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Sharif Saber
Sharif Saber will be in his second year as the head coach of USC Upstate women’s soccer in the 2023 season.
During his first season coaching the Spartans, Saber helped the program go 9-4-4 on the regular season, while finishing with a 6-2-1 Big South Conference record and being named the Big South Coach of the Year. The Spartans achieved a .647 winning percentage which is the best winning percentage in the programs Division I era while also recording the most conference wins in the program's D1 era (6). Upstate also went into the Big South Soccer Championship as the No. 2 seed which is the highest seed in program history. At the conclusion of the regular season, the Spartans had a record setting seven All-Conference honors including the first ever Big South Freshman of the Year and Big South Goalkeeper of the Year. Six Spartans also carved their names into the Upstate women’s soccer record books after their performances through the 2022 season.
Before joining the Upstate program, Saber spent the last four seasons as the head coach at the University of Mount Olive (Mount Olive, N.C.), leading the program to two NCAA Division II Tournament appearances, two Conference Carolinas regular season championships, and two Conference Carolinas tournament championships. Prior to joining Upstate, Saber boasted a .747 career winning percentage, seven combined Conference Titles, three National Tournament appearances, and one National Coach of the Year honor as a collegiate head coach.
Helming the Trojan program, Saber led Mount Olive to three consecutive Conference Carolinas championships, claiming the Regular Season championship in 2019 and 2021, and the Conference Tournament championship in 2019 and 2020. Under his direction, the Trojans appeared in two NCAA Division II Tournaments, qualifying as the Southeast Region’s No. 6 seed in 2019—Mount Olive’s first NCAA Tournament appearance—and the Southeast Region’s No. 8 seed in 2021.
Under Saber’s tutelage, defender Shaunalee Govia was thrice the Conference Carolinas Defensive Player of the Year (2019, 2020-21, 2021) while forward Sara Berglund garnered United Soccer Coaches Association Third Team All-American honors in 2019. Berglund (Second Team), Govia (First Team), and midfielder Kali Schindler (Second Team) also earned Division 2 Conference Commissioner’s Association All-American accolades following a 14-1-3; 9-0-2 season that saw Saber earn Conference Carolina Coach of the Year honors.
In addition to the Trojan program’s major awards throughout his tenure, Saber tutored 21 All-Conference players, earning six or more All-Conference players over each of the past three seasons.
During the 2017 season, Saber served as an assistant at Kutztown University (Kutztown, Pa.), helping guide the program to a 16-win campaign that saw the Golden Bears earn the No. 4 Seed in the NCAA DII Tournament’s Atlantic Region while reaching No. 1 in the NCAA DII national poll.
In his lone season at Kutztown, midfielder Maddie Mohr and forward Emily Zwiercan earned a combined three All-American honors as Zwiercan and forward Randi Smith earned Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Offensive Player and Freshman of the Year honors, respectively.
Prior to Kutztown, Saber led the creation of the women’s soccer program at Penn State Brandywine (Media, Pa.), heading the program during its first two seasons of competition in 2015 and 2016. During his two seasons, he led the upstart program to 21 wins, collecting seven during the program’s inaugural season before leading the Lions to 14 victories in their follow-up campaign.
Earning 2016 United States Collegiate Athletic Association National Coach of the Year honors, Saber led Brandywine to the USCAA National Tournament, becoming the first Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference member to qualify for the National Tournament.
Brandywine’s historic 2016 season also culminated with three USCAA All-American selections, headed by 2016 PSUAC Player and Newcomer of the Year, forward Brianna Banks who earned First Team recognition. Goalkeeper Emily Bush (Second Team) and midfielder Brooke Muhlbaier (Honorable Mention) joined Banks as All-Americans in 2016 while forward Olivia Encarnacion earned Honorable Mention All-American honors in 2015.
Before beginning the Penn State Brandywine program, Saber spent the 2014 season as an assistant at Immaculata University (Malvern, Pa.). Prior to joining the collegiate ranks, he spent four seasons as the varsity head coach at Kutztown (Pa.) High School, leading the program to four consecutive district appearances and two district championships (2011 and 2013).
At the club level, Saber has served the North Carolina Football Club (2018-pres.), Penn Fusion Soccer Academy (2014-17), and Boyertown Area Soccer Club (2003-2011) as a staff coach, capturing three State Cup championships and an Elite Clubs National League Regional championship.
Off the field, Saber was a member of the United Soccer Coaches (formally the National Soccer Coaches Association of America) 30 Under 30 Class of 2014 while also seeing his article “The Fragile Flame of Creativity” published in the NSCAA Soccer Journal during the Fall of 2014. Saber also holds numerous USC diplomas, including the Premier Diploma, Advanced National Diploma, and National Diploma.
Saber earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from Bloomsburg University (Bloomsburg, Pa.) and a Master of Education in Social Studies from Kutztown University in 2009 and 2013, respectively.
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