University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota Soccer Adds Jerrod Roh as Assistant Coach
6/20/2007 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
The University of Minnesota soccer program has announced the hiring of Jerrod Roh as an assistant coach. Roh has spent the last three seasons at the University of Kentucky coaching the UK goalkeepers and serving as the program’s recruiting coordinator.
“We are thrilled to add Jerrod Roh to the Minnesota Soccer family,” head coach Mikki Denney Wright stated. “Jerrod has a great history of helping build championship programs and will bring significant knowledge and experience to every aspect of our program. He is a talented educator and I know he will make an immediate impact on our program, particularly with our goalkeepers. Jerrod will be an important part of taking Minnesota Soccer to the top of the Big Ten. He has the passion, character, work ethic and drive for excellence that we want here at Minnesota and I believe he is a great fit for our program.”
While Roh’s primary responsibilities will be coaching Minnesota’s goalkeepers, he possesses a comprehensive understanding of the game and brings a resume of success to the Golden Gopher soccer program, having won championships at each of his last three coaching stops. This past season at the University of Kentucky, he helped guide the Wildcats to the best regular season finish in the history of the program (2nd in the SEC) and the SEC Tournament title.
Prior to his stint at UK, Roh spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, N.C. He was also part of the best conference season in the history of that program, helping the Catamounts capture the Southern Conference regular season championship in just their third year of existence in 2001.
Roh’s success as a coach can largely be attributed to his ability to recruit and develop top talent. Last season, Roh coached Kentucky senior goalkeeper Anne Ogundele to first-team all-region and all-conference honors, as well as multiple All-America accolades. The 2006 Wildcat freshmen class, which Roh had a major hand in recruiting, also scored more points than any other class on the team and provided two starters on defense. During his tenure at Western Carolina, Roh coached goalkeeper Mandi Tinsley to first team all-conference accolades in 2002.
At each of his coaching stops, Roh’s teams have displayed marked defensive improvement. In 2003, the season prior to Roh’s arrival in Lexington, the Wildcat defensive unit had a 1.66 goals-against-average and a .700 save percentage. Last season, the Wildcats posted numbers of 0.60 and .882 in those respective categories while posting an SEC record-tying 14 shutouts, led by Ogundele and a back line which consisted of two freshmen and two sophomores. In 2000, the season before Roh arrived at WCU, Tinsley recorded a 1.70 goals-against-average and a .770 save percentage. Two years later in 2002, she had improved those numbers to 0.86 and 0.890, respectively.
Prior to his arrival at Western Carolina, Roh coached the boys’ varsity soccer team at Papillion LaVista H.S. in Papillion, Neb. to perennial state top-10 status from 1995-2001. He also coached the West Omaha/Gladiator U16 Girls’ Santos club team from 1999-2001, leading the club’s “B” team to the state cup championship in 1999. Roh served as the head coach for the Nebraska Olympic Development Program for under-13 boys from 2000-01, while also spending time as a volunteer assistant and goalkeeper trainer for the Dana College men’s program in Blair, Neb.
Roh earned a bachelor’s of science degree in secondary education from Kansas State University in 1995. He was a three-year starter at various positions for the Wildcats from 1989-91. He completed work on a master of business administration degree at Western Carolina in May of 2004. Roh holds a United States Soccer Federation “B” Coaching License and a National Soccer Coaches Association of America Advanced National Diploma. He also currently serves on the goalkeeper staff of the USYSA Region 2 Olympic Development Program where he helps train and identify the top youth players from the 13-state central region.
“First, I would like to thank the University of Kentucky, head coach Warren Lipka and all of the student-athletes for a great three years in Lexington. I learned a lot during my time there,” Roh said. “I am honored to join the Minnesota Soccer Family, the Minnesota Athletics Department and the University of Minnesota community.
“I would like to thank Coach Mikki Denney Wright and the search committee for this opportunity. I feel Mikki, Kate (Cortis) and I will make a great coaching team, and I look forward to learning from them and working with them. I am prepared to serve the soccer student-athletes at Minnesota with vigor and to join in the hard work concentrated toward making Gopher Soccer a championship-caliber program. The barriers to success are significant in the Big Ten, but with Mikki leading the way, I feel the sky is the limit for this program.”
“We are thrilled to add Jerrod Roh to the Minnesota Soccer family,” head coach Mikki Denney Wright stated. “Jerrod has a great history of helping build championship programs and will bring significant knowledge and experience to every aspect of our program. He is a talented educator and I know he will make an immediate impact on our program, particularly with our goalkeepers. Jerrod will be an important part of taking Minnesota Soccer to the top of the Big Ten. He has the passion, character, work ethic and drive for excellence that we want here at Minnesota and I believe he is a great fit for our program.”
While Roh’s primary responsibilities will be coaching Minnesota’s goalkeepers, he possesses a comprehensive understanding of the game and brings a resume of success to the Golden Gopher soccer program, having won championships at each of his last three coaching stops. This past season at the University of Kentucky, he helped guide the Wildcats to the best regular season finish in the history of the program (2nd in the SEC) and the SEC Tournament title.
Prior to his stint at UK, Roh spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, N.C. He was also part of the best conference season in the history of that program, helping the Catamounts capture the Southern Conference regular season championship in just their third year of existence in 2001.
Roh’s success as a coach can largely be attributed to his ability to recruit and develop top talent. Last season, Roh coached Kentucky senior goalkeeper Anne Ogundele to first-team all-region and all-conference honors, as well as multiple All-America accolades. The 2006 Wildcat freshmen class, which Roh had a major hand in recruiting, also scored more points than any other class on the team and provided two starters on defense. During his tenure at Western Carolina, Roh coached goalkeeper Mandi Tinsley to first team all-conference accolades in 2002.
At each of his coaching stops, Roh’s teams have displayed marked defensive improvement. In 2003, the season prior to Roh’s arrival in Lexington, the Wildcat defensive unit had a 1.66 goals-against-average and a .700 save percentage. Last season, the Wildcats posted numbers of 0.60 and .882 in those respective categories while posting an SEC record-tying 14 shutouts, led by Ogundele and a back line which consisted of two freshmen and two sophomores. In 2000, the season before Roh arrived at WCU, Tinsley recorded a 1.70 goals-against-average and a .770 save percentage. Two years later in 2002, she had improved those numbers to 0.86 and 0.890, respectively.
Prior to his arrival at Western Carolina, Roh coached the boys’ varsity soccer team at Papillion LaVista H.S. in Papillion, Neb. to perennial state top-10 status from 1995-2001. He also coached the West Omaha/Gladiator U16 Girls’ Santos club team from 1999-2001, leading the club’s “B” team to the state cup championship in 1999. Roh served as the head coach for the Nebraska Olympic Development Program for under-13 boys from 2000-01, while also spending time as a volunteer assistant and goalkeeper trainer for the Dana College men’s program in Blair, Neb.
Roh earned a bachelor’s of science degree in secondary education from Kansas State University in 1995. He was a three-year starter at various positions for the Wildcats from 1989-91. He completed work on a master of business administration degree at Western Carolina in May of 2004. Roh holds a United States Soccer Federation “B” Coaching License and a National Soccer Coaches Association of America Advanced National Diploma. He also currently serves on the goalkeeper staff of the USYSA Region 2 Olympic Development Program where he helps train and identify the top youth players from the 13-state central region.
“First, I would like to thank the University of Kentucky, head coach Warren Lipka and all of the student-athletes for a great three years in Lexington. I learned a lot during my time there,” Roh said. “I am honored to join the Minnesota Soccer Family, the Minnesota Athletics Department and the University of Minnesota community.
“I would like to thank Coach Mikki Denney Wright and the search committee for this opportunity. I feel Mikki, Kate (Cortis) and I will make a great coaching team, and I look forward to learning from them and working with them. I am prepared to serve the soccer student-athletes at Minnesota with vigor and to join in the hard work concentrated toward making Gopher Soccer a championship-caliber program. The barriers to success are significant in the Big Ten, but with Mikki leading the way, I feel the sky is the limit for this program.”
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