New Faces At Helm of Tiger Soccer
The Iowa Wesleyan athletic department has announced the hiring of two new soccer coaches. Tony Odorisio will take over the men's program, and Paul Patton will be at the helm of the women's soccer program.
Tony Odorisio joins the Tiger coaching staff from Central Community College in Nebraska. Odorisio brings a vast knowledge of soccer to Iowa Wesleyan. "It's an honor to be a part of, such a prestigious University. A lifelong goal of mine was to inspire today's youth with my passion and love for soccer. I can't thank the Faculty and Staff at Iowa Wesleyan University enough for making my dream a reality and look forward to being a part of the Tiger family. We hope to see all of you fans out for our first home game September 13th, at 4pm vs Lakeland College."
While at CCC, the team competed in the Region 9 NJCAA Tournament Finals, which was the best finish in school history. Prior to serving as head coach at Central Community College, he was an assistant coach at Bellevue University. During his time there, he helped the team qualify for back to back NAIA National Tournament appearances.
Along with coaching experience, Odorisio played professional soccer for the FC Kooteepee in the Finnish Premier League. He also played for the Des Moines Menace in the Professional Development League in Des Moines, Iowa from 2004-2005.
He was a four year letter winner on the men's soccer team at Creighton University. Odorisio was named to the Missouri Valley Conference All-Freshman Team in 2003 and made the Missouri Valley All-Conference Team in 2006. While at Creighton, the men's soccer team qualified for the NCAA Tournament each year and made an Elite Eight appearance in 2003 and 2005. They also advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in 2004.
Odorisio is a native of Omaha, Nebraska and attended Skutt Catholic High School where he helped the team to a State Championship Title in 2003. He served as an assistant coach at Skutt Catholic in 2014 and 2015 and the team qualified for the 2014 NSAA State Boys Soccer Championship.
Tony received his Bachelor of Science in Business from Bellevue University in 2012.
Paul Patton will take over as the women's soccer head coach in 2016-17. He also brings plenty of soccer knowledge to Iowa Wesleyan after spending the past twenty years as a college coach. "I'd like to thank President Titus and AD Williamson for the opportunity to take the helm of the Women's Soccer program. I am very excited to be a part of the Iowa Wesleyan family and the Mount Pleasant community. Tiger athletics has had a history of success and I am looking forward to the challenge of building the Women's Soccer Team into one that represents the University well, both on the field and in the classroom."
Patton comes to the Tigers after spending the past ten years at St. Catharine College in Kentucky. He served as both the head men's and women's soccer coach at St. Catharine from 2006-2009 before focusing solely on the women's program. The women's team had not won a game in the two seasons prior to Patton taking over. He was able to improve to program record wins in 2007, 2010, 2012, and 2013 where they won 14 games.
Prior to coaching at St. Catharine College, Patton coached at Spalding University from 1995-2004. In 1995, he started and coached both the men's and women's soccer programs. From 1997-2002, Patton led the women's soccer team to six consecutive top three finishes in the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
Patton is a member of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and received his National Coaching Diploma in 2006. He is also a member of the United States Soccer Coaches Organization (USSF) and received his National "C" Soccer Coaching License in 1997.
He received his Bachelor of Arts in Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Management from Michigan State University.
Patton now resides in Mount Pleasant, IA.
STORY COURTESY OF IOWA WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION OFFICE
