MONROE, La. - After leading
Arkansas-Pine Bluff to the NCAA Tournament twice in the past three years,
Roberto Mazza has been named the women's soccer head coach at ULM, director of
athletics Bobby Staub announced Wednesday evening. Mazza's hire is pending
final approval by the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors.
"You don't have to look too hard to
see the success that Roberto had at Arkansas-Pine Bluff," Staub said. "Reaching
the NCAA Tournament is not an easy task and to reach the tournament in two of
the last three years is a true testament to his coaching abilities. Roberto not
only recruited student-athletes that helped them win championships on the
field, but he also brought in young women that were extremely successful in the
classroom. We are excited about the future of ULM soccer under his leadership."
"This is a fantastic opportunity that
ULM has given to me," Mazza said. "I'm ready to get to work and make a big
difference with this program. A lot of the success we had at Arkansas-Pine
Bluff can be contributed to the hard work of our players and making them
believe it was possible. At the end of the day, it's a matter of believing,
putting in the work to accomplish your goals, and getting the job done."
Mazza led the Lady Lions to a 16-5-1
record this past season and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Arkansas-Pine Bluff
rolled through its Southwestern Athletic Conference schedule with a perfect 9-0
record. UAPB outscored its SWAC opponents 26-2 during the regular season and 8-0
in three conference tournament victories.
The Lady Lions drew No. 5 Oklahoma
State in the opening round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament and had the Cowgirls on
their heels at the break. UAPB scored in the 31st minute of the
opening half to go into halftime trailing by just one, 2-1, before Oklahoma
State pulled away in the second half.
UAPB swept the SWAC postseason awards
this past season as Silvia Fuentes was named Offensive Player of the Year and Erika
Forbes was named Defensive Player of the Year - both players earned their
respective awards for the second straight season - while Meaghan Storie claimed
Freshman of the Year honors. All told, seven UAPB players were named either
first or second team All-SWAC.
Mazza took over a UAPB program in 2007
that had regularly finished at the bottom of the SWAC standings and took the
Lady Lions to the NCAA Tournament in just his third season. After leading the
Lady Lions to their first-ever win in the SWAC Tournament in 2008, Mazza was
named the SWAC Coach of the Year after his squad won the SWAC championship and posted
a 12-7-4 record.
The
results speak for themselves during Mazza's tenure at UAPB - two NCAA
Tournament appearances; three SWAC Player of the Year selections; two SWAC Freshman
of the Year selections; nine first team all-conference selections; nine second team
all-conference selections; 27 SWAC Player of the Week honors; NCAA National
Statistical Champion for goals-per-game; NCAA National Statistical Champion for
points-per-game; two SWAC Tournament MVPs; and two SWAC Championships.
In the classroom, Mazza's team is one of the top academic groups in the SWAC.
They have recorded a 3.42 cumulative GPA since he has taken over the program.
Mazza was also involved with the Arkansas State Soccer Association as he served
as the head coach for the under 14 girls Olympic Development Program team for
two years.
Mazza earned his bachelor's degree in business administration at Tiffin
University in 2006 and is currently working towards his master's in business administration
and physical education. Mazza was voted a team captain on the
nationally-ranked Tiffin soccer team.
Born and raised in Windsor, Canada, Mazza brings international experience to
the program after playing in two prestigious Youth World Cups in Denmark and
Sweden.
