KENOSHA, Wis. — The Carthage athletic department has announced the hiring of Paul Leese as the program's fourth head men's soccer coach. Leese comes to campus with nearly 20 years of collegiate coaching experience at the NCAA Division I and II level.

"I am honored to be joining the Firebirds," said Leese. "Carthage is an amazing institution and a hidden gem. I immediately felt at home during my visit to campus. I want to thank President Swallow, Director of Athletics Nate Stewart, and the search committee for entrusting me with the leadership of the men's soccer program."
 
Leese takes over the helm of the Carthage men's soccer program after spending the past year as an assistant coach with New Mexico United. Previously, he was the head coach of the men's soccer team at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley from 2014 to 2020, where he helped establish a nationally-ranked program, won five consecutive NSCAA/USC Team Academic Awards, and was named the 2018 Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year.
 
"I am excited to welcome Paul, Janeane, Aiden and Keiran to Carthage and Kenosha," said Stewart. "We had a tremendous applicant pool and Paul impressed everyone he came in contact with during the interview process with not only his knowledge of the game, but his ability to connect with faculty, staff and students. Paul has led programs to multiple conference championships, NCAA tournaments and top-25 national rankings. However, even more impressive is his ability to lead young men both on and off the field."
 
Prior to his time at the head of the UTRGV team, he was the head coach of Coker College for five seasons. His time with Coker included four conference championships, two conference coach of the year honors, a trip to the NCAA Tournament, and a national ranking as high as No. 5 in 2011. He entered the collegiate coaching ranks as an assistant coach, with stops at Coastal Carolina, Furman, and Elon.
 
"Nate and Associate Athletic Director Kelsey Stoltz have established a strong culture at Carthage and the vision they have for the athletic department is one I am excited to be part of," said Leese. "I can't wait to begin working with the student-athletes and get to know the campus community."
 
Outside of coaching Leese was a five-year faculty member in the Coker Business Administration Department, and taught upper-level leadership awareness courses. Leese graduated from Furman University with a degree in business administration in 2001, where he led the men's soccer team as a senior in 1999 to a program-best record of 21-2-1 and an elite eight NCAA tournament appearance. He went on to play professionally for the Greenville Lions and Greensboro Dynamo of the USL. He earned a Master of Business Administration from Elon University in 2003.
 
Leese comes to Kenosha with his wife Janeane, and two sons Aiden and Keiran.
 
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