COACHING STAFF

Jeff Rowland
Assistant Coach

Jeff Rowland has been an assistant coach at Washington for four seasons. He joined Jamie Clark's staff on March 1, 2011. He was previously an assistant coach at Creighton University in 2010.

This past season, Rowland helped the Dawgs to a 12-5-3 record and a No. 14 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies would go on to advance to the Sweet 16, after eliminating Furman in nine rounds of penalty kicks. The season also featured a 9-1-0 start where Washington was rewarded with the No. 1 ranking in the NSCAA Poll for the first time since 1997. Rowland helped coach a pair of All-Pac-12 players in 2014 in Darwin Jones and Cristian Roldan and a pair of NSCAA Third Team All-Americans in Roldan and Andy Thoma.

The 2013 season was perhaps the best in Washington history and Rowland helped lead a team that finished 16-2-4, won the Pac-12 title and earned the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies would then advance to the first Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament in program history. Washington defeated Seattle U. and Stanford, before falling to New Mexico one step short of the College Cup. That team included NSCAA First Team All-American Taylor Peay as well as Jones and Roldan who earned All-Pac-12 honors, while Roldan was also named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.

In 2012, Rowland helped Washington return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007. The Dawgs finished the season 13-5-3 and 7-1-2 in the Pac-12, just two points behind UCLA for the conference title. Washington advanced to the NCAA Tournament and defeated Air Force in the first round. The Dawgs were eventually eliminated at Creighton in round two.

In his first season in 2011, he helped the Huskies to a second-place finish in the Pac-12 at 12-4-2 as UW nearly missed out on the NCAA Tournament.

With the Blue Jays, Rowland helped lead the team to a 13-5-2 record and a Missouri Valley Conference title. Creighton finished the season ranked in the top 20 and reached the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. Jamie Clark, Rowland and the rest of the Creighton staff were named the 2010 Missouri Valley Coaching Staff of the year.

Before Creighton he served as a volunteer assistant coach at Harvard under Clark. Rowland's connection with Clark began as a player at New Mexico, as his playing career coincided with Clark's four-year coaching stint in Albuquerque. Rowland played a major role in helping keep Harvard's attack ranked among the best in the NCAA that season. Harvard ranked 34th in the nation with 1.68 goals per game, led by All-American Andre Akpan. Akpan, who finished his career as Harvard's all-time leading scorer, ranked 13th in the NCAA in goals per game and 15th in points per game for the Crimson. Harvard went 14-4-1 overall and captured the Ivy League title in 2009, before advancing to the third round of the NCAA Tournament in his only season on the sidelines in Boston.

Rowland is one of the most decorated men's soccer student-athletes in New Mexico history. As a senior in 2005, Rowland, who began his career as a walk-on, finished as the runner-up for the MAC Hermann Trophy. A forward, he was a two-time NSCAA First-Team All-American and two-time CoSIDA Academic First-Team All-American for the Lobos. His goal in the 94th minute of the NCAA Quarterfinals sent the Lobos to the College Cup in his senior season, where they would finish as the national runners-up.

During his junior season he was tabbed the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Co-Player of the Year after setting a school record with 45 points, including a school-record tying 19 goals. He owns the school record with 101 shots in a season, ranks second in school history in career shots (239), career goals (45) and third in career points (104). The Lobos posted a record of 61-16-8 (.765), won three conference titles and appeared in three NCAA Tournaments during his career.

Following his collegiate career he was drafted by Real Salt Lake as the second pick of the 2006 MLS Supplemental Draft, playing two seasons for the club. He also played professionally for FC Dallas (MLS) and the Wilmington Hammerheads (USL) before knee injuries cut short his playing career. An Albuquerque native, Rowland graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in marketing from New Mexico in 2006.

Richard Reece
Assistant Coach / Goalkeeper Coach

Richard Reece just completed his fourth season of his second stint at Washington as an assistant coach working mostly with the goalkeepers. He also spent six seasons as the Huskies' assistant/goalkeeping coach, beginning in 2004 and ending in 2009 when he left the Huskies to become a full time club director and coach for the Washington Crossfire club.

This past season, Reece coached perhaps the most talented group of goalkeepers in the country in Spencer Richey, Ryan Herman and Auden Schilder. Richey, a former Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, returned for his fifth season after missing most of 2013 with a broken leg. He split time with Herman early in the season, before regaining the starting job. Richey finished with 69 saves, four shutouts and a 1.23 goals against average in helping the Dawgs to a No. 14 seed in the NCAA Tournament and trip to the Sweet 16. Washington also earned a No. 1 national ranking midway through the season.

In 2013, Washington enjoyed its most successful season in program history, despite an early season injury in goal. Starter Spencer Richey broke his leg in the fourth game of the year and the Huskies turned to backup Ryan Herman. Reece helped the new starter turn in a fantastic season, posting a 0.83 goals against average, while making 49 saves and securing eight shutouts. The stout defense helped the Dawgs to the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and the program's first-ever trip to the Elite Eight. Washington finished 16-2-4 on the season, including winnin the Pac-12 title.

In his second season back, Reece followed that up by leading Richey to another stellar season where he was named first team All-Pac-12 and Pac-12 Defensive player of the year. Richey ranked 36th in the NCAA in GAA (0.854), 61st in save percentage (0.782) and 82nd in total saves (68). Behind the Washington’s rock in net, the Dawgs advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007, finishing second in the Pac-12 with record of 13-5-3 and advancing to the second round.

In 2011, Reece returned to the Huskies sidelines an assistant coach under new head coach Jamie Clark. During his first season back on the sidelines, Reece helped goalkeeper Spencer Richey to nine shutouts on the year and one of the best seasons by a UW keeper in school history and a season record  of 12-4-2 and second place in the Pac-12.

Reece, a native of Cullercoats, England, mentored UW goalkeepers Chris Eylander and Rylan Hawkins, both of whom etched their names in the Husky record books under his tutelage and earned All-Pac-12 honors.

Eylander went on to have an outstanding career with the MLS' Seattle Sounders, while Hawkins came back from a serious facial injury to post a career year his senior season and establish himself as one of the top keepers in the Pac-12 and was drafted by New England Revolution.

During his time at UW, Reece has coached two players to the Pac-12 player and Pac-12 Freshman of the year awards along with having two Huskies nominated for the Herman Trophy.  He has been involved in bringing in nationally ranked recruiting classes and has graduated numerous players to the MLS such as FC Dallas's George John and All Americans Ty Harden and Mike Chabala, San Jose and Houston respectively.

Reece holds the prestigious UEFA "A" along with the USSF "A" coaching license, a USSF National Goalkeeping License, a USSF Youth license, a NSCAA Premier Diploma, a NSCAA Advanced National Goalkeeping Diploma and NSCAA Director of Coaching Diploma.

In addition to his duties at UW, Reece is the Assistant Boys Director for the Region IV Olympic Development Program. He has worked with US youth national teams on both the men’s and women's programs as a GK coach.

As a Director at Crossfire Premier he coaches the ECNL teams and assists with the US Academy Development teams along with directing the clubs goalkeeper program. Reece has lead his nationally ranked teams to  state and league championships along with progressing to regional and national finals. Whilst coaching these teams Reece has produced many collegiate and youth national team players.

Reece is a NSCAA national staff instructor and also served as the NSCAA Technical Director for Washington. He has presented many times at the NSCAA Convention over the last decade.

Reece came to Seattle from Houston, Texas, where he had been the Director of Goalkeeping for the Eclipse Soccer Club since 2001. While coaching in Houston, Reece mentored goalkeepers onto youth national and All-American teams. A goalkeeper himself, Reece spent six years playing professional and semipro soccer. Reece and his wife Brooke reside in Mill Creek with their daughters Jazzy Rose and Charlie Jane.

Chris Gores
Assistant Coach

Chris Gores completed his first year as an assistant coach at Washington on the staff of his former college teammate, Jamie Clark.

Gores helped the Huskies to another tremendous season, finishing with a record of 12-5-3 and a trip to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. The Dawgs started the year 9-1-0 and earned their first No. 1 national ranking since 1997, before eventually being named the No. 14 seed in the NSCAA Tournament. Gores coached several players who earned honors in 2014, including Cristian Roldan and Andy Thoma who were named Third Team All-American by the NSCAA. Roldan and Darwin Jones were also each named to the First Team All-Pac-12 Team.

Gores comes to Washington from Florida Gulf Coast where he spent one season. For the Eagles, Gores helped FGCU become the first program in Atlantic Sun Conference history to win four straight regular-season championships courtesy of a 6-1-1 league record. After starting the season 0-5-1, including a loss to Washington, Eagles went 8-1-1 over their final 10 regular-season games. During that span FGCU out-scored its opponents 14-6, including 12-4 in A-Sun action.

Before joining the Eagles, Gores spent three seasons as an assistant coach for the Harvard men’s soccer team, where he focused heavily on recruiting, and helped coach the team to numerous upsets against nationally ranked opponents.

Prior to beginning his coaching career, Gores spent eight years playing professionally for five different teams in the United Soccer League. Additionally, Gores served as captain of the Puerto Rico Men’s National Team, competing in both the 2010 World Cup qualifiers and the 2005 Digicel Cup.

Gores played collegiately at Stanford alongside Clark, where they led the nation in scoring defense and helped the Cardinal finish second in the NCAA Tournament during the 1998 season. He graduated in 2000 with a degree in international relations.

In 2011 Gores received the FIFA recognized United States Soccer Federation National ‘A’ License.