The 2014 season for the Elon men's soccer program will mark the 10th year under the guidance of head coach Darren Powell, the all-time winningest coach in program history.
Powell came to Elon in December 2004 after serving four seasons as an assistant coach at Southern Conference rival UNC Greensboro. Elon men’s soccer has seen impressive growth and success throughout Powell’s time leading the team, as evidenced by Steven Kinney being the first-ever Phoenix player to be drafted in the Major League Soccer SuperDraft. The four-year all-league honoree was selected by the Chicago Fire with the 45th pick in the 2010 draft. Kinney was also the first-ever Elon player to be invited to the MLS Player Combine in January.
During Powell's tenure, the program has produced 45 All-Southern Conference performers, four conference players of the year and two league freshmen of the year. Powell has been named the SoCon's Coach of the Year four times.
In 2013 the Phoenix again won 15 games and became only the third team in league history to capture three consecutive SoCon Tournament titles. The Phoenix also had two wins against top-10 opponent, went undefeated at the prestigious John Reinnie Nike Invitational at Duke and won the Hilton Garden Inn Classic at UNC Wilmington. Powell earned his second straight SoCon Coach of the Year accolade and fourth overall while seeing one of his pupils, Daniel Lovitz, be rewarded as the league's Player of the Year.
In 2012, Powell led the Phoenix to arguably its best season ever at the Division I level. The program won 15 games, including four against ranked competition, and captured the league's regular-season and tournament title for he first time in school history. Powell was rewarded as the SoCon's Coach of the Year for the third time in his career and led the maroon and gold to its second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. Under his guidance, Chris Thomas was named the SoCon's Player of the Year and the first All-American in the program in over 20 years. Thomas was also selected as a semifinalist for the Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy, the most pretigious individual in collegiate soccer.
Powell led the maroon and gold to its first Southern Conference Tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2011. The Phoenix knocked off the tournament's top three seeds en route to the title, including a 3-2 victory over top-seeded UNCG in the championship match. Nick Millington was named the SoCon Tournament's Most Outstanding Player and he joined three of his teammates on the all-tournament squad.
The 2010 squad battled a tough schedule on its way to an 8-6-5 overall ledger, the sixth consecutive winning season for the program. Along the way the Phoenix earned 1-0 victories over both Old Dominion and ACC foe Clemson. Among Elon's five ties were 1-1 games with ninth-ranked Duke and West Virginia. Powell's squad boasted six all-conference honorees, including the 2011 SoCon Player of the Year in Chris Thomas, while two players earned All-South Region distinction from the NSCAA. Three players also claimed NSCAA All-South Region academic honors. Among the honorees was goalkeeper Clint Irwin who concluded his career with a school-record 22 shutouts who was also a finalist for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award and signed a professional contract with Capital City FC in Canada.
In 2009, Powell led the Phoenix through one of the most challenging non-league schedules of any school in the Southern Conference, facing off against six teams that ended up in the 2009 NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship, including College Cup participant North Carolina. Elon finished the year with a .500 or better record for the fifth consecutive year, earning a 10-8-2 mark that included a victory over ACC-foe Clemson. The Phoenix also advanced to the SoCon Tournament championship game for the first time in program history, falling 2-1 to Wofford and narrowly missing the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Six Elon players earned conference accolades, including Thomas who took home the freshman of the year award.
In 2008, Powell guided Elon to its first-ever NCAA Division I league title and a perfect 7-0-0 mark in conference play during the regular season. The team boasted a 10-9-1 record, forward Justin Wyatt was named SoCon Player of the Year and Powell was honored as the conference’s top coach, his second such honor in four seasons with the Phoenix. Eight Elon players earned first or second team All-SoCon honors and one player was named to the All-Freshman squad.
In 2007, Powell guided the Phoenix to an 8-7-4 overall record, marking the program’s first back-to-back winning seasons since 1987 and 1988. Elon went 4-3-0 in SoCon play to finish tied for third. Along the way, his team earned ties with North Carolina, Clemson and eventual national champion Wake Forest. The tie with top-ranked Wake Forest provided the Demon Deacons with their first blemish of the season.
Under Powell’s leadership, the Elon program claimed its first-ever NCAA Division I national ranking in 2006 – appearing as high as 22nd in the Soccer America poll on Sept. 12 after starting the campaign with a 6-1-0 ledger, including a 2-0 victory over then-No. 17 UAB. His team finished the year at 10-8-2 overall, the program’s first winning year since moving to the Division I ranks for the 1999 season.
In his first season with the Phoenix, Powell led the squad to a 9-9-2 overall record and a 4-2-1 mark in SoCon action, finishing third in the league. Elon emerged from that campaign with two first-team All-SoCon selections, two second-team all-league honorees, the SoCon Freshman of the Year, three SoCon Players of the Week, two SoCon All-Tournament picks, two NSCAA All-South Region players, one College Soccer News All-Freshman choice and one USL professional player. For his efforts, Powell was honored as the 2005 Southern Conference Coach of the Year.
During Powell’s four seasons at UNCG, the Spartan program posted a 55-26-3 mark and became the nation’s top-ranked program during the regular season in 2004. Powell assisted in all aspects of the program, including recruiting, scheduling and academic development. Powell was honored as one of the top NCAA Division I assistant coaches by College Soccer News and coached three MLS players, one NSCAA Senior All-Star, three All-Americans, one Academic All-American, four All-Region honorees, 22 All-SoCon selections, two conference freshman of the year award winners and one league player of the year while at UNCG.
Prior to joining the Spartan staff, Powell headed the Greensboro College men’s soccer program for three seasons, posting a 50-12-3 ledger. He led the Pride to the NCAA Division III finals in 1998 and Dixie Conference titles in 1998, 1999 and 2000. His program produced a MLS and English Premier League player, two NSCAA Senior All-Stars, three All-Americans, 15 All-Region choices, 25 All-Dixie Conference selections, three league players of the year and two conference rookies of the year. In 1998, Powell was honored by the NSCAA as the South Region Coach of the Year after being named the Dixie Conference Coach of the Year. The Pride finished ranked second in the nation in 1998, eighth in the country in 1999 and 12th nationally in 2000.
Following a four-year collegiate career at UNC Greensboro, Powell played professionally for the Carolina Dynamo USISL team, the Raleigh Flyers A-League team and the Wilmington Hammerheads USISL team from 1995-1999. At UNCG, Powell helped the Spartans to two NCAA Tournament appearances in 1993 and 1994. He was a two-time captain, team MVP and All-South Region selection as well as a three-time All-Big South Conference honoree. Powell became the first Spartan player to score over 100 career points at the Division I level.
Powell is also heavily involved in youth soccer in North Carolina. He serves as a staff coach at the Greensboro Soccer Club and has been a North Carolina ODP head coach for the past six years. Powell also works as a staff coach with the USYSA Region III ODP team and holds a USSF A-License.
Powell graduated from UNC Greensboro in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in leisure studies. He and his wife, Elise, have two young children – Naomi and Caleb.
