Coaches

Head Coach Mark Fales is eagerly awaiting the 2010 soccer season and his 7th year directing the women’s soccer program.  With over 25 years of coaching, Fales knows what it takes to be a champion.  Fales led the Saints to a Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) championship in the 2007-08 season, followed by a second place finish a year ago.  He has his sights on being a contender again this season and feels that he has the talent to make a run.

Fales shakes his head as he recollects how he became involved in soccer.  “There was no soccer being played when I was in high school.  I competed in football and wrestling.  When my son was five, I became involved with his youth program.  I studied the game, went to as many clinics as I could and completed the Youth Sports Institute that Michigan State University offered in 1984.  I have always prided myself on being a hard worker and I became very involved in the Lansing area youth club programs.”

After coaching a high school All-Star team against a team from France, Fales was offered the boy’s varsity assistant coaching position at Lansing Eastern High School.  After a few years at Lansing Eastern, he was offered the varsity boy’s and girl’s head coaching job at Lansing Catholic High School.  Fales went on to coach for 15 years at Lansing Catholic High School. 

In 1995 Fales was offered the head coaching position at Olivet College.  The program was in great need of mending and Fales began to build the program.  His first team, with no time prior to being hired to recruit, ended the season with just two wins.  The next two years the team played .500 ball and the fourth year won the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) championship.

Those were busy years for Fales, who also continued to coach at Lansing Catholic Central during his years at Olivet College.  He realized that he needed to spend more time with his family, so he resigned in 2000.  It wasn’t long before Fales realized that he missed the day to day contact that goes along with being a coach. 

Coach Fales was very familiar with Aquinas College, as his son, Zach Fales was a standout goalie for the men’s soccer team.  Ironically, former Aquinas head coach Abraham Shearer had contacted Fales about one of his high school players.  Fales says, “The timing was right.  I was missing the game and Aquinas College had a coaching vacancy in their women’s program.  I had always been so impressed with Aquinas College and after meeting with Athletic Director Terry Bocian, the rest was history.  I met with the captains and we hit it off.  Aquinas College is a gem in terms of so many facets; the education, the people, the facilities and the support.  Grand Rapids is such a vibrant city and Lake Michigan is just a hop away.”