Barry Slagle named head men’s soccer coach at Newberry College

NEWBERRY, S.C. - Newberry College athletic director Robin Muller is pleased to announce the hiring of Barry Slagle as the College's next head men's soccer coach. Slagle becomes the eighth head coach in Newberry men's soccer history as the program enters its 19th competitive season.

"I'm very grateful to [Newberry College president] Dr. Scott Koerwer, Robin Muller and [Newberry College senior vice president for institutional advancement and intercollegiate athletics] Brad Edwards for giving me the opportunity to be the next head men's soccer coach at Newberry College," Slagle said. "I can't wait to meet the boys in person and get the season underway."

"Barry brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to our men's soccer program at Newberry College," Muller said. "He has a lifetime of experience in the sport of soccer, following in the footsteps of his father who coached a tremendously successful program at Davidson College. I am looking forward to the energy and enthusiasm Barry will bring to our program and as a member of the athletic department."

Slagle has been assistant men's soccer coach at Wofford College for the past three seasons. The Terriers were the regular season and tournament champions of the Southern Conference in 2009 and qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. The 2009 squad had 12 wins, marking the most wins for Wofford since 1994.

While at Wofford, Slagle coached Nick Schuermann, who was named a third team All-American as well as a NSCAA first team Scholar All-American in 2009. Schuermann was one of three players nationwide in 2009 who earned both All-American and Scholar All-American status in Division I, with the other players coming from Wake Forest and Harvard.

Seven players were named all-SoCon in Slagle's tenure, with four players earning all-SoCon Tournament honors in 2009. Prior to Slagle's arrival in Spartanburg, the Terriers had won only nine SoCon games in their previous 10 seasons as conference members.
Slagle's players also excelled in the classroom, as 16 players were named Academic All-SoCon, four were named CoSIDA Academic All-District and three were NSCAA Scholar All-South.

Slagle joined the Wofford staff in June 2008 after serving one year as the assistant men's and women's soccer coach at Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colo.

He helped guide the Orediggers' men's program to an 11-9-2 record and conference championship appearance in 2007. He also helped coach Craig Thompson to a school record 18 goals. Thompson became the first player in school history to be selected in the MLS Supplemental Draft when he was selected by the Houston Dynamo with the 28th overall pick. Thompson was named the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Player of the Year and its Academic Player of the Year. He also earned NSCAA/adidas First Team All-Midwest Region.

CSM's women's squad concluded the 2007 campaign with a 12-8-1 mark, including an 8-3-1 record in league action. Slagle helped four players collect post-season all-RMAC accolades for a team which made it to the conference finals as just a three-year program.

He helped bring in the 2008 Orediggers' recruiting class before being appointed to the post at Wofford.

Slagle also served as an assistant coach at Appalachian State during the 2006 season. Prior to arriving in Boone, N.C., he was an assistant coach at the McCallie School in Chattanooga, Tenn., during Spring 2006.

In addition to his collegiate coaching experience, Slagle has worked with club programs such as Real Colorado and with the Raleigh, N.C.,-based Capital Area Soccer League (CASL).

He graduated from Sewanee: The University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., in 2006. He played for four years with the Tigers after competing at the high school level at North Mecklenburg HS in Huntersville, N.C. Slagle's father, Charlie, was the head coach at Davidson from 1980 to 2000 and recorded over 200 career wins.