George Kiefer - Men's Soccer Coach - Grand Canyon University Athletics

George Kiefer

Title:
Head Coach
Years at GCU:
2nd
Email:
george.kiefer@gcu.edu
Alma Mater:
Southern Connecticut State
Career Record:
216-148-77

Head Coach Resume

YEAR	SCHOOL	RECORD
2002	South Florida	11-7-0
2003	South Florida	7-8-3
2004	South Florida	10-5-2
2005	South Florida	13-6-2
2006	South Florida	9-6-4
2007	South Florida	14-6-2
2008	South Florida	15-5-3
2009	South Florida	14-4-3
2010	South Florida	9-6-4
2011	South Florida	13-4-4
2012	South Florida	8-6-5
2013	South Florida	8-4-9
2014	South Florida	10-7-3
2015	South Florida	11-6-3
2016	South Florida	10-6-4
2017	NC State	8-6-4
2018	NC State	10-7-3
2019	NC State	9-7-3
2020	NC State	3-8-4
2021	NC State	7-8-2
2022	NC State	6-7-4
2023	NC State	6-9-3
2024	GCU	5-10-3
Overall (23 seasons): 216-148-77 (.577) South Florida (15 seasons): 162-86-51 (.627) NC State (7 seasons): 49-52-23 (.488) GCU (1 season): 5-10-3 (.333)

Regular-Season Champions

2005, 2011

Conference Tournament Champions

2008, 2013

NCAA Tournament Appearances

2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019

bold denotes at GCU

View GCU Men's Soccer coaching records.

George Kiefer enters his second season as head coach of the men's soccer program in 2025.

On Dec. 20, 2023, Kiefer was named the sixth head coach in the 39-year history of the Lopes' program after 15 seasons leading South Florida and seven leading NC State.

Kiefer ranks 37th among 211 active men's soccer coaches with his 216 career victories. He led his South Florida and NC State teams to the NCAA tournament 12 times in a 13-season span from 2007 to 2019.

In his first year at the helm in Phoenix, Kiefer coached three All-WAC postseason honorees in Bright Nutornutsi (Second) and Jorge Lopez (Second) along with first year Viggo Gustavsson (Freshman). GCU defeated (RV) Duke in Cary, N.C., in its second game of the season and followed that up with a 2-0 shutout win over (RV) Omaha in front of 2,000+ fans.

Kiefer's winning ways began during his playing career where his Southern Connecticut State teams went 74-8-8 (.867) in his four seasons. The Owls won two NCAA Division II National Championships and won their league all four seasons.

After a two-year professional career with the Connecticut Wolves, Kiefer immediately launched his coaching career by returning to his alma mater in 1995. For the next seven years, he worked as an assistant coach under legendary college soccer coach Ray Reid, the 10th-winningest men's soccer coach in NCAA history.

While Kiefer was on Reid's staff at both Southern Connecticut State and onto UConn, the teams went 123-26-8 (.809). UConn made four consecutive NCAA tournaments from 1998 to 2001 while Kiefer was an assistant on staff and the Huskies won the 2000 national championship.

Kiefer landed his first head coaching opportunity at South Florida in 2002, beginning a successful 15-year run leading the Bulls. Kiefer posted a 162-86-51 (.627) record at South Florida and qualified for the NCAA tournament in 10 of his last 12 seasons. The Bulls advanced as far as the quarterfinals (final eight teams) in 2008 and 2011. South Florida finished as high as No. 9 (2011) in a season's final RPI rankings and finished in the top-40 on eight occasions.

The National Soccer Coaches Association of America shined a spotlight on Kiefer's success by naming him the region's Coach of the Year in 2005 and 2015.

His USF teams protected the home pitch with a 104-27-23 (.750) record including an impressive home win streak of 30 matches. South Florida posted a winning record against ranked opponents at 29-26-11.

Twenty South Florida players were selected in the MLS SuperDraft during Kiefer's tenure.

Kiefer parlayed his South Florida success into a job in college soccer's toughest conference, making the move to NC State and the ACC for the 2017 season.

In his first season in Raleigh, Kiefer and the Wolfpack went 8-6-4, defeated two top-five opponents and ended the program's seven-year postseason drought. A year later, NC State advanced past the first round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1994. In 2019, the team finished fifth in the ACC for its best league finish since 2005.

In his first three seasons at NC State, each of Kiefer's Wolfpack teams posted winning records, finished in the top-50 of the RPI and made NCAA tournament appearances.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING

"Coach Kiefer will be an outstanding new leader of the Grand Canyon men's soccer program. His knowledge of the game and his network for recruiting domestically and abroad will enhance the GCU team for years to come. Most importantly, George cares primarily about the positive impact he and the university will have on each of his players' lives. During our years as colleagues and rivals this has always shined through. Congratulations to all."
- MIKE NOONAN, Head Coach at Clemson, 2021 and 2023 National Champion

"George Kiefer is an excellent hire for the Grand Canyon University men's soccer program. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience at the highest level of college soccer. He is a good recruiter and savvy tactician, and his players will play with passion and pride. Everyone will understand the team's identity from top to bottom. He's a great fit for GCU."
- JOHN KERR, Head Coach at Duke

"Grand Canyon is getting a great one in George Kiefer. He is one of the best recruiters that worked with me during my 30-year career. He is going to lift Grand Canyon to great heights. GCU will play great soccer and be fun to watch."
- RAY REID, Former Head Coach at UConn, 2000 National Champion