Men's Soccer
- Title:
- Head Coach
In eight years as Cal Polymen’s soccer head coach, Paul Holocher has transformed theMustangs into a program recognized nationally for both a winningtradition and innovative style of play. During his 15 overallseasons as a head coach, Holocher has compiled a 181-84-32 recordand led his programs to six total NCAA Tournament appearances.Included in that run is an NCAA Division III Tournamentchampionship game showing with UC Santa Cruz in 2004 and an NCAADivision I Tournament appearance with Cal Poly during the 2008season – the Mustang program’s first postseason showingin 13 years.
The 2013 season proved to be another banner year for the Mustangsunder Holocher with Cal Poly posting double-digit victories for thefourth time in the past seven seasons. Offensively, the Mustangs– who qualified for the Big West Tournament for the fifthtime in six years – finished seventh among Division I teamswith a program-record 43 goals. The Mustangs, whose 3-0 win at No.6 UCLA marked the highest ranked opponent Cal Poly had everdefeated, also finished ninth nationally in total points (124) andgoals per game (2.05), 10th in points per game (5.90), 15th inassists (38) and 20th in assists per game (1.81). Led by forwardMackenzie Pridham – who became the first Mustang in programhistory to earn a second successive Big West Offensive Player ofthe Year honor – the 2013 Mustang squad placed four playerson the all-conference team.
During seven seasons inside Alex G. Spanos Stadium, Holocher hasdirected Cal Poly to a 42-15-10 home record and helped create oneof the most loyal and passionate fan bases in the nation. UnderHolocher’s leadership, Cal Poly has finished among the top-10Division I attendance leaders during all seven years at SpanosStadium. During the 2013 season alone, the Mustangs averaged 2,816fans per home match.
“One of my main goals when I came to Cal Poly was to createan exciting and fun atmosphere for our community and youth to comeand enjoy great college soccer,” Holocher said. “I feelwe have some of the best college soccer fans in the country, bothwithin our student body and the community, and the fan base isgrowing in passion each year. There are a lot of young families andmore than 7,000 youth players on the central coast. We want eachand every one of those young fans and families to know about CalPoly soccer and for us to become a positive experience within theirgrowth in the game.”
Several of the highest-attended matches in NCAA history haveoccurred under Holocher at Spanos Stadium, including two nationallytelevised broadcasts on Fox Soccer Channel against central coastrival UC Santa Barbara. The series versus UC Santa Barbara, whichincludes four sellouts at Spanos Stadium of more than 11,000 fans,has become the best-attended and most hotly contested rivalry incollege soccer. Overall, 13 of the top 34 best-attended games inNCAA regular season history include matches featuring Cal Poly witheach contest occurring since Holocher arrived in 2006.
In what has become a further hallmark of Holocher’s tenureat Cal Poly, the Mustangs annually contest one of thenation’s most challenging schedules. The Mustangs played sixmatches in 2013 against ranked opponents and 38 matches in eightyears under Holocher. Cal Poly’s 2010 slate was rated as the15th-most difficult schedule out of more than 200 Division Iprograms.
“The Big West is a fantastic conference with some greatrivalries that are being developed,” Holocher said. “Wealso want to continually play the best teams in the nation outsideof our conference, challenge ourselves and create great competitivememories for the young men in our program and for ourfans.”
As an attacking midfielder in college, Holocher helped Santa Clarato a 1989 NCAA Tournament championship and a 20-0-3 record.Holocher ended his career with selection to the NSCAA All-Americateam and was a recipient of the Vincent Corsiglia academic awardfor high-achieving student-athletes at Santa Clara. His 28collegiate goals and 32 assists remain the second-highest careermarks in Santa Clara history. He was inducted into the Santa ClaraAthletics Hall of Fame in 2005 alongside fellow Bronco socceralumni Eric Yamamoto and Brandi Chastain.
Following his time at Santa Clara, Holocher helped the SanFrancisco Blackhawks to the 1991 American Professional SoccerLeague title before signing with FC Admira Wacker of the AustrianBundesliga. At 26, Holocher – who also earned one cap withthe United States Men’s National Team in 1995 – was the48th overall pick during the inaugural Major League Soccer Draft bySan Jose Clash. Holocher, who also played for Chicago Fire, retiredfrom professional soccer in 1999 to take his first head coachingposition at UC Santa Cruz.
Holocher quickly transformed UC Santa Cruz into a national power,compiling a 109-24-7 record in seven years and putting the programone victory away from the 2004 national championship. Four playersfrom his UC Santa Cruz program went on to play in MLS and severalare now coaching in college soccer programs along the west coast,including San Francisco (Dan Chamberlain), Menlo College (EricBucherre) and UC Santa Cruz (David Frank).
Holocher’s penchant for developing players continued at CalPoly with former Mustang captain Anton Peterlin signing for EvertonFootball Club of the English Premier League in 2009 (Peterlin wenton to start at Plymouth Argyle FC, becoming the first Big WestConference player to appear in an English Football League match).Most recently, Efrain Burgos became the first Mustang taken in theMajor League Soccer SuperDraft when picked 44th overall by TorontoFC in 2011 while goalkeeper Patrick McLain signed with Chivas USAin 2012.
In seven previous seasons under Holocher, Cal Poly has produced 38All-Big West selections and six NSCAA All-Region honorees.
“We look for young men that want to be professionals in thesport and who are ambitious. We know that our goal of playerdevelopment is always a high priority,” Holocher added.“We want to develop players that have a professional approachto how they play and live. Strong character, coachability andwork ethic are keys to development and we look for young men thatare ready to improve, compete and grow in the game each day. Wewant to help players to become confident, competitive and capableof playing an attacking and team-first style of soccer.”
Cal Poly players have not only excelled on the field underHolocher’s guidance, but in the classroom, as well. Duringthe past seven years, two Mustangs – K.J. Lenehan (2007) andWes Feighner (2010) – have earned Big West Scholar-Athletepraise while the program has enjoyed a further 18 selections to theBig West All-Academic team. Cal Poly’s team Academic ProgressReport rating, a barometer of academic success and graduationrates, has risen drastically since Holocher’s arrival.
“It is important for us to recruit young men who are alsomotivated academically. Cal Poly features an impressive academiceducation with a hands-on approach to learning,” Holochersaid. “Cal Poly’s philosophy is ‘learn bydoing’ and we find that students are so engaged in real-lifeproblem solving that they are ready for anything upon graduation.Being a student and athlete at Cal Poly is one of the best lifepreparations any young person could hope for. A love for learning,good time-management skills and teamwork are what we want to fosterin our team culture.”
Holocher is the founder and director of Catalyst Soccer, anot-for-profit youth player development program for children ages6-12. The club, which was founded in 1999 in Santa CruzCounty, has an impact in youth player development and youthcoaching development throughout the south bay, Monterey County andcentral coast. Holocher has also been involved with the OlympicDevelopment Program Region IV team as head coach for the 1996 and1997 boy’s squads where he helped identify, develop andpromote several players to youth United States National Teams.
Holocher lives in San Luis Obispo with his wife, Juliet, their twosons, Lukas and Max, and their two dogs, Hobbes and Pele. In hisfree time, he enjoys exploring the outdoors of the central coastwith his family, hiking nearby Bishop’s Peak, biking andgoing to local beaches.
