Pat Ferguson Soccer
Head Coach
Pat Ferguson
Head Coach
Nine straight seasons of double-figure win totals--seven at Wright State--shows just the tip of the iceberg of the total success that has followed Raider head coach Pat Ferguson through the years.
2011 marked many milestones for Ferguson, including his 150th coaching victory and his 75th win at WSU. It also marked a great run through the Horizon League Tournament to the finals, boasting three Raiders on the all-tournament team. Wright State also put three players on Horizon League list of post-season honors with two selected to the First Team and one on the Newcomer Team.
In 2010, year six at WSU was no different than the past seasons as Ferguson posted an 11-9 mark and saw five of his players receive All-Horizon League honors, two named All-Horizon League Tournament, two named to the League's All-Academic Team, one selected All-Region and five secure a roster spot on the Dayton Dutch Lions Team of the W-League. Those 11 wins included a
late-season 1-0 win over nationally-ranked Milwaukee as the Raiders rallied to win eight of its final 10 contests.
The Raiders finished 11-7-2 overall in 2009 and were second in the Horizon League standings with a 6-2 mark, the most wins ever in League play for WSU and the second-place finish was the highest for the program since winning the title in 1999.
As a result, Ferguson shared Horizon League Coach of the Year honors with Milwaukee's Mike Moynihan.
Three Raiders earned First Team All-Horizon League honors in Jen Agueci, Bekah Bonny and Meghan Hackerson, while Trisha Stevens was named to the Second Team and I'esha King and Lauren Patterson to the All-Newcomer Team.
The 2008 edition claimed 10 wins, advanced to the Horizon League Tournament semifinals and averaged 1.5 goals per match. Wright State also posted four League victories, marking their fourth straight season with a winning record, and tallied eight shutouts.
The Raiders faced a nationally-ranked squad for the third consecutive season--taking on Milwaukee who ranked 19th and 22nd in their two meetings--and of their nine losses, four came in overtime or double overtime.
Jess Rooma became the first player in Wright State history to earn All-Region and First Team All-League honors during each of her four seasons, while Amber Kasmer garnered All-Horizon League First Team honors for the second straight year. Hackerson posted eight shutouts while posting a 1.11 goals against average in 20 starts.
The Raiders set a new standard for regional prowess in 2007, receiving a 10th place regional ranking by SoccerBuzz. WSU held a spot in the regional rankings--either in the top-15 or the receiving vote's category --for 21 consecutive weeks. The Green and Gold also posted a third place finish in the Horizon League, suffering their only losses to regular-season champion Milwaukee and tournament champion Loyola.
In 2007, Ferguson claimed his 100th career head coaching victory and guided his team to a school record 13 victories. Of those 13 wins, five of those came in Horizon League play. WSU posted nine total shutouts to finish with a 13-6-1 overall record.
Ferguson had four more players named to the All-Horizon League squads in 2007, including the addition of the second Newcomer of the Year under his watch in Kasmer, who joined Rooma as First Team All-League selections. Senior defender Cassie Jones was a second team honoree and Kasmer joined fellow rookie Jen Agueci on the All-Newcomer squad.
Rooma garnered her third straight NSCAA All-Region selection at season's end in 2007, making her the first Raider to garner more than one honor from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. During her career, she was named Third Team All-Region twice and was selected to the Second Team All-Region squad in 2007. Kasmer was honored by SoccerBuzz as a member of their All-Region Freshman Team. Kasmer joined Rooma as the only two WSU players to be named to the all-rookie squad by the online publication.
In 2006, the Raiders had one of the most successful seasons in program history with a 12-3-4 overall mark. The Green and Gold started the season with a school record nine game unbeaten streak and recorded their highest regional ranking in to date, 11th in the Soccer Buzz magazine Great Lakes Region Poll. WSU finished third in the Horizon League, posting a 4-2-1 record, and held a 7-1-2 record in home matches.
That season, five players garnered honors from the Horizon League. Rooma garnered her second straight All-League First team selection, while teammates Steph Comisar, Megan Mattioda and Amy Miller were all named to the All-League Second Team. Freshman defender Lorrin Bertsch was named to the All-Newcomer team after a solid season in the backfield for WSU.
In 2006, Comisar and Rooma were each named to the Third Team All-Great Lakes Region by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. Rooma was also selected to the Soccer Buzz magazine's Third Team All-Great Lakes Region team, becoming the first Raider to garner that selection. During the season, Amy Miller was named to the Soccer Buzz magazine's "National Players of the Week". Miller was the first Raider to be selected to the team when she tallied three goals in two games during the week of September 20.
2005 was a successful first season for Pat Ferguson as head coach of the Wright State women's soccer team. The Raiders posted a final record of 11-5-3, their most wins since 2000, and the .658 winning percentage was the highest for the program since 1990. WSU also went 4-1-2 in Horizon League play, which was the best mark in such matches since 1999.
Individually, freshman defender Rooma was named the Horizon League Newcomer of the Year as well as being selected First Team All-League, Third Team All-Great Lakes Region by the NSCAA and to the All-Great Lakes Region Freshman Team by Soccer Buzz magazine.
Ferguson came to WSU from Campbell University in North Carolina, where he was head coach for five seasons. He led the Camels to an overall record of 48-35-11, including 12-2-7 in 2004. That year also saw his team win the Atlantic Sun Conference's regular season and tournament titles, advancing to the NCAA Division I tournament for the first time in school history. A two-time conference coach of the year (2001 & 2004), he has placed eight players on all-conference teams while at CU. In 2004, Campbell was one of five Division I programs in the nation to post one loss or less during the regular season and was ranked in the Top Ten NSCAA Southeast Region.
A native of Strongsville, Ohio, Ferguson began his collegiate coaching career as an assistant with the men's program at Malone College in 1995. He then started the women's program there two years later with his first squad ranked as high as seventh in the NAIA Great Lakes Region and finishing with an 11-7 record. After guiding Malone to a 9-11 mark in 1998, Ferguson accepted the head job at NCAA Division III member Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio and led his team to an 8-9-0 mark. That squad doubled Mount Union's win total from the 1998 team that finished 4-12 before Ferguson's arrival.
Outside the collegiate realm, Ferguson has experience as a staff coach with the Ohio North Olympic Development Program (ODP). He has experience working with male and female players from eight years of age, up to national pool ODP players. He holds the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Advanced National and Premier diplomas and the United States Soccer Federation "B" license.
A 1992 Malone graduate with a B.A. in religious studies, Ferguson began his collegiate career as a walk-on, but started all 88 matches during his playing days and set school records for games played and started. As Malone's sweeper, Ferguson served as team captain and was an all-district and all-region selection.
Ferguson is married to the former Julie Kay Rollins. The Fergusons have five children.
