Spring Break
In OSU return Simmons pegged to lead men's soccer team
After successful time at NIU Steve Simmons will return to Corvallis as new head coach
Sports Information
Issue date: 7/1/09 Section: Sports
Simmons' defense-first philosophy led to the unprecedented success of the 2006 campaign. Goalkeeper Joe Zimka set an NCAA Division I record by allowing just 0.21 goals per match, and the Huskies notched 14 shutouts, tied for the most in the country. The 15-win 2006 season saw the Huskies ranked as high as 19th on the NSCAA's Top-25, and punctuated an impressive three-year run in which the Huskies won 38 matches.
During the 2005 campaign, the Huskies rode a 736:31 shutout streak to a seven-match unbeaten run that peaked with a No. 22 national ranking as Northern Illinois finished as the runner-up in the MAC for the second straight season. It marked the first time the Huskies had finished in the top two in their conference in consecutive seasons since 1989-90.
In 2004, Simmons led Northern Illinois to an impressive 12-7-0 record as he was named MAC Coach of the Year. The Huskies won eight more games in 2004 than the year before, the nation's second-best turnaround. Under Simmons' guidance, Curt Zastrow won Freshman of the Year honors while five other NIU players were named to All-MAC teams.
The foundation for Simmons' reconstruction efforts can be traced back to 2003, his first season at NIU. Faced with a program slowed by graduation and injuries, Simmons utilized a lineup with six freshmen. The Huskies won three contests in 2003, including MAC wins over Marshall and Buffalo, and lost nine matches by a single goal.
Prior to his arrival at NIU, Simmons spent two seasons as associate head coach for Oregon State, where he worked with defenders and goalkeepers under former Beaver coach Dana Taylor. His teaching was evident in 2002 when OSU climbed to No. 18 in the national polls during a nine-week run in the Top-25. Oregon State earned its first trip to the NCAA College Cup as part of a 13-8-0 campaign that was highlighted by victories over No. 6-rated California and No. 12 Tulsa.
Simmons moved to Corvallis after a successful five-year stint as head men's and women's coach at Linfield College in McMinnville, Ore. He took over a men's program coming off a 1-15-0 campaign in 1995 and built the Wildcats into a successful program. After an 8-11-0 debut in 1996 and a 7-12-1 mark in 1997, his team reached double digits in victories for the first time with a 10-10-0 record in 1998. Simmons' team followed that up with 12-7-1 record in 1999, and made a trip to the 2000 Final Four, where a loss to the eventual national champion ended a 21-1-1 season.
During the 2005 campaign, the Huskies rode a 736:31 shutout streak to a seven-match unbeaten run that peaked with a No. 22 national ranking as Northern Illinois finished as the runner-up in the MAC for the second straight season. It marked the first time the Huskies had finished in the top two in their conference in consecutive seasons since 1989-90.
In 2004, Simmons led Northern Illinois to an impressive 12-7-0 record as he was named MAC Coach of the Year. The Huskies won eight more games in 2004 than the year before, the nation's second-best turnaround. Under Simmons' guidance, Curt Zastrow won Freshman of the Year honors while five other NIU players were named to All-MAC teams.
The foundation for Simmons' reconstruction efforts can be traced back to 2003, his first season at NIU. Faced with a program slowed by graduation and injuries, Simmons utilized a lineup with six freshmen. The Huskies won three contests in 2003, including MAC wins over Marshall and Buffalo, and lost nine matches by a single goal.
Prior to his arrival at NIU, Simmons spent two seasons as associate head coach for Oregon State, where he worked with defenders and goalkeepers under former Beaver coach Dana Taylor. His teaching was evident in 2002 when OSU climbed to No. 18 in the national polls during a nine-week run in the Top-25. Oregon State earned its first trip to the NCAA College Cup as part of a 13-8-0 campaign that was highlighted by victories over No. 6-rated California and No. 12 Tulsa.
Simmons moved to Corvallis after a successful five-year stint as head men's and women's coach at Linfield College in McMinnville, Ore. He took over a men's program coming off a 1-15-0 campaign in 1995 and built the Wildcats into a successful program. After an 8-11-0 debut in 1996 and a 7-12-1 mark in 1997, his team reached double digits in victories for the first time with a 10-10-0 record in 1998. Simmons' team followed that up with 12-7-1 record in 1999, and made a trip to the 2000 Final Four, where a loss to the eventual national champion ended a 21-1-1 season.
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