Year

Record

MIAA

Finish

2012

16-4-1

12-1-1 1st *

NCAA First Round

2013

14-5-1

12-2-0 1st

MIAA Finals

2014

18-2-3

14-0-0 1st *

NCAA Second Round

2015

24-1-1

14-0-0 1st *

NCAA Semifinals

2016

23-3-0

13-1-0 1st *

NCAA Finals

2017

21-1-1

13-0-1 1st*

NCAA Third Round

2018

21-1-0

7-0-0 1st *

NCAA III Finals

2019

23-2-1

7-0-0 1st*

NCAA III Semifinals

2021 Spring

7-2-0-0

6-0-0 1st

MIAA Tournament 1st Round

2021 Fall

17-4-2

7-0-0 1st

NCAA Tournament 3rd Round

2022

17-3-2

6-1-0 1st*

NCAA Second Round

2023            

16-2-1    

7-0-0 1st*

Total

218-30-12

118-5-2

*MIAA Tournament Champs

Ryan Souders is in his 12th year as men's soccer coach at Calvin University.

A native of Wheaton, Illinois, Souders is a 2003 Wheaton Academy Graduate and a 2007 graduate of Wheaton College. Through the completion of the 2022 fall season, Souders has produced a record of 202-28-11 (.853) that includes 11 MIAA regular season crowns, eight MIAA Tournament titles and nine trips to the NCAA Division III Tournament. He has led Calvin to five 20-win seasons. During his time at Calvin, he has also coached 18 players in Nick Holtrop, Travis Vegter, Sean Broekhuizen, Niko Giantsopoulos, Nick Groenewold, Stephan Hooker, Trent Vegter, Nate Van Ryn, Bobby McCaw, Matt Hinds, Jacob Witte, Hunter Olson, Ian Adams, Oliver Akintade, Sam Twigg, Drew Van Andel, Chris Schau and Mason Smith who have received Division III All-America honors.

In addition, many of his players have gone on to play professionally, most notably in Australia, Canada and the United States. In May of 2022, former All-American goalkeeper Niko Giantsopoulos was called up to Major League Soccer with the Vancouver Whitehaps.

Souders has led Calvin to the NCAA III Tournament Championship final twice and to the NCAA III Tournament semifinals four times.

In the summer of 2023, he led the Calvin men's soccer team on a 10-day trip through England.

Calvin won its 17th straight MIAA regular season title in the fall of 2023, finishing 7-0-0 in league play. Calvin captured the 2023 MIAA Tournament title - its ninth under the leadership of Souders while advancing to the NCAA III Tournament for the 10th time under his guidance.

His 2022 team reached the second round of the NCAA III Tournament while his 2021 squad advanced to the third round.

The Maroon and Gold claimed their 14th consecutive MIAA regular season title in the spring of 2019, finishing 7-0-0 in league play. The Knights won a penalty kick shootout with Hope to win their sixth consecutive MIAA Tournament crown. The shootout win was part of a 22-match unbeaten streak for Calvin as it advanced to the NCAA III Tournament semifinals with memorable victories over North Park and Luther in the sectional round of the tournament. 

In 2018, Calvin produced a memorable 22-2-0 campaign. Calvin's only regular season defeat came to Chicago by a 1-0 scoreline in late September. Calvin then ripped off 15 straight victories that included a 4-1 victory over Chicago in the NCAA III Tournament semifinals as the Knights turned the tables on the Maroons. Calvin fell in the NCAA III Tournament Championship final for the second time in three years to Tufts University to conclude its fourth straight 20-win campaign.  

The Knights advanced to the third round of the NCAA Division III Tournament in 2017. Calvin held the No. 1 ranking in the USC rankings for five weeks. The Maroon and Gold won the MIAA with a record of 13-0-1 and defeated Trine and Adrian to win the MIAA Tournament.

Souders helped lead the Knights to the NCAA Division III Tournament finals for the third time in program history in 2016, where the Knights were edged in double-overtime by Tufts. The Knights finished the season with a 23-3 record and won the MIAA with a 13-1 record. Calvin won the MIAA tournament title with a victory over Alma. 

In 2015, Souders led Calvin to its first 20-win campaign as the Knights captured the MIAA regular season crown with a 14-0-0 conference record and then won the MIAA Tournament title with wins over Hope and Alma. He would help lead the Knights to the third-ever NCAA semifinals in school history, where the Knights would finish the year with a 1-0 loss to Loras College in Kansas City, Missouri. The Knights finished the 2015 NCAA III Tournament with an overall record of 24-1-1. In addition, Souders helped Calvin gain its first No. 1 national ranking in the NSCAA Division III Top 25 poll since 2010. Souders was named the Division III Men's Soccer Central Region Coach of the year by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

The 2014 season proved to be a historic year for the Knights as Souders led Calvin to an overall record of 18-2-3 that included an MIAA regular season mark of 14-0-0. Calvin then captured the MIAA Tournament title with a win over Alma and a shootout victory over Kalamazoo to complete an undefeated year against league competition. Calvin then advanced to the second round of the NCAA III Tournament before bowing in a penalty kick shootout to eventual NCAA III semifinalist Ohio Wesleyan University.

He followed in 2013 by lead Calvin to its second consecutive MIAA regular season title with the Knights finishing 14-5-1 overall and 12-2-0 in the MIAA.

In his first year at the helm of the Knights, he led Calvin to MIAA regular season and MIAA tournament titles as well as a berth in the NCAA III Tournament. Calvin finished 16-4-1 during his inaugural season as head coach including 12-1-1 in the MIAA. Included in the season was an unbeaten streak of 15 consecutive matches.

Souders is the seventh head coach in Calvin men's soccer history. He was preceded by Roul Bykerk (1959), Tony Brouwer (1960), Marv Zuidema (1961-1967, 1969-1997), Ralph Honderd (1968), Dave VerMerris (1998-2001) and Chris Hughes (2002-2011).

Souders was a four-year member of the Wheaton College men's soccer team and was the starting goalkeeper on the squad that reached the 2006 Division III NCAA Finals. Souders played a crucial role in his team's run to the national finals as he collected three saves in a shootout win over second-ranked York (Pa.) in the national quarterfinals. For his efforts, he was named the sectional tournament Most Valuable Player.

As a student-athlete at Wheaton, Souders had the opportunity to go head-to-head against Calvin three times with Wheaton winning all three meetings. "In my time against the Knights, our games were always a battle," said Souders. "Calvin has never been an easy team to play against, at home or on the road. It has always been a team that will come at you, full force for 90 minutes. I am excited to be a part of a group that will do that to other teams moving forward, as opposed to being on the receiving end."

Souders served as an assistant men's soccer coach both at Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts, and at his alma mater Wheaton. He most also spent two years an assistant coach at Division I Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina.

Souders also has experience as both a player and coach at the professional level. He joined the Davidson coaching staff after competing for (non-professional) Bridges F.C. in Chicago in 2009. Prior to returning to the pitch, he served as the goalkeeping coach for the Cleveland City Stars Reserve Team. In 2010, he served as a goalkeeper for the Charlotte Eagles, a member of the USL-2 Pro Division. 

Souders, graduated from Wheaton with a double major, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in applied health science and a Bachelor of Arts degree in business and economics. He later received his Masters of Arts in athletic administration and coaching from Concordia University - Irvine. Souders and his wife Kacie, have two daughters, Eden and Miah and a son William. 

MORE FROM SOUDERS: 

Goals:

The goals of this program are two-fold: One being off the field, and the other, on the field. In all things, we want to be men that exhibit Christ-likeness and pursue excellence.

Off of the field that means we want to be men of integrity that perform well in the classroom.

The goal of the men's program on the field has been laid out before I even stepped foot on campus. We want to continue to compete for and win the MIAA, an incredibly difficult conference. Beyond that, the aspirations are to compete on a national level, against the very best teams in the country. We have an athletic department and a group of current players that feel the same way.

Calvin's Spiritual Mission

In coming to Calvin, I love that the goal and mission of the institution is one that I am familiar with. The idea of "Minds in the Making" is a fantastic goal for our students. Paul encourages us in Romans 12 that we are not to look like the rest of the world. That in fact we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (12:2). Calvin, then, has set out a plan of growing and nurturing students through various forms highlighted by academics and in this case athletics. I couldn't be more excited about the chance to help contribute to this.