UC San Diego men’s soccer coach Derek Armstrong has built the Triton soccer program into a perennial national power in 25 seasons as head coach. After taking the Triton program to the highest level within the NCAA Division III, Armstrong led the program into Division II and the California Collegiate Athletic Association in 2000. The program will play a historical game early on in the 2007 season as Armstrong will coach his 500th game as the UCSD men's soccer head coach during the fifth game of the season.
Through the program's first 25 years under Armstrong's direction, the Tritons have amassed a winning percentage of .694, posting a 321-129-45 record during that time. UCSD has also received 15 invitations to the NCAA Division III tournament and advanced to the semifinals five times, playing in four championship games. Armstrong’s 1993, 1991 and 1988 squads won national titles. The 1988 team had UC San Diego’s best year, finishing the season with a 23-0-2 record.
At the Division II level, Armstrong’s teams have qualified for the CCAA tournament on five separate occasions, including the 2003 campaign in which the Tritons advanced to the championship match against
Before Armstrong came to UCSD in 1982, the Tritons had only one winning season in the program’s seven-year history. UCSD had not had a losing season since Armstrong took over until an injury-plagued 2001 campaign, and has posted a 303-114-52 record during his tenure; giving him a .706 winning percentage. He collected his 300th win at the collegiate level with a 1-0 victory at home over
Armstrong’s 2000 team surprised many people by finishing
In 2002, UCSD went 11-6 overall and 9-5 in league play, claiming its second South Division title in its three years of CCAA membership before losing to now-four-time defending conference champion Cal State Dominguez Hills, 1-0, in a CCAA Semifinal in Petaluma.
The 2003 squad finished with an
The 2004 season started off well as the Tritons went unbeaten in its first eight games, including a tie against eventual National Champion,
Inconsistency plagued the 2005 campaign as UCSD once again fell in the first round of the CCAA tournament and failed to receive a bid to the NCAA postseason despite some impressive credentials. The Tritons started off hot, winning its first three contests, including a 2-0 victory at No. 2 Seattle University on September 4. UCSD only managed eight more victories over the next 15 matches before its 3-1 loss to
Despite the unfortunate ending to the season, Armstrong did place eight student-athletes on the All-CCAA teams and three more on the NSCAA All-Far West Region squads. Senior Matt Davey earned his third-straight NSCAA/adidas All-America accolade and would later receive Academic All-America and NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship honors.
In 2006, things looked very promising for the Tritons after a torrid
Armstrong, who originally hails from
In 1987, Armstrong was selected as the national coach for the Under-20 United States FIFA World Cup Team, which competed in
ARMSTRONG'S CAREER COACHING RECORD:
Year |
Record |
Win Percentage |
Postseason Finish |
2006 |
|
.421 |
None |
2005 |
|
.667 |
CCAA Semifinalist |
2004 |
|
.647 |
CCAA Semifinalist |
2003 |
|
.05 |
NCAA First Round |
2002 |
|
.647 |
CCAA Semifinalist |
2001 |
|
.406 |
None |
2000 |
|
.667 |
CCAA Semifinalist |
1999 |
|
.711 |
NCAA Regional Semifinalist |
1998 |
|
.28 |
None |
1997 |
|
.667 |
NCAA First Round |
1996 |
|
.618 |
NCAA Regional Semifinalist |
1995 |
|
.684 |
NCAA Regional Finalist |
1994 |
|
.667 |
NCAA National Quarterfinalist |
1993 |
|
.896 |
NCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONS |
1992 |
|
.556 |
None |
1991 |
|
.804 |
NCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONS |
1990 |
|
.833 |
NCAA National Quarterfinalist |
1989 |
|
.674 |
NCAA National Semifinalist |
1988 |
23-0-2 |
.960 |
NCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONS |
1987 |
|
.667 |
NCAA Regional Semifinalist |
1986 |
|
.729 |
NCAA National Runners-Up |
1985 |
|
.913 |
NCAA National Quarterfinalist |
1984 |
|
.775 |
NCAA Regional Semifinalist |
1983 |
|
.750 |
NCAA Regional Semifinalist |
1982 |
|
.529 |
None |
Totals |
321-129-45 |
.694 |
3 National Championships |