalkeeper James Sweeney earned conference Carolinas Scholar-Athlete of the Year and NSCAA Academic All-American honors.
Career:Prior to taking the reigns at Coker, Leese was an assistant coach at Coastal Carolina University from 2006-09, where he was in charge of all phases of the men’s soccer program, including team coaching, player recruitment, budget management and travel coordination. In 2007 his team went undefeated in Big South Conference play to win the regular season championship.
Before working at Coastal Carolina, Leese served as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Furman University. From 2003-06, he oversaw all phases of the men’s soccer program, coaching current United States captain and Fulham/Seattle Sounders player Clint Dempsey, along with Shea Salinas of the San Jose Earthquakes and Jon Leathers, formerly of Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
Leese began his coaching as an assistant coach at Elon University from 2001-02.
During his playing career, Leese earned Big South Rookie of the Year honors in 1997 while at Charleston Southern University. He then transferred to Furman University where he was part of the best team in school history, the 1999 squad that went 21-2-1 en route to an NCAA Quarterfinal appearance.
Leese earned his undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Furman in 2001, and earned a Masters in Business Administration from Elon in 2003.
Born in Liverpool, England, Leese graduated high school in Spain from Aloha College and played for C.D. Cultural de Marbella under the coaching tutelage of Jaime Molina. Leese was also a member of the 1999 British University National Team and enjoyed a professional career in the United Soccer League with the Greenville Lions and Carolina Dynamo.
Leese has guided academy players in the School of Excellence at Chester F.C. in the English Second Division and represented Major League Soccer as a coach at camps throughout the United States. He was the color commentator for the Furman Sports Network broadcast of the NCAA Southern Conference Men’s and Women’s Soccer Championships in 2000 and has coached at the high school and youth levels in North and South Carolina.
Leese continues to develop youth players in an educational environment as founder and director of ESB Soccer (Eat, Sleep, Breathe Soccer), hosting camps and clinics for high school and club organizations. Leese holds the NSCAA Premier Diploma, USSF Coaching License and the English F.A. Coaching Badge.
Leese, and his wife, Janeane, have two sons, Aiden and Keiran.
Year-by-Year Results
|
|
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Overall |
|
|
|
Conference |
|
|
| Year |
School |
Position |
Wins |
Losses |
Ties |
Winning % |
Wins |
Losses |
Ties |
Winning % |
| 2001 |
Elon University |
Assistant Coach |
8 |
12 |
0 |
.400 |
3 |
4 |
0 |
.429 |
| 2002 |
Elon University |
Assistant Coach |
7 |
13 |
1 |
.357 |
2 |
4 |
1 |
.357 |
| 2003 |
Furman University |
Assistant Coach |
6 |
9 |
4 |
.421 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
.571 |
| 2004 |
Furman University |
Assistant Coach |
6 |
10 |
2 |
.389 |
2 |
5 |
0 |
.286 |
| 2005 |
Furman University |
Assistant Coach |
8 |
8 |
4 |
.500 |
4 |
3 |
0 |
.571 |
| 2006 |
Coastal Carolina University |
Assistant Coach |
11 |
7 |
2 |
.600 |
5 |
2 |
0 |
.714 |
| 2007 |
Coastal Carolina University |
Assistant Coach |
10 |
8 |
1 |
.553 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
1.000 |
|
Big South Championship |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2008 |
Coastal Carolina University |
Assistant Coach |
10 |
10 |
1 |
.500 |
5 |
2 |
1 |
.688 |
| 2009 |
Coker College |
Head Coach |
12 |
5 |
3 |
.675 |
4 |
5 |
1 |
.450 |
|
Conference Carolinas Tournament Championship |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2010 |
Coker College |
Head Coach |
7 |
7 |
5 |
.500 |
3 |
4 |
2 |
.444 |
| 2011 |
Coker College |
Head Coach |
18 |
3 |
0 |
.857 |
10 |
1 |
0 |
.909 |
|
NCAA Tournament Second Round … Conference Carolinas Tournament Championship … Conference Carolinas Championship … Ranked as high as No. 5 in the nation and No. 1 in the Southeast Region, CC Coach of the Year |
| 2012 |
Coker College |
Head Coach |
12 |
4 |
1 |
.735 |
8 |
1 |
1 |
.850 |
|
Conference Carolinas Championship … Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year |
|
|
|
|
|
| 2013 |
Coker College |
Head Coach |
9 |
5 |
3 |
.618 |
6 |
4 |
1 |
.591 |
| 2015 |
UTRGV |
Head Coach |
5 |
12 |
1 |
.306 |
2 |
8 |
0 |
.200 |
| 2016 |
UTRGV |
Head Coach |
6 |
9 |
3 |
.417 |
4 |
4 |
2 |
.500 |
| 2017 |
UTRGV |
Head Coach |
7 |
7 |
3 |
.500 |
4 |
4 |
2 |
.500 |
| 2018 |
UTRGV |
Head Coach |
14 |
6 |
0 |
.700 |
8 |
3 |
0 |
.727 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
As an Assistant Coach |
Eight Seasons |
66 |
77 |
15 |
.465 |
30 |
22 |
4 |
.571 |
|
As a Head Coach |
Nine Seasons |
90 |
58 |
19 |
.595 |
49 |
34 |
9 |
.582 |
|
Overall Total |
17 Seasons |
156 |
135 |
34 |
.532 |
79 |
56 |
13 |
.577 |
