Laurence Paterson begins his second season on Michael O’Neill’s staff with the Northern Illinois University women’s soccer program in 2023. Paterson came to NIU following three seasons as an assistant coach with the Saginaw Valley State men's and women's soccer programs, where he also worked with O’Neill on the women’s side. 

In his first season at NIU, Paterson helped the Huskies to six victories, including three conference wins, both of which are the most for the program since the 2017 season. NIU also had its fewest losses since the 2008 campaign. 

Amber Best was named to the MAC All-Freshman Team after tying for the team lead with four goals and 10 points while six Huskies earned Academic All-District honors and nine student-athletes garnered Academic All-MAC recognition.

In 2019, Paterson joined the Saginaw Valley State men's and women's soccer programs as an assistant coach, working primarily with the goalkeepers. During his first season, the Cardinal women's program won 12 matches while the men's team won 13 games, with both advancing to the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament Championship. 

Paterson mentored a pair of goalkeepers to conference honors during the 2021 spring season. The Saginaw Valley State men's program posted a perfect 7-0 mark in the COVID-altered campaign to win the GLIAC regular season crown and Mason Maziasz was named GLIAC Goalkeeper of the Year. On the women's side, the Cardinals advanced to the quarterfinals of the GLIAC Tournament and goalkeeper Alyssa Watts claimed Second Team All-GLIAC recognition. 

The Saginaw Valley State women's program set a school record with 14 wins in 2021, reaching the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 for the first time in program history. Goalkeeper Olivia Argeros recorded a school record 13 shutouts to earn GLIAC Goalkeeper of the Year honors and was also named to the All-Midwest Region Second Team by the Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association. The Cardinal men's team won 10 matches in 2021 and Maziasz led the league in save percentage and goals against average. 

Along with his collegiate coaching experience, Paterson became the head coach for the Michigan Olympic Development Program (ODP) '07 Girls Team in 2020 and the Michigan ODP '08 Boys Team in 2021. He has also worked with the National Tri-County Soccer Club, the Mid-Michigan Youth Soccer Association and as an assistant at Flint Kearsley High School. 

Paterson played collegiately at Saginaw Valley State, helping the Cardinals to a pair of GLIAC championships (2011, '12). In 2012, the Cardinals advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament Championship game, finishing the season with a 19-3-4 overall record. 

A native of Falkirk, Scotland, Paterson earned his bachelor's degree in English and Economics from Saginaw Valley State in 2015. He earned a master's degree in Chinese Studies from the University of Glasgow in 2019.