For many college coaches, building a program with sustained success is the ultimate goal of the job. San Diego State women’s soccer head coach Mike Friesen has done just that as he enters his 11th season as head coach.
Before arriving on the Mesa, Friesen spend five years at UC Santa Barbara, where he ran the team’s offense and played a vital role in recruiting. Friesen assisted in rejuvenating the Gaucho program, going from a 7-29-2 record in the two seasons before he arrived to a 24-11-6 record from 2002-2003.
After his tenure at UCSB, Friesen made the move to SDSU, where he spent three years on the coaching staff, including two years as an associate head coach.
Friesen says he made the transition to SDSU because he felt it provided the next phase in his coaching career.
“I felt I needed to make the next move in my coaching career,” Friesen said. “I felt (SDSU) provided a great opportunity and that it was also the next step for my family.”
After arriving on the SDSU staff, Friesen implemented an up-tempo, fast-paced defense that resulted in 12 shutouts for the Aztecs in 2004. In that same season, the Aztecs reached the Mountain West Conference championship game for the first time since 1999.
Since becoming head coach, Friesen says that he and his coaching staff have tried to focus on two major points for the program.
“(When I became head coach), we focused on creating a very pro-student-athlete, family-friendly culture,” Friesen said. “We also focused on recruiting and getting the best players we can to come (to SDSU).”
Friesen’s recruiting efforts have paid off, as the program has achieved a high level of steady and consistent success in recent years. SDSU has played in five consecutive Mountain West championship games, has had six consecutive 10-win seasons and has won four outright Mountain West regular season titles in the last five years.
Friesen says that despite the team’s consistent success, the team is working to set the bar higher every year.
“We want more (success) than what we have”, Friesen said. “The goal is to put ourselves in position to win as much as we can and to win the national championship.”
The reliable and steady success of the team has gotten Friesen into the SDSU record books: on August 20th, 2017, SDSU beat UC Davis 1-0 and Friesen earned his program-record 123rd career victory.
Regardless of his record-setting achievement, Friesen says that the culture of the program remains dedicated to focusing on the players.
“It’s not something I focus on”, Friesen said. “The program is not about me. It’s about looking back and realizing we have done and what we set out to do.”
Friesen says that it’s important to remember the true nature of the program, and to keep the pro-student-athlete, family-friendly culture alive to achieve the team’s ultimate goal.
“The ultimate goal remains to win the national championship,” Friesen said. “We’re going to strive to be our best.”
