老司机福利网

Andres Ochoa, the 老司机福利网鈥檚 all-time men鈥檚 soccer assist leader who has helped guide UCLA to five NCAA tournaments and this season鈥檚 Big Ten championship as an assistant coach, is returning to his alma mater as the Tigers鈥� new head coach.

A four-year starter for the Tigers from 2014鈥�17 and a team captain, he graduated in 2018 with a degree in sociology. He spent the past six seasons as an assistant coach at the storied UCLA soccer program under former Pacific head coach Ryan Jorden.

鈥淩eturning to Pacific is both an honor and a blessing,鈥� Ochoa said. 鈥淚t reflects the resilience and sacrifice of my immigrant family, whose support made all of this possible. Pacific gave me so much in my four years here. I grew as a man and as a winner. But I鈥檓 coming back hungry because I now understand the difference between simply winning and truly being a champion.鈥�

Before his collegiate coaching career, Ochoa played professionally in Italy and Mexico. He earned his master鈥檚 degree in sport management and coaching from the Soccer Management Institute in Rome in 2020. While in Italy, he competed for ASD Aranova in the Eccellenza league. His club career also included stops with FC Wichita in the National Premiere Soccer League, the Portland Timbers U-23s in the Premiere Development League and Atl茅tico Capitalino FC, part of a semi-professional football league in Mexico.

Ochoa previously served as an assistant coach at Pacific in 2019 and as a volunteer assistant in 2018.

As a Tiger, Ochoa helped lead Pacific to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. He played key roles in back-to-back NCAA Second Round runs in 2016 and 2017 as a student-athlete, and contributed as a staff member to a third NCAA Second Round appearance in 2018.

鈥淢y teammates and I look back on our four years at Pacific with pride for what we accomplished, but we always wanted silverware to prove it,鈥� Ochoa said. 鈥淢y experience competing in a Power Four environment at UCLA has fueled that drive. I know what it takes to perform at the highest level and to win. My hope is that through hard work and a strong culture, Pacific men鈥檚 soccer will compete for championships at every level.鈥�

Ochoa finished his collegiate career with 72 appearances and 18 points (3 goals, 12 assists). Two of his three career goals were game winners, including a golden goal in double overtime against Loyola Marymount University in 2017.

鈥淐oach Ochoa embodies everything we value at Pacific鈥攄rive, integrity and an unwavering commitment to developing student-athletes,鈥� said Director of Athletics Adam Tschuor. 鈥淗is experience competing and coaching at the highest collegiate levels, combined with his deep roots in our program, make him the ideal leader to guide the next era of Pacific men鈥檚 soccer.鈥�

In addition to holding Pacific鈥檚 all-time assists record, Ochoa ranks second in career minutes played (5,411), third in games played (72) and third in starts (68). He played under former Pacific head coach Ryan Jorden, the current head coach at UCLA.

鈥淚 am thrilled for Coach Ochoa to have this opportunity to return to Pacific in charge of the men鈥檚 soccer program,鈥� Jorden said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a wonderful opportunity for him to lead his alma mater, a place where he was the first 鈥榗aptain鈥� after the program was restarted in 2014. There could not be a more passionate and invested coach in pursuing program success.

鈥淗e brings the same qualities that he displayed as a student-athlete when he drove the team culture to NCAA Tournament appearances, and for him to return to campus in this leadership role is very special.鈥�