Mike AldersonHead CoachWomen's Soccer(830) 372-6577malderson@tlu.eduHead Coach Mike Alderson took a second turn as the head coach for the TLU women’s soccer team after completing nine seasons at the helm of the Texas Lutheran men’s soccer program. Alderson, who holds the TLU record for career men’s soccer wins and for best career winning percentage in men’s soccer, went back to the women’s program after the summer 2006 resignation of Tony Tommasi, who had coached the Bulldogs for the previous five seasons and led the team to a 49-34-5 record over that span.
Alderson took the 2006 team back to the ASC Women’s Soccer Championship Tournament with a 14-6-0 overall record and a conference mark of 10-3. For his efforts in the 2006 year, Alderson was named the American Southwest Conference Women’s Soccer Coach of the Year. Alderson’s 2006 team set new school records for goals in a season (84), assists in a season (49), and points in a season (217). TLU tied the school mark for wins in a season (14), wins in conference (10) and winning percentage in conference (.769). Alderson also coached seven Bulldogs to All-ASC honors. Four Bulldogs were named to the All-ASC First Team.
Back in 2001, just before the hiring of Tony Tommasi as women’s soccer head coach, Alderson coached what at the time was a struggling women’s program and led the team to a 5-11 season, an improvement of three wins from the previous season and at the time a school record for wins in the season. Since those early years of struggle in the women’s program, the Bulldogs have had winning seasons in three of the last four seasons, including a 14-4-1 record-setting campaign in 2004. The Bulldogs were also the American Southwest Conference runner-up in 2003.
Alderson is no stranger to TLU success in soccer. In 2002, Alderson coached the Bulldogs to the ASC West Division Championship and to the ASC Men’s Soccer Championship Tournament title. The Bulldogs advanced to the NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament in 2002 and lost in the first round to No. 1 ranked Trinity. In that 2002 season, the Bulldogs first won the American Southwest Conference West Division for a second consecutive year with a 9-1 league mark. TLU then won two conference tournament matches to capture just the second ASC title in school history. Then in front of nearly 700 hometown fans, the Bulldogs hosted No. 1-ranked Trinity in an NCAA First Round match at Gustafson Soccer Field.
In winning the championships and making a tournament appearance, the Bulldogs tied the school record for most wins (14) in a season, set a new record for goals against average (1.12), and eclipsed the record for conference winning percentage, which sits at .900 (after a 9-1 romp through the ASC West). Alderson was rewarded for his team’s successes in 2001 and 2002 with consecutive American Southwest Conference West Division Coach of the Year awards. Also in 2002, two of Alderson’s players –
forward/midfielder Sean O’Brien and defender David Stahl – took home respective honors for Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year. It was the second consecutive year in which O’Brien took home the award. Stahl earned a spot on the 2002 National Soccer Coaches Association of American/adidas First Team All-Central Region. The 14 wins, the second consecutive ASC West Championship, the ASC Championship and the NCAA Tournament appearance, all came just six seasons after Alderson’s first team at Texas Lutheran – a squad that went 6-13. The Bulldogs steadily improved each year– from 6-13 to 7-10, 10-12, 8-8, to 14-3-3 and 14-4-2 leading up to the 2002 ASC title.
Off the pitch, Alderson’s players have had continued success in the classroom. David Stahl was named an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American for two consecutive years, and teammate Robbie Babcock was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VI First Team. The Bulldogs have also had numerous ASC Academic All-Conference selections under Alderson.
As a soccer player in his native England, Coach Alderson played against soccer players of the highest levels, including a meeting against famed Manchester United in the FA Youth Cup. Through his late teen years, he was a member of the semiprofessional South Bank Football Club. He was also signed as a schoolboy by two professional clubs, Darlington and Blackpool.
Coach Alderson attended the University of Birmingham in England, where he started three seasons and was a team captain in his third year. In his second and third seasons at Birmingham, he played for the All-England Universities team, which played against
several professional clubs, and played in the British University Soccer Championships against Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. He was then selected as a member of the British Universities Team, made up of players from universities in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Before taking over at Texas Lutheran, Coach Alderson was a member of the Trinity University (Texas) soccer program as an assistant coach. Coach Alderson holds a bachelor’s degree in sport and recreation management from the University of Birmingham in England. He recently completed his master’s degree in exercise science. Coach Alderson and his wife, Kim, live in San Antonio. The couple celebrated the birth of their son, John Michael, in the summer of 2004.
