Petar Draksin - Men's Soccer Coach - Grand Canyon University Athletics

Petar Draksin

Title:
Men's Soccer Head Coach

PAST HEAD COACH PROFILE

Head Coach of GCU Men's Soccer, 1993-2014
Record at GCU: 22 seasons (225-171-41, .562)

Petar Draksin was a fixture in the men's soccer program at Grand Canyon University, winning national and conference championships that put the Antelopes on the map. Draksin and championships were synonymous in his days in Antelope purple as Draksin’s teams advanced to seven NCAA national tournaments. Under Draksin, the Lopes posted 15 winning seasons and lost just 11 regular season games over their final four seasons in Division II.

In 1996, Draksin’s men’s team won the NCAA Division II National Championship. The Antelopes beat Oakland University (MI) 3-1 in the championship game to cap a 12-4-5 season. For his efforts in 1996, Draksin was named the Far West Region Coach of the Year and NSCAA/Umbro NCAA Division II Coach of the Year, allowing him the honor of coaching the West Region All-American team at the Umbro/Select All-Star Game in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Draksin oversaw the program's first two seasons at the Division I level in 2013 and 2014, hosting the first-ever Division I men's soccer game in the state of Arizona at GCU Soccer Field on Oct. 11, 2013.

In 2012, GCU advanced to the Sweet 16 after winning its fifth conference championship in the past seven seasons. Draksin was also named PacWest Coach of the Year for the fifth time.

In 2010, the Lopes won their fourth Pacific West Conference championship and made it to the Sweet 16 before falling to Chico State. For the second straight year, GCU swept the Player of the Year and Goalkeeper of the Year awards with Kyle Ciliento and Ben Paneccasio. Draksin garnered West Region Coach of the Year honors after leading the team to a final No. 2 ranking in the West Region.

In 2009, the GCU men’s soccer team captured its third Pacific West Conference championship in the past four years and claimed all five of the PacWest’s top postseason awards. Freshman forward Kyle Ciliento was named Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, junior Ben Paneccasio was dubbed Goalkeeper of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, and Draksin was selected Coach of the Year.

In 2008, Draksin guided the Antelopes to their fourth straight winning season.

In 2007, Draksin led Grand Canyon to the NCAA Division II National Tournament for the first time in 10 years. The Antelopes also won their second consecutive Pacific West Conference title in 2007. Draksin was named PacWest Coach of the Year for the second straight year.

In 2006, Draksin coached the Antelopes men’s team to a co-championship in the PacWest. Draksin also was named PacWest co-Coach of the Year that season. Draksin’s teams also advanced to the NCAA Division II National Tournament in 1998 and 1995.

In 2003, Draksin helped GCU’s men’s team record its 200th career win. For four straight seasons, Draksin led the Antelopes to the California Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament when GCU was a member of the CCAA. GCU was the first school to have accomplished that feat in the league and the first to bring a national championship to the CCAA, a conference that has been around since 1938 and was the home to a number of prestigious soccer schools such as UC Santa Barbara, San Diego State, Cal State Northridge and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

During the summer of 2001, Draksin began coaching the Arizona Sahuaros premiere developmental soccer teams. In his first season, he turned the Sahuaros into a winner, taking them from a 4-12 record to a 11-5 mark. It was the first winning season in franchise history. In 2003, he led the Sahuaros to the Men’s Premier Soccer League Championship with a 2-1 overtime win against the Utah Salt Ratz in Salt Lake City, UT. The following season, his team was runner-up when the team became a member of the National Premier Soccer League.

Prior to taking over as GCU’s head coach, Draksin served as an assistant for seven years under Peter Duah. While serving as an assistant, Draksin helped guide the Antelopes to the 1990 NAIA District Championship and the 1992 NCAA Division II National Tournament. Draksin also coached GCU women’s team from 2002-06. His 2005 team went 13-6 as an independent, establishing a school-record for wins.

After arriving in the United States from Vladimirovac Banat, Yugoslavia (Serbia) at the age of 15, Draksin had aspirations to pursue a professional soccer career. He had stints with various indoor and outdoor professional teams. Following his five years as a player, Draksin turned to coaching. He credits most of his soccer background to the prestigious New York Cosmopolitan Soccer League, where numerous successful coaches and players have participated.

Since 1982, Draksin coached both boys and girls of various age groups in the Arizona Youth Soccer League. His teams captured numerous State Championships and three regional crowns. He also helped assemble the team that won the Under-19 boys National Championship in the summer of 2000. Draksin served as the Director of Coaching/Training for the prestigious CISCO Youth Association (AYSA) and in 2008 he led the CISCO Toros U-18 team to a third place national finish. In 2006 and 2007, he served as the president of the Arizona Youth Soccer Association, which contains more than 25,000 members.

In addition to coaching at Grand Canyon, Draksin was a co-head coach at Apollo High School for eight years from 1985-93. His tenure at Apollo included eight consecutive state playoff appearances, including the Class 5A State Championship in 1993.