Paul Gilbert enters year two as the head coach of the Indiana Tech men’s soccer program heading into the 2023 season.
In his first season (2022), he led the Warriors to a 12-3-7 overall record and a 8-1-2 record in WHAC play, where they would finish second in the WHAC standings. During postseason play, Gilbert would lead the Warriors to their fourth straight WHAC Tournament title while also qualifying for the national tournament. At nationals, Tech would win their first game before falling in the final of the Opening Round to top ranked Dalton State College. The Warriors finished the season ranked at No. 22. The Warriors also had seven All-WHAC selections, four WHAC All-Newcomer Team picks, four WHAC All-Academic Team members, four NAIA Scholar-Athletes, one NAIA All-American Honorable Mention selection, and three WHAC Player of the Week winners.
Gilbert is the eighth head coach in program history and follows David Bokhart, who stepped into an interim head coaching role with the Warriors for the 2021 season after John Dunn stepped down in August.
“We are excited to welcome Coach Gilbert and his family to Indiana Tech,” Director of Athletics Jessie Biggs said. “His knowledge of soccer and focus on developing student-athletes into great people is something that will take our Men’s Soccer program to the next level.”
Gilbert spent the previous six seasons at Lubbock Christian University, an NCAA Division II program and a member of the Lone Star Conference. He leaves Lubbock Christian as the program’s all-time leader in wins and posted a 42-47-11 record while at the helm, including a 10-6-2 mark this past season with a 5-2-1 record in conference play to finish third. The Chaps fell to No. 8-ranked Midwestern State University in the LSC Championship in penalty kicks, the first time the program had played in the finals of a conference tournament as an NCAA program. He saw 13 players garner All-Conference honors under his tutelage while Ivan Muanze-Benngono was named the LSC Defensive Player of the Year in 2019 and 2021.
“I couldn’t be more excited to return to the Midwest and lead the Indiana Tech Men’s Soccer Program,” Gilbert said. “For me the opportunity to coach at a very high academic institution that values diversity and prepares students to be active members of society is incredible. The men’s soccer program has been incredibly successful over the years, and I hope that my staff and I can build on that success. I can’t wait to meet the players and begin implementing our game model at Indiana Tech.”
Prior to Lubbock Christian, Gilbert spent two years (2014-15) as a volunteer assistant coach at Michigan State University, working with both the Spartan men’s and women’s soccer programs and focusing on goalkeeper training. He also assisted in the daily operations of the soccer office, focusing on travel coordination, practice and training plans and on-campus recruiting. In the 2015 season, Gilbert worked with both Michigan State soccer programs and also helped the staff with preparations for summer camps at MSU. The men’s program completed a NCAA Tournament appearance in 2014 with a 12-5-6 record and finished the 2015 season with an 8-9-2 mark. The women’s program went 8-6-4 last season and Gilbert helped train goalkeeper Gabrielle Gauruder, who was leading the Big Ten in conference save percentage.
Gilbert arrived at Michigan State after serving as an assistant coach at Adrian College during the 2012 and 2013 seasons. While at Adrian College, Gilbert coached two All-Conference goalkeepers and one All-Region player, including Niko Giantsopoulos who finished in the top-15 NCAA Division III ranking in save percentage (.867) and total saves (143). In addition, he interned as a staff coach of the goalkeepers at the Darlington School Soccer Academy, coaching Stanford’s Jane Campbell, who is a member of the U.S. Women’s National Team.
He will be joined in Fort Wayne by his wife, Erinn, and two sons, Luka and Solomon.
