FARMINGTON, Utah – Eastern Washington University head women's soccer coach Chad Bodnar has been named the Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year, as announced today (Nov. 1).
 
The sixth-year head coach earns the high-honor for the first time in his storied career at the helm and is just the second Coach of the Year in program history, the first since 2004.

"I'm extremely appreciative for this honor and it's a testament to my staff and the players and all of the players who have built this program into what it is today," said Bodnar. "Pete Showler, Mackenzie German and Lauren Sitton are amazing people to work with and the players have worked hard and had a great season. I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do in the tournament and I'm grateful to coach at Eastern Washington."
 
At the end of the 2019 regular season, the Eagles sat sixth in the Big Sky Conference with an under-whelming record of 3-5-1 after playing six of its nine non-conference matches away from Cheney. But Bodnar got his team clicking on both the offensive and defensive side at the right time, when it mattered the most.
 
During conference play, the Eagles turned in four-straight clean sheets which is a program record for consecutive shutouts. Eastern's high-powered offense scored the most goals out of any BSC foe during conference action with 17 total goals and also allowed the least with five.
 
Eastern strung together an unbeaten streak of seven-straight matches during the conference slate with six-straight wins. The unbeaten streak is the second-longest during Big Sky play in program history, second to Bodnar's 2017 squad's streak of nine. Additionally, the six-straight wins is also second to the 2017 team who had eight.
 
The regular season ended with Eastern playing for a chance to win the 2019 Regular Season Championship, which concluded with a 1-0 heartbreaking loss to Montana on Oct. 30. Still, the Eagles finished 9-7-2 overall and 6-2-1 in Big Sky play. The Eagles also qualified for their sixth-straight conference tournament, all under Bodnar, and locked in the No. 3 seed.
 
Bodnar's 2019 squad scored 28 goals and only allowed 21. They launched 248 shots, 112 of which were on goal, to average 13.8 shots per game. They totaled 16 assists, and also took 111 corner kicks while collecting five shutouts. Each statistical category ranks within the top-ten for most in a season with at least one match remaining. Additionally, the 21 goals allowed is the second-fewest in Eagle soccer history.
 
The 2019 edition of EWU soccer saw six Eagles earn eight All-Big Sky postseason awards. Bodnar landed three Eagles on the first team, including Taylor Matheny and Madison Kem who earned just the second Defensive Player and Newcomer of the Year awards in program history, respectively. Sariah Keister also landed on the first team, while Mya Elder-Hammond and McKaley Goffard earned second team honors. Brooke Dunbar rounded out the awards with an honorable mention nod.
 
Bodnar was hired as the third head soccer coach in Eastern Washington history on Dec. 23, 2013. Since then, he has strung together an overall record of 66-39-13 (.614) and a 35-17-7 Big Sky record (.652), which is the best winning-percentage out of all current head Big Sky coaches.
 
In 2014, Bodnar coached the Eagles to an 8-9-0 overall record and the team qualified for its first Big Sky Tournament since 2009. In 2015, the Eagles improved to 12-4-3 only to go 13-5-4 in 2016 and win the program's first-ever tournament championship.
 
The 2017 team collected the best program record of 16-6-1 and won both the regular season and tournament championships. The 2018 squad went 8-8-3, marking the fifth-straight winning season.
 
During his tenure, Bodnar has coached the first-ever three-time Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Year, Chloe Williams. He has placed 13 players on the first team, eight on the second, seven on honorable mention and one Defensive Player and Newcomer of the Year.
 
This is Eastern Washington's second Big Sky Conference Soccer Coach of the Year award and the first since George Hageage claimed it in 2004. Should the Eagles win-out at the conference tournament and advance to the NCAA College Cup, Bodnar will tie Hageage for all-time wins with 69.
 
Bodnar and the Eagles will be back in action next in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament. No. 3 Eastern Washington takes on No. 6 Portland State on Wednesday, Nov. 6, at 11 a.m. Pacific time in Greeley, Colo.