American University Men's Soccer

Zach Samol finished his seventh season as head men’s soccer coach at American University in 2025, guiding the Eagles to the program’s best campaign in nearly a decade. AU has consistently stood on the top side of the Patriot League table with Samol at the helm, making the conference tournament in six of his seven seasons, appearing in the championship game three times, and winning it in 2021. He holds a 28-18-13 Patriot League record, and 29 players have earned All-Patriot League honors under his leadership, with 83 making the Academic Honor Roll. The Eagles went 8-8-2 overall in 2025, as Samol challenged his squad with a demanding non-conference schedule that saw them face No. 1 Vermont, No. 3 West Virginia, and No. 11 Virginia. The team entered Patriot League play prepared, going 7-1-1 and capturing the regular season title for the first time since 2016. At season's end, Samol and his assistants were named the Patriot League Coaching Staff of the Year. Additionally, seven players received All-Patriot League honors, including the Midfielder of the Year Troy Elgersma and Goalkeeper of the Year Matthew Tibbetts. Mustpaha Sowe and Jonah Fogel took home First Team honors, while Ian Webb-Johnson and Taku Takahashi made the Second Team, and Sebastian Garces landed on the third team. Samol guided the career of one of the most accomplished players in the history of the program in Elgersma, who was voted the Offensive Player of the Year in 2024. It was the first time AU had a player win the award since 2016. Elgersma ended his career as a two-time All-League First Team selection with 14 goals and 15 assists to his name, playing nearly 5,000 minutes. He also made the Patriot League All-Academic Team twice, and won the Scholar Athlete of the Year award in 2025.  In 2024, AU went 5-5-9 overall and Samol pushed his team to impressive results in their non-conference schedule. They drew both No. 23 VCU and Vermont 1-1 on the road, taking a 1-0 lead to the 88th minute against the eventual national champions on their home field. The Eagles secured the three-seed in the Patriot League Tournament after a strong 4-2-3 showing in league play. They took down Loyola Maryland in the quarterfinal match in PKs at home, then fell at Bucknell in the semifinal also in a shootout. Seniors Cooper Nunn and Sam Hershey joined Elgersma on the All-Patriot League First Team, while Ethan Boyle made the Second Team.  Samol led American to a fourth consecutive winning record in 2023, including a win over NC State that marked the first time the Eagles defeated an ACC opponent since 2015. He coached seven players to All-League selections, including three First Team honorees: Hershey, Zemi Rodriguez and Mike Bleeker, with Rodriguez and Bleeker earning All-Region distinctions. That season, two players earned Academic All-District honors, while 11 players were named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll. Samol led the Eagles to three straight appearances in the Patriot League championship game, beginning in the spring of 2021 when AU won the conference title for the first time since 2004. The Eagles went 2-1-2 in conference play that season (played March-April due to COVID-19) after being projected to finish ninth in the preseason poll, then won back-to-back road games in the tournament over Loyola and #24 Lafayette to win it. Samol coached his first two All-League selections that year, David Coly and Nicolas Blassou. Coly was also named Patriot League Tournament MVP and Second Team All-Atlantic Region by United Soccer Coaches. American went on to defeat Jacksonville in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, eventually falling to the first-seeded Clemson 2-1 in the second round.  After winning the Patriot League championship, AU received votes in the United Soccer Coaches Poll for the first time since 2016. In the final spring 2021 United Soccer Coaches Poll, AU was ranked No. 28 nationally. The Eagles also entered the NCAA Tournament ranked first in the NCAA’s RPI metric.  In the following fall 2021 season, Samol led the Eagles to a 6-2-1 showing in the Patriot League to earn a bye in the conference tournament before falling in the title game to Loyola. He coached four All-Patriot League selections that year, making Coly and Blassou two-time honorees. The pair were also named All-Atlantic Region by United Soccer Coaches, while Jack Green earned a spot on the Academic All-Patriot League squad. The 2022 campaign saw AU make a run to the conference title game again, this time making an especially impressive run as the sixth seed. The Eagles defeated the third seeded Raiders of Colgate in the first round, then upset the No. 1 seed Army on the road in the semifinal, 3-1.  In his first season at the helm in 2019, Samol oversaw a rebuilding team that picked up three Patriot League wins and was competitive in every other league contest. He coached one Academic All-Patriot League player (Tim Neumann) and a league-best 20 members of the PL Academic Honor Roll.   Samol is the 16th head coach in over 70 years of the program's existence and came to AU after 13 seasons at Georgetown University, including seven as associate head coach.   During his time with the Hoyas, Samol helped guide Georgetown into a top team in the NCAA with seven appearances in the NCAA Tournament, including the NCAA Championship game in 2012 and the 2014 NCAA Quarterfinals. The Hoyas also won three Big East Championships while Samol was on the sideline.   At Georgetown, Samol coached 19 players who signed with a Major League Soccer squad, one Hermann Trophy finalist, three Hermann Trophy semifinalists, 10 All-Americans, 33 regional All-Americans, 11 Big East Players of the Year, and 49 All-Big East honorees as well as the College Cup Most Outstanding Offensive Player.   On the academic side, he coached two Academic All-Americans, one Academic All-Region honoree, two Big East Scholar-Athletes and one NCAA Elite89 Award winner.   In 2012, Samol was named the United Soccer Coaches Northeast Region Assistant Coach of the Year.   Prior to Georgetown, Samol spent four years at Yale under head coach Brian Tompkins. In 2005, the Bulldogs won their first Ivy League Championship in over 14 years and reached the NCAA Tournament after a six-year hiatus.   In 2000, Samol began his coaching career at Boston College and spent two seasons with the Eagles, reaching the NCAA Tournament twice and capturing the Big East title in 2000.   An All-Ivy League selection in 1997, Samol graduated from Dartmouth in the Class of 1998 with a degree in psychology.   Following his graduation, Samol played professionally from 1998-2003 with the Connecticut Wolves (A-League), the Cape Cod Crusaders (D-3 Pro League), the Boston Bulldogs (A-League) and the Western Mass Pioneers (D-3 Pro League).   Locally in the DMV, Samol spent two seasons as a head coach with the Potomac U.S. Soccer Developmental Academy and served as the academy director at the McLean U.S. Soccer Developmental Academy Program for two years.   Samol resides in Arlington, Va., with his wife Amber and their daughters Juliette and Colette.

After spending three seasons as a volunteer assistant, Patrick Mehlert was promoted to a full-time assistant coach in January 2022. He enters his seventh season at AU in the fall of 2025.   Primarily responsible for AU’s offense, Mehlert is in charge of the team’s player development video analysis and works closely with attacking players. In 2024, he directed an offense that finished tied for the most goals in the Patriot League with 25. He played a major role in Troy Elgersma’s historic season, which saw the junior midfielder win the first Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year award in the program’s history since 2016. Mehlert also guided Sam Hershey to a stellar senior season, complimenting Elgersma’s seven assists with a team-leading six goals. In the three seasons that Mehlert has been a full-time assistant coach, AU has finished in the top three in goals scored in the conference, and has put four attacking players on the All-Patriot League First Team.  In the 2023 season, Mehlert helped American achieve a fourth-consecutive winning record. He guided the offense to a 30-goal season, and Zemi Rodriguez earned an All-Region selection under his leadership.  Mehlert played an integral role in taking American to the Patriot League championship game in 2020, 2021, and 2022. The Eagles had 11 players receive All-Patriot League selections over that span, and Mehlert saw senior striker David Coly All-Atlantic Region by United Soccer Coaches.   A 2014 AU alum, Mehlert played in 72 career games with four goals and seven assists for the Eagles. Academically, he was a three-time PL Honor Roll member and received a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from American.   Mehlert is an active member of the DMV soccer scene as he coaches the U15 MLS Next team at Bethesda Soccer Club while assisting the 17s and 19s MLS Next group. Additionally, Mehlert holds his USSF "B" License.   The Bethesda, Md., product is the son of legendary AU men's soccer head coach Pete Mehlert who was at the helm from 1972-91 and was the backbone of the 1985 National Championship runner-up team.

Zach Weidman enters his fourth season as an assistant at American in the fall of 2025. Weidman has been a part of three straight postseason appearances for AU, including a trip to the Patriot League championship game in his first season with the program in 2022. Primarily responsible for AU’s defense, Weidman prepares the team’s oppositional analysis and works closely with their goalkeeping unit. He’s been integral to strengthening the last line of defense over the last three years, as he’s overseen the development of keeper Matthew Tibbets. The rising senior finished third in the Patriot League in saves with a career-high 70, and earned Goalkeeper of the Week honors twice. He made a career-high 10 stops against UNC Wilmington, and nine against the eventual national champion Vermont.  American achieved a fourth-consecutive winning record in 2023. Weidman directed a defense that conceded just 23 goals that season, which was top five in the Patriot League. The Eagles had seven players named to Patriot League All-League teams, including three First Team honorees: Sam Hershey, Zemi Rodriguez and Mike Bleeker, with Rodriguez and Bleeker earning All-Region distinctions.  In 2022, Weidman helped American to a winning record and the Patriot League championship game for the third consecutive season. The Eagles had five players receive All-Patriot League selections. Weidman joined American after previously spending two seasons as a graduate assistant at the University of the Cumberlands. During the spring 2021 season, Weidman led the Patriots to their first Mid-South conference title and an appearance in the NAIA National Tournament Quarterfinals. UC finished the spring with a No. 6 ranking in the final national poll, the highest ranking in program history.   Working closely with the UC goalkeepers, he directed the unit to one of their most successful seasons between the posts. In the spring 2021 campaign, the keepers recorded nine shutouts (seventh-most in NAIA) and 14 wins, which was the most since 2010 for the program. During his time at UC, he coached an NAIA All-American and 15 All-Conference performers.   He was also responsible for scouting, practice session planning, travel operations, and social media while at UC. Additionally, Weidman oversaw the entire reserve team program.   A native of Concord, Mich., Weidman played at Spring Arbor University. He played four seasons with the Cougars and boasted an .833 record as a goalkeeper. While at Spring Arbor, Weidman served as the men’s soccer representative on the Student-Athlete Advisory Council and was the team’s NAIA Champion of Character.   Weidman currently holds his USSF D License and holds a CoachTech Analytical Analysis Diploma.

Jerry Zouantcha joined the American University men's soccer staff in July of 2025. A former player for the Eagles and D.C. native, Zouantcha is returned to his alma mater after founding his own DMV-based soccer academy in 2023. Shortly after graduating from AU, Zouantcha founded Ballerz Football Academy, a soccer and performance training academy in the DMV geared toward all levels. The academy offers high-level training alongside elite-level clinics and camps that help players prepare for higher levels of competition. While studying health promotion at American, he also helped to found VOICI, a streetwear brand that aimed to educate people about the cultural history of the DMV.   Zouantcha played for the Eagles from 2017 to 2022, earning Second Team All-Patriot League honors in 2018. He scored eight goals for American, including scoring the game-tying and game-winning goals against Navy to help the Eagles secure a top-three seed in the 2021 Patriot League Tournament. His younger brother, Dilane, also played for American, graduating from Kogod in May 2025.