George Kiefer - Head Coach - Men's Soccer Coaches

George Kiefer

Title:
Head Coach

George Kiefer was announced as the head coach for the NC State men's soccer program in November 2016. He brought with him a new foundation for the Wolfpack and an extensive background in the sport, which included serving as an assistant on two national championship squads and winning two national titles as a player.

In his first season (2017) at the helm of the NC State program, Kiefer led the Wolfpack to an 8-6-4 mark, two wins over top-five opponents and the program's first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2009. It marked the first of three-straight postseason appearances for NC State as the team returned to the NCAA Tournament field in 2018 and 2019. The last time the program put together such a streak was the 1985-87 seasons.

In 2018, the Pack 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. NC State has upset four top-five opponents in Kiefer's tenure.

Kiefer has recruited multiple top-15 classes to NC State in the last six years and has also coached multiple MLS draftees. In his time with the Wolfpack, he has helped his players earn one ACC Rookie of the Year honor and four All-ACC citations

Prior to coming to Raleigh, Kiefer spent 15 seasons at the helm of the University of South Florida (USF) men's soccer program. During that time, he earned 10 NCAA Tournament berths and most recently led the Bulls to the American Athletic Conference league crown in 2016. USF qualified for the postseason in nine of his final 10 seasons.

The Bay Shore, N.Y., native posted a 162-86-51 record while in charge of the Bulls and earned NSCAA Regional Coach of the Year honors in 2015 and 2005. Kiefer helped lead USF past the first round of the NCAA Tournament on six occasions, twice making it to the competition's quarterfinal (Elite Eight) round.

During his 15 seasons in Tampa, Kiefer led the Bulls to an impressive 104-27-23 record in home matches and at one point guided his squad to the nation's longest home unbeaten streak, a stretch of 30 matches. Under Kiefer, USF faced 66 ranked opponents, registering a 29-26-11 record against some of the nation's top teams.

Helping USF become one of the top programs in the nation, Kiefer led his teams to a pair of BIG EAST division titles in 2005 and 2011, a BIG EAST Tournament title in 2008, and an American Athletic Conference Tournament championship in 2013.

Under Kiefer's leadership, multiple former USF players moved on to the professional ranks. The Bulls had 20 players selected in the MLS Draft, including recent first-round picks Dom Dwyer (Sporting KC – 2011) and Ben Sweat (Columbus Crew – 2014).

Prior to his time in Tampa, Kiefer was an assistant coach at the University of Connecticut (1997-2002) and Southern Connecticut State University (1995-96). During his time at UConn, the Huskies qualified for four NCAA Tournaments, two College Cups, and were national champions during the 2000 season.

Kiefer played professionally for the Connecticut Wolves (USISL) from 1994-95 and played collegiate soccer for SCSU from 1990-93, helping lead the Owls to two NCAA national championships and four straight New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) championships. He earned his bachelor's degree in Corporate Communications in 1994 and his master's in Physical Education in 1997, both from SCSU.