Xavier’s Nate Lie hired as new head coach of Kansas Jayhawks soccer program

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Nate Lie, an exceptional recruiter, meticulous tactician, and an experienced postseason contender has been named the fourth head coach in Kansas Soccer history, Director of Athletics Travis Goff announced. Lie has signed a 5-year contract that will run through the 2028 season.

“This was an exhaustive search that was highlighted by a deep pool of accomplished, strong leaders,” Goff said. “Throughout it all, Nate Lie stood out with his diverse experiences, his unwavering values, his fierce competitiveness, and his ability to build a program for long-term success. We are unbelievably excited to bring in Nate, who will undoubtedly instill a strong culture of competitive excellence. The future of Kansas Soccer is incredibly bright with Nate at the helm, and we are thrilled for him to get to work. Our entire athletic department is elated to welcome Nate, his wife Emily, and their three children, Michael, Grace and Joshua to the Kansas Athletics family.”

“I would like to express my thanks and gratitude to Travis Goff, Jason Booker and the entire search committee for providing me this tremendous opportunity,” Lie said. “I was overwhelmed by the energy, positivity and passion of the Jayhawk community and I am completely sold on Travis’ vision of the future of Kansas Athletics. My time at Xavier was so meaningful, and I thank Greg Christopher and Brian Hicks for believing in me and our program. I have tremendous gratitude for the players and coaches that shared the journey.”

“I believe, with deep conviction, that Kansas Soccer will be a consistent force in the Big 12 and on the national landscape. My family and I look forward to immersing ourselves in the KU community and I will work tirelessly alongside our student-athletes to bring Kansas Soccer to new heights! Rock Chalk!”

Lie – pronounced LEE – arrives at Kansas following a strong and successful seven-year tenure as the head coach at Xavier University. During his tenure at Xavier, which began in 2017, Lie has compiled a record of 82-37-19 (.663), led the Musketeers to four consecutive NCAA Tournaments (2019-23) and has been the architect of three BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year honors, in 2019, 2021 and 2023.

Under Lie’s guidance, Xavier has earned a top 25 RPI ranking in each of the last three seasons, becoming one of just 10 programs nationally to achieve that. The Musketeers are also one of five programs nationally with five or fewer regular season losses in each of the last three seasons.

Xavier has a 22-1-8 conference record over the past three seasons and has an active 28-match unbeaten streak in conference play, which dates back to the 2021 season. The Musketeers have won three BIG EAST regular season championships and one BIG EAST Tournament championship since 2019.

With Lie at the helm, his teams have rewritten the record books at Xavier. His squad set the school record for wins in a season with 17 in 2019, while the team’s 16 wins in 2021 are the second most in a season and his group’s 14 wins in 2022 and 2023 are tied for the third most in program history.

In addition to school records in wins, Lie’s teams have featured stout defense and goalkeeping. In 2019 and 2023, Xavier recorded 13 shutouts, establishing a new program record. After already setting the single-season lowest goals against average of 0.54 in 2021, Lie’s 2023 team broke that record by posting a goals against average of 0.50 this year. The 0.50 mark was the sixth best in the nation in 2023.

Lie’s ability to develop players has been evident during his time at Xavier. He has mentored five BIG EAST Players of the Year, 32 All-BIG EAST selections, 13 United Soccer Coaches All-Region honorees and three All-Americans. Since 2020, six of Lie’s players have signed professional contracts.

In 2023, Xavier finished the season with a 14-4-4 record before ultimately falling in overtime in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, despite taking 41 shots in the match. The Musketeers were eighth in the country with 18.6 shots per game and seventh in the nation with 8.9 shots on goal per match. Xavier earned the No. 4 seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, marking the best seed in program history.

Off the field, Lie has been the co-chair of Xavier Athletics’ Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. In addition, he was the Xavier representative for the BIG EAST Conference’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion working group.

Prior to becoming the head coach at Xavier, Lie served as the associate head coach, assistant coach and the recruiting coordinator for four years at Cincinnati from 2013-17 and an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for four years at Miami University (OH) from 2009-13.

At Cincinnati, Lie quickly was elevated from an assistant coach to associate head coach in 2014. Lie led the defense at Cincinnati and the Bearcats posted a 42-30-12 (.571) overall record while he was on the coaching staff.

In his first three seasons at Cincinnati, the program improved its overall record each season. After a four-win season in 2012, prior to his arrival, the Bearcats went 8-11-1 in 2013, 10-8-2 in 2014 and 13-6-5 in 2015.

The 2015 Bearcats captured the American Athletic Conference tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002. Following the season, Lie was selected as Cincinnati’s Assistant Coach of the Year in a vote by members of the athletic department.

During his four-year stint as an assistant coach at Miami, the RedHawks owned an overall record of 54-26-5 (.665), including 25-14-5 in the Mid-American Conference (MAC). In 2012, Lie helped guide Miami to an overall record of 20-3-1 and a 10-0-1 mark in conference action. The 20 wins are a school record and helped Miami win the MAC regular-season and tournament titles as well as advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Lie’s coaching career began when he was hired at Miami in 2009. Lie worked in the business world and for AmeriCorps before becoming a coach.

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Lie attended Miami and played soccer from 1996-2000. Lie was an All-MAC Second Team selection in 1997 and a two-time Academic All-MAC honoree for the men’s soccer program, earning Academic All-MAC First Team honors in 1998, in addition to Academic All-Ohio accolades that same season.

Lie graduated from Miami in 2000 with bachelor’s degrees in economics and finance, and received a master’s degree in sports management from Miami in 2015. Lie and his wife, Emily, have three children – Michael (11), Grace (9) and Joshua (7).

The Lie File
Alma Mater: Miami (OH), 2000 (Master’s, Miami (OH), 2015)
Wife: Emily
Children: Michael (11), Grace (9), Joshua (7)

Coaching Experience:
2023-Present: Kansas (Head Coach)
2017-23: Xavier (Head Coach)
2014-17: Cincinnati (Associate Head Coach/Recruiting Coordinator)
2013-14: Cincinnati (Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator)
2009-13: Miami (OH) (Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator)

Postseason Experience:
2023: NCAA Tournament First Round
2022: NCAA Tournament Second Round
2021: NCAA Tournament First Round
2019: BIG EAST Tournament Champions; NCAA Tournament Second Round
2015: AAC Tournament Champions; NCAA Tournament First Round
2012: MAC Tournament Champions; NCAA Tournament Second Round