Malone University Athletic Director Charlie Grimes announced in mid-January that Eric Reed, a former NCAA Division I assistant coach and student-athlete, has been hired as the institution’s new men’s soccer head coach.
Reed, who competed for the UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) men’s soccer team from 2002-2006 and was a member of the Bruins’ 2002 NCAA National Championship Team, has spent the last four seasons as an assistant men’s soccer coach at NCAA Division I Bowling Green State University.
While at BGSU, Reed helped the Falcons achieve a total of 39 wins over four seasons. He was named the NSCAA Great Lakes Region Assistant Coach of the Year in 2014 after BGSU put together its highest win total in 17 years (14-6-1) and reached the Mid-American Conference Final for the first time in 11 years.
Prior to his time at Bowling Green, Reed served as an assistant coach at NCAA Division I Davidson College for two years. His impressive coaching resume also includes one season as the goalkeeper coach at the University of San Francisco and over 10 years of experience coaching at the youth and club levels.
A native of Mission Viejo, California, Reed graduated from UCLA with a degree in the Study of Religion and has been associated with several sports ministry organizations, including Missionary Athletes International, Athletes in Action and Ambassadors in Sport.
“I would like to thank Charlie Grimes and Malone University for giving me the opportunity to serve the men’s soccer program,” commented Reed. “I am humbled and honored to join the Pioneer Family and to be a part of the incredible journey ahead of us. God has set a special place in my heart for the marriage of faith and competition on the field. We have been called to offer our bodies as living sacrifices to the Lord (Romans 12:1), and my hope for this program is that we would display a passion for Christ in everything we do- from every word we speak to every tackle we win. I believe that Malone is a special place packed with potential for the future and I am hungry to jump right in and get to work in the spirit of “Christ’s Kingdom First.”
In addition to the National Championship in 2002, UCLA won four consecutive Pac-10 Conference Titles during Reed’s playing career while also securing a National Runner-Up finish in 2006. He served as a team captain for the Bruins during his junior and senior seasons and was voted Team MVP and a Top Drawer Soccer All-American in 2005. As a goalkeeper, he ranked sixth nationally that season with a 0.60 goals against average. Reed also excelled academically, earning Scholar Athlete honors from 2003-2006.
Following the completion of his collegiate career, Reed joined the professional ranks as a member of the United Soccer League’s California Victory. He spent a total of seven years in the USL, competing for the Victory, the Cleveland City Stars, and the Carolina RailHawks. He then wrapped up his career with the Charlotte Eagles, a team operated by Missionary Athletes International that uses the platform of soccer for Christian ministry and worldwide missions. In 2013, Reed helped the Eagles reach the USL Championship Game and was a finalist for the league’s Goalkeeper of the Year Award.
“Coach Reed has had an impressive experience as a professional player, as well as several successful years as a coach at the highest levels of the sport,” noted Grimes. “But what I'm most excited about in Eric is his mature and passionate ability to articulate his deep faith in Jesus Christ. We enthusiastically develop both here at Malone. I know he will make a lasting impact on our students as well as our entire department.”
Eric is married to Maria, a former Malone student who is from Northeast Ohio. The couple has two sons, Jeddison (4) and Jameson (2).
Under Reed’s guidance, Malone will open up its third season of Great Midwest Athletic Conference competition this September.
