PORTLAND, Ore. – University of Portland men's soccer coach Nick Carlin-Voigt has announced the hiring of Brad Cole as a new assistant coach for the Portland Pilots.

"We are excited to welcome Brad to our Portland Soccer family," Carlin-Voigt said. "He's organized, driven and committed to our mission to unlock the full potential of each and every student-athlete in our program and to help them become the best version of themselves. We conducted a national search and Brad came highly recommended from trusted colleagues. I'm excited to bring a coach with an East Coast footprint to The Bluff and I know Brad will love the Pacific Northwest and the special Portland soccer culture."

"I want to thank Nick Carlin-Voigt for the opportunity to join his staff," Cole said. "I am excited to enter a program that has such a tremendous legacy in college soccer, and I am working to ensure continued success for the program. Go Pilots!"

Cole joins the Pilots after spending last year with the Cornell Big Red. Cornell was one of the best teams in the nation this past year, finishing 11-3-2 and spending four weeks ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll, ranking as high as 19^th. He was also crucial in helping the Big Red bring in the 22^nd ranked recruiting class in 2021.

"Brad has been part of a very successful nationally-ranked program at Cornell, have worked very hard to rebuild their program," Carlin-Voigt said. "Cornell has had incredible recruiting success as of late. Brad had a wonderful mentor in John Smith, who I have a lot of respect for as a leader of young men. Brad has already hit the ground running and will help build great relationships with the current Pilots while focusing on the recruiting of future Pilots."

Prior to his time at Cornell, Cole was both a player and a coach with the Vermont Catamounts, playing right back and defensive midfield from 2010-2015 before joining the coaching staff as a graduate assistant. As a player, Cole won the Russell O. Sunderland Memorial Trophy, which is awarded to a Vermont student-athlete who overcomes obstacles and maintains a high quality play and academic prowess. He played professionally in the Welsh 2^nd Division for Buckley Town FC in 2016.

During that time with Buckley Town, Cole was also a coaching intern with Crewe Alexandra FC, a professional club in EFL League 2 in England, primarily working with the U18 players. After that, he returned to his alma mater to serve as the director of operations for three years (2016-18) before becoming an assistant coach the following year (2019). He earned his master's degree in positive coaching psychology from the University of Missouri before making his way to Cornell.

The Pilots are coming off a highly successful 2021 fall season, finishing 11-7-1 and making the NCAA Tournament for the third time in five fall seasons (six total) under Carlin-Voigt. The Pilots advanced to the second round of the tournament, earning a home win over the Seattle U Redhawks to do so. The Pilots finished the season ranked 25^th in TopDrawerSoccer's final top 25 poll of the season.

For our full 2022 schedule, check PortlandPilots.com.