LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego Director of Athletics Earl W. Edwards announced Wednesday that former Stanford assistant coach Jonathan Pascale has been named the new head men’s soccer coach, succeeding Derek Armstrong who had been at the helm of the program for the last 26 seasons. Pascale becomes the seventh head coach in the 33-year history of men’s soccer at the school.

“We are thrilled to have Jon on board to lead our men’s soccer program,” said Edwards. “This was an extensive national search in which we ultimately found the right person for the job. His background with similar institutions, his recruiting ability and coaching history were ultimately the perfect fit for us here at UC San Diego.”

Pascale joins the UCSD family after stints with three Universities that also place an emphasis on academic and athletic success. He has spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach at Stanford University where he helped put together the 10th-ranked Division I recruiting class in the nation this past season. That position was preceded by five years at Georgetown University where he was the associate head coach for the Hoyas. Prior to his time in the Washington D.C. area, Pascale was an assistant coach at the University of Pennsylvania for three seasons.

“I am extremely excited to join UC San Diego’s athletic department, and the men’s soccer family,” said Pascale. “I am honored to be selected as the one who follows Coach Armstrong, who has been an ambassador for soccer in this country and has built an excellent program with a storied history.  From what I have been able to gather, the current student-athletes in this program are an eager bunch that are ready to get the Tritons back on top of college soccer.”

A former college player at American University, Pascale also has head coaching experience at various levels, including the New Jersey Olympic Development Program, the Bowie Lightning Soccer Club (Bowie, Md.), the Voorhees Soccer Club (Voorhees, N.J.), the Palo Alto Soccer Club and the Stanford University Men’s Club Team. He is a 1998 graduate of American University, earning a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Elementary Education during his four years on the Washington D.C. campus.

“We hate to lose Jon, but our entire team is thrilled at the opportunity he will have at UCSD,” said Stanford men’s soccer head coach Brett Simon. “Personally, Jon has been a great asset to me, and our players are better for having the experience of working with him.”

Pascale, who will begin work on the La Jolla campus in February, inherits a team that graduated only three players from last year’s squad. Among the 21 returning letterwinners for the 2008 squad are All-CCAA honorees Jason Le, Peter Akman and Jared Kukura. Le was a Second Team All-CCAA performer that led the Tritons in scoring with his five goals and one assist despite missing three games due to injury. Akman also earned Second Team honors after posting three shutouts and 78 saves in just under 1,450 minutes of play between the pipes for UCSD. Kukura earned Honorable Mention All-CCAA accolades in his rookie season after helping anchor a stingy Triton defense that allowed only 12 goals during a 4-3-1 stretch to end the season.