Michigan State men's soccer adds new assistant coach Joe Ahearn to the team after previously coaching at Northwestern University for six seasons. Photo courtesy of MSU Athletics
—Michigan State is officially hiring Joe Ahearn as the assistant men's soccer coach. Ahearn will replace Cale Wassermann, who is now the head coach at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
Before graduating in 2000, Ahearn appeared in 67 games over his four-year career at DePaul University. He started every game his last three seasons. He was selected to the Conference USA all-league team as a third team selection following the 1999 season and was chosen as his team's most valuable player.
"We are really excited to bring Joe, Katie and their kids into the MSU soccer family," MSU coach Damon Rensing said. "When looking for a top assistant, Joe really checked all the boxes. He is very experienced having been an assistant at several strong programs and also serving as a successful Division II head coach. Joe brings a strong soccer background, a great work ethic and a positive energy that our student-athletes will feed off of in their quest both academically and athletically."
After graduating, Ahearn began his coaching career at DePaul. He spent three seasons with the Blue Demons. Aside from his coaching duties, he served as the primary recruiting coordinator and liaison between the student-athletes and athletic academic counseling. The Blue Demons received the Conference USA Academic Excellence Award in 2003.
Ahearn then worked as the head men's soccer coach at NCAA Division ll Missouri University of Science and Technology for six years and served five years on the coaching staffs at Colgate University and DePaul.
While at Missouri S&T, Ahearn led the Miners to the NCAA Division ll Tournament. The Miners were 2010 Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) regular season co-champions and he was honored as a finalist for the Division ll National Coach of the Year award, while also earning the distinction of GLVC Coach of the Year.
Most recently, Ahearn was promoted to associate head coach for Northwestern in 2016 and in his six seasons played a key role in recruiting and player development. Ahearn was a key recruiter for Northwestern's No. 25-ranked recruiting class in 2018 by Top Drawer Soccer. He also Coached multiple Wildcats to Big Ten Conference postseason honors, including five players to All-Big Ten selections and seven players to All-Freshman Team selections.
"I will always be grateful to the Northwestern community specifically Dr. Phillips and Coach Lenahan for my personal growth, professional growth and all the great memories,” Ahearn said. “Coach Rensing has been a mentor of mine for a long time. I have always been impressed with his teams on and off the field, his passion for the game and his commitment to his student athletes."
Michigan State ended a historic season 14-5-4 record, tying the record for single-season wins and reaching the NCAA College Cup for the first time in 50 years.
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