Long time men’s soccer coach Pat Nearing reached the 100 win mark this season in his team’s home opener. Pat is only the fifth coach in Dalhousie history to reach the milestone joining some impressive company in Darrell Young (men’s hockey), Al Scott (men’s volleyball), Dan Ota (men’s volleyball) and Carolyn Savoy (women’s basketball).
Nearing has been at the helm of the program for the past 15 seasons, winning an AUS Championship, and both AUS and CIS Coach of the Year titles in his tenure.
At the beginning of the season, Nearing’s all-time AUS regular season record stood at 99-52-39, making him the winningest soccer coach in Tigers history. The 100th win was notched on Saturday, September 6th in the squad’s season opener against Mount Allison.
“To get to the 100 win mark in AUS league play is a significant milestone in my coaching career but as anyone who coaches knows, it is team championships that really count,” said Nearing. “Our team wants to win trophies for the university and we continue to play with that ambition each weekend.”
Pat has built an extremely consistent soccer program at Dalhousie recording a winning percentage of .500 or greater in 11 of his 15 seasons. The team will look to continue their legacy of success, sitting at 3-4-2 with four games remaining. They are fifth in the AUS standings and are a legitimate threat to make a deep post-season run.
His impressive resume extends past his time with the Tigers including six college championships while coaching the Technical University of Nova Scotia’s men’s soccer team. He also has four NSSL Premier Division championships, two Canadian Soccer Association Atlantic championships, a fourth-place finish at the Canadian Soccer Association National Senior Club championship and a silver medal from the Canadian Soccer Association National Senior Challenge Cup.
The men’s soccer coach has also expanded his leadership role within the Tigers organization, taking on the position of Assistant Director of Varsity Athletics. Nearing has established himself as a prominent figure in Dalhousie athletics, making a positive contribution both on and off the field.