Irwin is in his sixth year as the Director of Soccer at the University of Portland. Following the passing of legendary head coach Clive Charles, Irwin was promoted in the fall of 2003 after serving 16 years as an assistant. Irwin and the Pilot coaching staff are responsible for both the men’s and women’s soccer teams as a combined staff.
In 2007, the Pilot men returned to the postseason for the first time since 2004 and for the 13th time in program history. The Pilots earned the post-season nod by going 6-1-2 in their final nine matches. UP finished 10-6-5 overall and advanced to the First Round of the NCAA tournament.
The Pilot women advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the second consecutive season in 2007 and posted an 18-4-0 overall record. The Pilots wrapped up the fourth perfect West Coast Conference season in school history with a 7-0-0 record to claim its ninth conference title. UP posted 14 shutouts along the way.
During the 2005 season, the UP women won their second NCAA National Championship in four years. The Pilots finished 23-0-2 to become just the second team in NCAA Division I women’s soccer history to complete an unbeaten season with a championship.
Irwin came to The Bluff as an assistant coach prior to the 1987 season and was reunited with Charles, his long-time friend and former professional teammate, beginning at Cardiff City in the English Second Division in 1971. Irwin has a distinguished record as a goalkeeping specialist as all six starting men’s goalkeepers who trained under Irwin at UP have gone on to play professionally: Greg Maas, Kasey Keller, Stuart Dobson, Scott Hileman, Curtis Spiteri and most recently Luis Robles. Keller, a three-time All-American and the 1991 Adidas Goalkeeper of the Year, is a regular on the U.S. National Team (1990, 98, 2002 and 06 World Cups), captained the 1996 U.S. Olympic Team in Atlanta and is a two-time U.S. Soccer Male Athlete of the Year. Robles, who was a three-time All-WCC First Team selection and the 2006 Defensive Player of the Year, is currently with FC Kaiserslautern of Germany’s Second Bundesliga.
In the women’s net, Michelle Voiland (1991-94) was a three-time All-WCC pick. Erin Fahey (1991-93, 95) earned All-America status in ’95 after leading the nation with a school-record 16 shutouts in 23 games and recording the country’s third-lowest goals-against average, 0.46. Cheryl Loveless became the third Irwin-coached keeper to be named All-America after posting a 0.42 GAA (No. 2 nationally) and 13 shutouts (No. 3 nationally) in 1996. In 1997, Angela Harrison was named first team All-Far West region to become the fourth Irwin protégé to earn post-season regional or national honors. In 1998, Harrison bested her own school and WCC goals-against average with a 0.30 effort, finishing third in the nation. The Pilots posted a school-record 17 shutouts en route to the 2002 NCAA Championship, and followed with 16 shutouts in 2003 with then-freshman keeper Cori Alexander minding the nets each contest. Alexander went on to become UP’s all-time leader in career shutouts (39) and career saves (259). She was the 2005 College Cup Defensive MVP.
Irwin, who is currently the head coach of the U.S. U-23 Women’s National Team after previously coaching the U-21’s, has extensive experience on both the men’s and women’s side of the U.S. National Team circuit. During the summer of 2007, Irwin led the U-23’s, which featured three Pilots, to the Nordic Cup Title in Vaasa, Finland. Early in 2006, he was with the full women’s squad for the second straight year serving along with head coach Greg Ryan. In 2004, he was with the U.S. U-21 Women’s National Team which also cruised to the Nordic Cup title in Iceland. He has also worked with the U-18 Boy’s National Team, and was named goalkeeper coach of the U.S. U-20 Women’s National Team in 1997. Irwin has served as goalkeeper coach for the U.S. U-20 Men’s National Team since 1999, including a trip to the 2001 World Youth Championships in Argentina. Irwin also trained keepers on the 1998 World Cup team, the 2000 Olympic team, and U-18, U-17 and U-16 national teams. In addition, Irwin is a national staff coach, and OYSA staff coach.
Irwin is a F.C. Portland staff coach and has coached the U-15 and U-16 girls to the Oregon State Championship. He also coaches U-15 and U-18 boys in the F.C. program and is certified as an “A” licensed coach and is a member of the Region IV staff.
Irwin’s soccer background includes 17 years in the pro ranks. He began playing semi-pro as a 16-year-old in Northern Ireland, where he earned several youth and amateur international caps. He played eight seasons in England with Cardiff City, winning several Welsh Cups, and played in the European Cup Winner’s Cup competition, before moving to the United States in 1978 and playing for three years with the NASL’s Washington Diplomats. His seven-year NASL experience also took him to the Dallas Tornado (1981), the Portland Timbers (1982) and the San Jose Earthquakes (1983-84). His final two pro campaigns were in the Major Indoor Soccer League with the Minnesota Strikers (1985) and the Wichita Wings (1986).
Irwin, 55, and his wife, Liz, live in Portland and are the parents of two sons: Bryan (21), who is a forward for the Pilots, and Nicholas (14).