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December 1, 2009

2009 Season - Mejia wins "Coach of the Year" honors

Scott Mejia, the man who led Augustana to the finest women’s soccer season in school history, was rewarded for his effort by being named the Central Region “Coach of the Year” by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. The announcement was made today by the NSCAA and it adds to other honors won by Mejia and his team in 2009.

The Vikings put together a 20-2-1 overall record, shattering the school mark for victories in a single season. The old record was 15 which was jointly held by three different Augustana squads, all under the direction of Mejia. His 2005 team went 15-4-1 and his 2006 unit was 15-3-3 and both of those team made NCAA Division III tournament appearances. The 2008 edition also won 15 matches in a 15-4-0 campaign.

Mejia’s 2009 team was ranked as high as fifth in the national NCAA Division III polls by the NSCAA and D3soccer.com and advanced to the sectional round (“Sweet 16”) of the national tournament. Augustana fell to Calvin by a score of 2-1 to end the season. The Vikings won the regional a week earlier by defeating Albion 2-1 on Saturday, November 14 and then defeating Wisconsin-Stevens Point 1-0 on Sunday, November 15.

Augustana swept through the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin, winning the title with a perfect 7-0 record that included wins over nationally ranked opponents Wheaton (3-2 in overtime on October 14) and Illinois Wesleyan (1-0 on October 24. Wheaton was ranked 10 th and Illinois Wesleyan third at the time the Vikings played each school. Mejia’s club won the CCIW tournament by beating Millikin 5-0 in the semifinals and Illinois Wesleyan 1-0 in the championship match. It was the first time in school history that the Vikings’ women’s soccer team had captured either the regular season or tournament titles.

Mejia just finished his ninth season at the helm of the Augustana women’s program and during that time he has compiled an overall record of 124-47-10 and a conference mark of 41-17-2. Three times (2005, 2006 and 2009) he has led his team into the NCAA tournament and he was the “Coach of the Year” in the CCIW in 2006 and again this past fall.

When he came to Augustana in time for the 2001 season, Mejia was the head coach of both the men’s and women’s programs and he recorded a record of 68-37-6 in seven seasons as the men’s coach. During that time he was 22-14-3 in the CCIW and led the Vikings to a share of the 2002 conference championship. He was named the CCIW’s “Coach of the Year” in men’s soccer in 2002 after Augustana went 16-3-1 overall and 5-0-1 in league play.

Prior to coming to Augustana he spent two years as the head coach at Lakeland College in Sheboygan, Wisconsin where he compiled a 25-17-1 record coaching the women and an 11-27-2 mark with the men.

SCOTT MEJIA’S COLLEGIATE COACHING RECORD