SOCCER COACHES Head Coach Gary Kagiavas Assistant Coach Kelly Gray Assistant Coach Mark Case Edinboro Soccer Home

Gary Kagiavas, Head Soccer Coach

Gary Kagiavas was appointed Edinboro University's first head coach of the Fighting Scot women's soccer program in August of 1996. The former Gannon University standout started the Edinboro program that year, and since that time it has become one of the stronger teams in the Northeast Region.

A year ago the Fighting Scots registered a school record for wins while finishing with a 12-7-1 record. Edinboro made its second appearance in the PSAC Playoffs. The Fighting Scots climbed as high as fourth in the Northeast Region rankings during the year.

The year before Edinboro fell one point shy of qualifying for postseason action, compiling a 9-5-4 record. The 2002 squad finished with six wins and a tie in its last seven matches. Kagiavas owns an overall record of 67-70-9 in eight seasons, with ten or more wins in each of the last six seasons and five straight seasons of .500 or better. Once a rare occurrence to show up in the Northeast Region rankings, the Fighting Scots are now a weekly member of the top ten.

Kagiavas' teams accomplished a rarity in his first six seasons, finishing with a better record each year. The 2001 Fighting Scots went out and posted an 11-5-1 record, including a school-record six-game winning streak. The Fighting Scots advanced to the PSAC Playoffs for the first time. Edinboro dropped a 1-0 decision to Bloomsburg in its first postseason venture, but that could not diminish a season which saw the Scots climb as high as 14th in the NSCAA Division II rankings. Along the way, the Scots defeated 13th-ranked Slippery Rock, 3-0, while suffering four of its five losses to nationally-ranked opponents. Kagiavas was recognized as the PSAC Women's Soccer Coach of the Year.

Thanks to five wins in its final seven contests, Edinboro posted its first winning season in 2000, going 10-8-1. The Fighting Scots posted a four-game win streak in which it held opponents scoreless for 500 minutes. The team also recorded the program's first win over local rival Gannon.

The Fighting Scots weren't without their growing pains, as Edinboro's first-ever women's soccer edition finished with a 2-14-0 record in 1996. The ledger improved slightly in 1997, as Kagiavas' second team posted a 5-10-1 finish. The Fighting Scots improved to 9-10-0 in 1998. That included a 2-1 overtime win over West Virginia Wesleyan, an outfit ranked second in Division II at the time.

In 1999 the Fighting Scots posted a 9-9-1 finish to earn their first non-losing season. Edinboro debuted in the regional rankings during the season, a first for Kagiavas's squad. Included in the victories was another triumph over a nationally-ranked foe, as the Fighting Scots posted a 2-1 win at 14th-ranked Slippery Rock.

Kagiavas brought a wealth of coaching experience to Edinboro, both locally and at the international level. He joined the Edinboro staff after serving as assistant manager of the Family First Sports Park in Erie for two years. At Family First, he was responsible for organizing all phases of the facility's indoor and outdoor soccer leagues. Kagiavas was assistant tournament director for the 210-team Flagship Cup tournament.

Kagiavas has served as the coaching director of the Edinboro Regional Soccer Club. Under his direction, the organization has grown from four to 14 teams. In the 1997-98 season, he took the 15-under team to the state finals. The past two summers he has taken the Erie Admirals U17 Girls team to the state championship and to the Final Four of Region 1. The team has finished in the top 16 in the country in their age group. He is the girls coaching director at the Erie Admirals, with two state champions in three years.

Kagiavas was a standout defender at Gannon from 1987-91, and played professionally in his native South Africa, along with Greece and Canada, after earning his bachelor's degree in 1991. He has held a variety of coaching positions in many levels of competition since 1989, highlighted by a successful stint as a professional coach in South Africa.

At Gannon, Kagiavas was a four-year starter at midfield and defender for a Golden Knight team which advanced to the NCAA Division II Final Four in 1989 and 1990. Gannon was 58-14-8 during his four seasons, with three NCAA playoff appearances.

Kagiavas played professionally for a St. Catherines team that won the Canadian Cup in the National Soccer League. He was a player/coach for the Springs Old Boys and Boksburg 'Two for Joy,' as well as for the Eastern Transvaal all-select indoor team.

In 1994, Kagiavas served as the head coach of Gannon's men's junior varsity soccer program, also assisting with the varsity squad as the Golden Knight men posted a 15-2-0 record and advanced to the NCAA Final Four.

Kagiavas began his coaching career with the Erie Strikers while also directing the Villa Maria Elementary School team. In the spring of 1992, Kagiavas was assistant coach of the Boksburg "Two for Joy" Division I team that competed in the National Soccer League of South Africa. In the summer of 1991, he was the head coach of the Springs (South Africa) Old Boys of the Division II men's semi-professional league, earning Coach of the Year honors.

Kagiavas has earned a South African coaching license, a professional referee license, and his United States Soccer Federation National B License and has his NSCAA Regional Coaching License. He serves as the vice president for the PSAC Soccer Committee and is a member of the regional NSCAA ranking committee. In addition, he is the chairman of the NCAA Regional Ranking Committee for the Northeast Region.

He and his wife, Dawn, a native of St. Marys, Pa., reside in Erie with their eight-year-old daughter, Kaylee.

Kelly Gray, Assistant Soccer Coach

Kelly Gray is in her third season as an assistant coach at Edinboro University, moving into the role of first assistant this year. Gray served as the head coach at Baldwin-Wallace before coming to Edinboro and was as an assistant coach for the Yellow Jackets in 1999. She is a 1993 graduate of Bowling Green State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration.

Gray began her coaching career at Avon Lake (OH) High School in 1995. She moved on to Berea (OH) High School in 1996 and then returned to Avon Lake as the assistant varsity coach in 1997. Gray is also very active as a youth coach in the Greater Cleveland area, including the Excalibur Premier U17 and U18 teams, along with an U11 team. A year ago her U17 and U18 squads both won Indoor National Championships. Gray also has a USSF coaching license.

Gray played four seasons at Bowling Green, serving as a co-captain in 1991 and team captain in '92. She resides in Olmsted Township, Ohio.

Edinboro Soccer Home

last updated on July 27, 2004