University of California, Berkeley associate head coach Chris Lemay has been named the Utah Valley University women's soccer head coach, it was announced on Tuesday. Lemay becomes just the fourth head coach in UVU's 14-year history.
"I would like to thank Vince Otoupal, Dr. Jared Sumsion and the rest of the search committee for trusting me to lead the UVU women's soccer program," said Lemay. "It was apparent from the moment that I walked on campus that there is an excitement and ambition in the athletic department and I knew that I wanted to be a part of it. I am prepared to build on the foundation that is already in place and am looking forward to challenging the players for even greater success. I would also like to thank the University of California, Berkeley, specifically Neil McGuire, Foti Mellis and all of the wonderful student-athletes that I have had the privilege of working with. Cal, SDSU and UC Riverside have all been special programs to me and have been instrumental in my development as a coach. My wife Tami, son Van and daughters Olivia, Hannah and Eva are all very excited to be joining the Wolverine family."
Lemay brings nearly two decades of coaching experience along with two years on a semi-professional team and a four-year starting role as a player for Eastern Michigan to UVU.
Lemay served as the associate head coach at Cal for the past four seasons. He most recently helped Cal extend its streak of NCAA Tournament appearances to 13 with a second-straight 13-win season (13-5-3) that included wins over No. 7 USC, No. 15 Texas Tech and a tie against No. 10 UCLA. Lemay helped the Cal coaching staff to one of the best signing classes in the nation this past month as the Bears earned the No. 3 ranking, according to TopDrawerSoccer.com.
In his four seasons at Cal, Lemay helped the team to a 51-22-11 record with four NCAA Tournament appearances. His players received 14 All-Pac-12 honors during his time with the Bears.
"Today is another great day to be a Wolverine," said Utah Valley athletic director Vince Otoupal. "We are getting a great and experienced coach who will take our women's soccer program to new heights. We could not be more excited to have coach Lemay join the Wolverine family."
Before joining the staff at Cal, Lemay spent one season as an assistant coach at San Diego State, during which the Aztecs won both the Mountain West regular season and conference tournament championships and went 21-2-1 with a No. 4 national ranking after being defeated in the NCAA round of 16. He was also the assistant coach at UC Riverside from 2003-2006, where he helped the team to a 45-20-14 overall record during his tenure and a 2005 NCAA tournament bid.
Aside from coaching at the collegiate level, Lemay spent time as an assistant coach for the Women's Premier Soccer League's San Diego Sea Lions, featuring three women's World Cup players. A licensed United States Soccer Federation Class A coach, Lemay was also the head coach for the San Diego Surf Soccer Club's girl's U9 to U18 teams, leading his players to four state cup championships. He was named the San Diego Surf Girls Coach of the Year in 2010 and 2013. Prior to that, he was the Del Mar Sharks' Director of Younger Girls Programs and head coach for the U8 to U18 teams from 2001 to 2007, where he won three state cup championships. In total, Lemay's teams have won seven Cal South State Cup Championships, including two national state cups. Lemay's 2012-13 U12 Surf team won the Cal South National State Cup Championship and was crowned regional finalists. His U14 team won the prestigious Southern California ECNL conference championship and took third nationally.
Lemay was a four-year starter at Eastern Michigan from 1995-2000, where he graduated with a degree in communication and a minor in business management, before playing for the USISL semi-pro soccer club Michigan Madness. He joins the Utah Valley University family with wife, Tami, son Van, and daughters Olivia, Hannah and Eva.
Jason Erickson works in the communications office at the Utah Valley University athletic department. For more information on Wolverine athletics, visit WolverineGreen.com.