BOLIVAR, Mo. -- Southwest Baptist University has announced the hiring of Rob Podeyn as head women's soccer coach. Podeyn becomes the eighth head coach in the history of the SBU program. He joins the Bearcats after serving as the head women's soccer coach at Northwood University in Cedar Hill, Texas, a position he held since 2006.

Podeyn (pronounced po-DINE) has taken NAIA Northwood from a #212 national ranking and 3-12 conference record to a #34 national rank and two consecutive conference championships. His teams have produced 16 all-conference players, two all-region players and one All-American in three seasons. For the last two seasons, Podeyn’s teams were recognized by the NAIA as Academic All-American teams with a 3.18 GPA.

photo courtesy Northwood University

 “I’m excited about the opportunity to work with the SBU women’s soccer program,” said Rob Podeyn. “I would like to thank Brent Good, Dr. Taylor and the faculty, staff and players that I met through the process. Also the chance to work with the talented athletes that are at SBU and compete in one of the toughest conferences in the country is a great opportunity. There are many very good coaches in the conference, including a few that I know very well. To work against them and to be able to show our commitment to competitiveness and the skills we’ve been blessed with is a great opportunity.”

Podeyn also currently serves as the head professional women’s coach and director of coaching for Vitesse Dallas, a Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) team and youth soccer club, located in Arlington, Texas.

“We’re excited to welcome coach Rob Podeyn to the SBU family,” said SBU athletics director Brent Good. “He brings experience and strong recruiting ties, both nationally and internationally. Coach Podeyn and his family are familiar with Missouri and the region having coached and competed against our conference and regional opponents while at Northwood and William Woods.”

Good added, “I feel he brings tremendous character and organization. He’s a proven winner and prides himself in his team’s success, on the field and in the classroom. His faith and family are a great fit for the SBU and Bolivar community.”

Prior to Northwood, Podeyn was head men’s and women’s soccer coach at William Woods University in Fulton, Mo., from 2003 through 2006. The women’s program went from #104 to as high as #27 in three seasons. The program ranked first in improvement in the country in NCAA or NAIA in 2003-04 to 2004-05 after a 50-goal improvement.

“Anyone who’s ever played for me or watched my teams would say that we’re very possession-oriented and attack-minded,” said Podeyn. “In the three years at Northwood, we’ve scored 152 goals. In six years of college coaching, it’s 317 goals. My teams are very goal-oriented and produce offense-minded teams, which is what I’ll try to bring to SBU.”

“I'm very pleased that coach Rob Podeyn has accepted our offer to coach our women’s soccer program,” said SBU President Dr. C. Pat Taylor. “Rob’s Christian commitment and commitment to his family will be a good fit for SBU. Under his leadership, the soccer program will help fulfill the mission of the University, both in athletics and academics.”

Coach Podeyn has also worked as national technical director for APT Soccer, an AFC Ajax affiliate in Amsterdam, Holland, and has previously held coaching or director of operations positions in Kissimmee, Winter Springs and Orlando, Florida.

Podeyn shared what led him to this position. “The opportunity to bring my family back to the Midwest, for the values held there, along with the history and tradition of the program, were just some of the things that attracted me to SBU,” he said. “I was also very impressed with the individuals at SBU and their commitment to developing competitive and winning programs. The facilities and more importantly, the people that are part of the SBU community — the administrators and even the players, who have a very strong commitment to the SBU family, by far, were the most impressive.”

Podeyn’s playing career included a seven-year run as starting goalkeeper for the Long Island Stars of the ASL, where Podeyn was a two-time league MVP. He has also authored two books, including the just released Dutch Drills for Total Team Training along with Coaching the Dutch 4-3-3. Both books are published by World Class Coaching.

Podeyn is a 1990 graduate of Dowling College in Oakdale, N.Y., with a bachelor’s degree in English and secondary education. He later earned a master’s degree in athletics and activities administration from William Woods in 2006.

Podeyn and his wife, Sondra, have two sons: Roby, 14, and Matthew, who turns 12 this week. Coach Podeyn will begin his duties with the Bearcats on May 1.

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