Bridgewater College Men's Soccer

Bennison begins his sixth season as head coach of the Bridgewater College men's soccer program. In his first year as Eagles head coach, Bennison led the 2011 team to a 7-11-1 overall record and a 4-5-1 mark in the ODAC. The seven wins represented a five-game improvement over the previous season. The team qualified for the conference tournament for the first time since the 2006 campaign. The Eagles also received the prestigious Ethics Sportsmanship Bronze Award from the NCSAA. In 2012, the team took another step up the ODAC ladder, finishing with a 10-8 overall record and a 6-5 mark in the ODAC. The 10-win season was the first for the program since 2005 when the Eagles finished with a 10-10-1 record. The 2012 season also marked the first winning season for the program since the 2004 campaign when the team finished with an 8-6-4 record. Bridgewater posted another winning conference record in 2013, finishing with a 5-4-2 mark against conference foes. The 2013 squad set new program records on defense with fewest goals allowed during a season and best goals against average. The Eagles finished with an 8-8-3 overall record. Bennison took over the Eagles program after serving three years as the top assistant coach at Anderson University, a member of the Division III Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference. While at Anderson, he helped lead the team into the upper half of the conference standings. The Ravens finished the 2009 season with a third-place finish in the conference standings. A year later, the team turned in one of the best seasons in Anderson history with a second-place finish in both the regular season and conference tournament. Bennison recruited the conference freshman of the year in 2009 and 2010. Bennison adds head coaching experience at both the club and high school levels. He coached three years at Ruston (La.) High School winning a district title in 2008 and finishing with a three-year record of 30-9-2. He was named the District 2-5A Louisiana Coach of the Year in 2008. He also served as head coach of the Hoosier FC Club U-16 Boys Premier Team for two seasons. He is a member of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and has earned the national diploma, goalkeeping certificate and professional development certificate. Bennison also served three years as director of student ministries at Crossroads Church. While there he started a youth program at the church and CrossOver, an inner city outreach program. As a player, Bennison played four years of collegiate soccer at Anderson University where he was a starter each season. He was named the Heartland Conference Player of the Year in 2000 and was a two-time all-conference first-team selection. He was team captain twice, helping lead the Ravens to their two best seasons in school history. Bennison graduated from Anderson with a bachelor of science in family science. He graduated summa cum laude from John Brown University with a master's degree in ministry with an emphasis in leadership and higher education. Coach Bennison resides in Bridgewater with his wife Rachel and their two sons Andrew and Alex.