Appalachian State Hires Pendleton As Men’s Soccer Coach

BOONE, N.C. — Appalachian State University has hired Shaun Pendleton, NCAA Division II’s all-time winningest men’s soccer coach, as the 10th men’s soccer head coach in school history, director of athletics Charlie Cobb announced on Wednesday.

The Sheffield, England native has compiled a 320-53-13 record in 19 seasons as a head coach, including two years at the University of Charleston (W. Va.) and the past 17 campaigns at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla. His .846 career winning percentage ranked tops all-time among NCAA Division II coaches.

At Lynn, Pendleton compiled a 293-42-12 overall record and led the Fighting Knights to a pair of national championships — with a 22-0-2 record at the NAIA level in 1991, his first season at the helm, and at the NCAA D-II level in 2003, when Lynn capped an undefeated 22-0-1 season with a 2-1 victory over Chico State in the national title game.

Since Lynn joined the NCAA in 1996, Pendleton took the Knights to the postseason in 9-of-12 seasons and reached the national semifinals four times. Overall, he directed the Knights to the postseason play in 14 of his 17 years at the helm, where he put together a 38-12-1 record (.755).

Under his tutelage, 46 LU players earned all-America status and, perhaps even more impressively, 23 garnered all-America Scholar recognition.

As a player, Pendleton was a two-time all-America defender at the University of Akron in 1984 and ‘85. He also earned academic all-America plaudits in 1985 and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in physical education from Akron that same year. He was inducted into UA’s athletics Hall of Fame in 2004.

Following his collegiate playing career, Pendleton went on to play four seasons in the American Indoor Soccer Association with the Columbus Capitals and the Memphis Storm, where he set a league record by playing in 177-conscutive matches.

“We’re excited to bring in someone of Coach Pendleton’s caliber to lead our men’s soccer program,” Cobb said. “He built a championship-level program at Lynn and we look forward to him doing the same here at Appalachian.”

“It’s an honor to be the coach of a program with the winning tradition that Appalachian has,” Pendleton said. “I truly believe that the foundation is here to return the program to Southern Conference and national prominence. I look forward to getting to work to take the program to the next level.”

Pendleton, 46, holds a USSF “A” license and a NSCAA advanced national diploma. He and his wife, Jody, have a dog, Sheffield.

SHAUN PENDLETON COACHING CAREER

Year School Record Notes

1989 Charleston (W. Va.) 14-5-0

1990 Charleston (W. Va.) 13-6-1

1991 Lynn 22-0-2 NAIA National Champion

1992 Lynn 20-3-1 NAIA National Runner-Up

1993 Lynn 23-1-0 NAIA National Runner-Up

1994 Lynn 18-6-1 NAIA National Semifinalist

1995 Lynn 16-4-1 NCAA Division II Regional Finalist

1996 Lynn 12-4-4 NCAA Division II National Semifinalist

1997 Lynn 19-2-0 NCAA National Runner-Up

1998 Lynn 18-1-0 Sunshine State Conference (SSC) Regular-Season Champion

1999 Lynn 15-3-1 SSC Regular-Season Champion

2000 Lynn 17-2-0

2001 Lynn 17-2-0 NCAA Division II Regional

2002 Lynn 16-1-0

2003 Lynn 22-0-1 NCAA Division II National Champion

2004 Lynn 12-5-0 SSC Tournament Champion

2005 Lynn 16-3-0 NCAA Division II National Semifinalist

2006 Lynn 15-2-0 NCAA Division II Regional Finalist

2007 Lynn 15-3-1 NCAA Division II Regional