CSU Bakersfield hires Bernardo Silva as women’s soccer head coach

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – CSU Bakersfield Director of Athletics Kyle Conder has announced the hiring of Bernardo Silva as Head Coach of the Roadrunner Women’s Soccer program following a national search.

Silva arrives in Bakersfield after spending the last five years as Associate Head Coach of the Sacramento State Women’s Soccer team.

“We are so excited for Coach Silva to lead CSU Bakersfield Women’s Soccer,” said Director Conder. “He [Silva] made it clear from the start that he wanted our Head Coach position. His passion, preparation, and attention to detail were unmatched during the search process.”

In his first full season as the Associate Head Coach at Sacramento State, Silva flashed spectacular potential as a leader. Under Silva’s leadership, the team turned in one of the greatest seasons in program history in 2019, going 11-2-6 with a 17-match unbeaten streak and multiple program records, including most shutouts (10) and best goals against average (0.61). Silva followed up his first year with an even better 2020 campaign where he helped his squad to a program-record 22-match unbeaten streak, showing incredibly resilience and determination during the COVID-impacted season.

“Coach Silva has a sincere understanding of our four pillars: Academic Excellence, Outstanding Student-Athlete Experience, Competitive Success, and Community Engagement,” Director Conder continued. “He is ready to lead our team to success in 2023 and has a clear vision to achieve continued success in seasons ahead.”

“I am very excited to join the CSUB family and the awesome community of Bakersfield,” Bernardo Silva went on to say. “On behalf of my family, I want to thank Director of Athletics Kyle Conder and SWA Cindy Goodman for this incredibly opportunity. I am looking forward to leading the Roadrunners into the future with ambitious goals backed by unwavering commitment to our four pillars.”

Prior to joining the Hornets, Silva most recently served as the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at UC Santa Barbara, his alma mater, in 2017. He was also the associate head coach at Cal Poly, starting with the Mustangs as a volunteer assistant in 2013. He was elevated to a full-time assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the 2014 and 2015 seasons before being promoted to associate head coach in 2016.

“I am a coach who leads with his heart and stays true to who he is, believing in a culture where strong relationships are key to the success of a program,” Silva said. “I am a team player by nature and plan on immersing my family and myself in the Bakersfield community and our athletic department at CSUB. I will be a hard working recruiter that will look to tap into all of the connections built here over the years as well as my extensive knowledge of the Big West Conference to build a program that competes to win every day.”

Silva graduated from UCSB in 2011 after playing for the Gauchos. During his time at UCSB – where he earned a degree in psychology with a double-minor in sport management and fitness instruction. Silva also worked as a regional scout for the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer. In his role with the Red Bulls, he identified and recommended collegiate players for the franchise.

Silva, who possesses a U.S. Soccer Federation National “C” Coaching License, also studied sport and exercise psychology at Loughborough University in England. While there, he added to his knowledge of soccer while serving as an intern for the famed Scottish football club Hearts of Midlothian FC, where he observed training sessions, staff collaboration meetings and studied coach-player dynamics. Silva also holds a personal training certificate from the National Academy of Sports Medicine.