UNC Greensboro announced on July 30, 2019, that Chris Rich has been named men’s soccer head coach.

In four years, Rich has led the Spartans to three Southern Conference regular season titles, two Southern Conference Tournament championships, two NCAA Tournament appearances, and many national rankings.

In his second year, Rich and the Spartans won the Southern Conference Tournament championship and hosted a first round game in the NCAA Tournament. In addition, the Spartans received votes in the final United Soccer Coaches poll of the 2021 spring season … UNCG finished with a 9-3-2 record and a .714 winning percentage, the best since 2005 (.717). Rich coached five players who earned All-SoCon recognition, including co-Freshman of the Year, Theo Collomb.

Nationally, UNCG ranked 12th in total goals (27) and corner kicks per game (6.79), 19th in goal differential (+13), 20th in shots per game (14.64), 22nd in total points (73), 23rd in scoring offense (27), 30th in shots on goal per game (6.14), 32nd in winning percentage (.714), 33rd in total assists (19), 42nd in shutout percentage (.429), 43rd in points per game (5.21), and 49th in goals against average (.958).

In his first year, he led the Spartans to a Southern Conference Regular Season title in 2019, finishing with a 9-9-1 record, while going 5-1-0 in conference play. Entering the SoCon tournament as a No. 2 seed, UNCG reached as far as the conference final after defeating No. 6 Belmont in the semis. Senior Casey Penland earned the Spartans' first SoCon Player of the Year honor for the first time since 2015, with six players receiving conference postseason honors in all. Coach Rich's squad ranked second in the SoCon with a goals against average of 1.29, while shutting out five squads over the course of the season. Penland also earned United Soccer Coaches All-Region honors in his first season under Coach Rich, later signing a contract with USL club Charlotte Independence. 

Rich spent the previous 12 years as an assistant coach, with his three most recent stops being at Atlantic Coast Conference schools Duke, North Carolina and Virginia Tech.  

Success In The ACC

Over the past three seasons, Rich served as assistant men’s coach and recruiting coordinator at Duke, where he helped guide the Blue Devils to two NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearances and finishes in the top 15 of the final United Soccer Coaches poll.

During that span, Duke also garnered 12 All-ACC selections including six last season, the most earned by the school in a single season since 2001. Additionally, the Blue Devils had a combined five players selected in the Major League Soccer Draft in 2017 and 2018.

In his role of recruiting coordinator, Rich secured three top-12 Top Drawer Soccer national recruiting classes while the men’s soccer team maintained a 3.3 cumulative team GPA.

During the 2014 and 2015 seasons, Rich was an assistant coach for North Carolina’s men’s soccer team, aiding in all aspects of running the program including recruiting, scouting, video analysis, practice and game preparation, and operations. In those two seasons, the Tar Heels won a combined 30 games and advanced to the Elite Eight of the 2014 NCAA Tournament.

In 2012 and 2013, Rich also served as an assistant coach with Virginia Tech where he oversaw scouting of opponents along with the development of First-Team All-ACC selection Kyle Renfro. Renfro was only the second Hokie to earn First-Team All-ACC honors. 

Starting At His Alma Mater Before A Move To Division I

Rich began coaching in the Division I ranks in 2011 as an assistant coach at Florida International after spending four seasons at Barry (2007-10) – his alma mater -- as assistant coach.

While on Barry’s coaching staff, Rich was instrumental in the Bucs making two trips to the NCAA Tournament. In 2010, Barry set a new program-record with four All-American selections.  

Rich is also a scout for United States Soccer Federation and has been a national instructor for United Soccer Coaches since 2011. He earned his B.S. in Sport Management from Barry in 2006 and his M.S. in Sport Management from Barry in 2009, and is married to his wife Korie Rich. 

Year

W

L

T

PCT

W

L

T

PCT

Postseason

2019

9

9

1

.500

5

1

0

.833

SoCon Regular Season Champions

SoCon Finals

2020-21 (Spring)

9

3

2

.714

3

1

2

.667

SoCon Champions

NCAA Tournament

2021

13

4

1

.750

5

1

0

.833

SoCon Regular Season Champions

SoCon Semifinals

2022

13

2

6

.762

4   

0    

1

.900

SoCon Regular Season Champions

SoCon Tournament Champions

NCAA Tournament - Elite Eight

TOTALS

44

18

10

.772

17

3

3

.850