McArthur named Coach of the Year

Casper College assistant soccer coach Conner Schmidt, left, with head soccer coach Ben McArthur. (Casper College photo/Lisa S. Icenogle)

Casper College Men’s Head Soccer Coach Ben McArthur has been named the Northwest Plains District Coach of the Year and the Region IX Coach of the Year.

However, McArthur didn’t want to take all the credit: “I think it is important to recognize that the awards should be called ‘Coaching Staff of the Year.’ Assistant coach Conner Schmidt is a huge part of our success and he is a really good coach,” said McArthur. “Coach Schmidt has done a great job building relationships with players and building our team chemistry,” McArthur added.

McArthur also gave credit to the team. “As cool as this award is for Conner and me, we couldn’t do it without the players. They bought into our team culture, the team goals, the style of play, everything. They were 100% invested in each other and the coaching staff, and that makes it fun every day. I am really proud of the group and our accomplishments this year.”

McArthur led his team to a 10-7-5 overall season and a record of 7-1-4 in conference play. The men’s team won the Region IX and Northwest Plains District Championship, beating the Otero Rattlers of Otero College 5-4 in penalty kicks after the game was tied 1-1.

At the national championships, the Thunderbirds were placed in Pool A with No. 1 seeded Arizona Western College and No. 8 seeded Louisiana State University-Eunice. The Birds lost to Arizona 1-0 but won against LSUE 2-1. With the loss to Arizona, Casper was knocked out of the tournament.