Franklin Pierce University Men's Soccer

Diego Thielen was named head coach of the Franklin Pierce men's soccer program in January 2026. He previously was on staff as an assistant coach since 2023.  Thielen joined Franklin Pierce following two seasons as a volunteer assistant at Lenoir-Rhyne University, where he helped coach the Bears to back-to-back National Tournament appearances (2021,22), as well as a South Atlantic Conference (SAC) Championship in 2022. In addition to his assistant duties at Lenoir-Rhyne, Thielen also spent the spring and summer of 2022 as an assistant coach for the USL-Two's Otters FC, gaining experience at the highest level of semi-professional soccer in the United States. Prior to LRU, Diego Thielen served as a graduate assistant at Ohio Valley University, where he helped guide the Fighting Scots to an 18th overall ranking in the country, as well as Division II's "Sweet Sixteen" in the NCAA National Tournament. In the spring of 2021, the program claimed both regular season and conference tournament championships, achieving the school's highest national ranking in program history (3rd), eventually claiming Midwest Region Staff of the Year by United Soccer Coaches.   Thielen spent four seasons as a player with the Ohio Valley men's soccer program, graduating in 2019 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sport Management and Business Administration. During his time on the field, Thielen was named to both the GMAC All-Freshman team and All-ECAC Second Team. Thielen saw great success as a member of the 2017 Great Midwest Athletic Conference Championship team, and the 2018 Midwest Region Championship team for the Fighting Scots.   Thielen is a native from Barquisimeto, Venezuela, and has also graduated from Colegio Andres Eloy Blanco and spent five seasons playing for Club Deportivo Lara.

JP Navarro enters his first season as an assistant coach with the Franklin Pierce University mens soccer program. Navarro joins the Ravens following three seasons with Savannah College of Art and Design Mens Soccer Program as the teams lead assistant coach. Navarro helped SCAD reach the conference tournament in each of his three seasons with the bees. While with SCAD JP was the primary assistant coach and participated in all aspects of the program. His responsibilities included planning and running training sessions, recruiting, budgeting, organizing team travel, and goalkeeper development where he helped the starting goalkeeper earn NAIA defensive player of the week for his 13 save shutout performance against the 8th ranked team in the nation.     Prior to coaching at SCAD, Navarro spent five years coaching soccer at East Lansing High School while earning his degree at Michigan State University. During his time with the program, they went 63-18-5 and went to four straight regional finals and one final. Navarro has also led developmental soccer programs for children ranging from Kindergarten to Middle School.   JP is working towards an MBA with a focus in sports management while part of the coaching staff. JP Navarro holds a USSF D license and NSCAA level 1 & 2 goalkeeping diploma.

Scotty Murray brings championship experience, international perspective, and relentless energy to NCAA powerhouse Franklin Pierce University. He currently also serves as Head Coach of West Texas FC in USL League Two, where he has helped transform a young club into a national contender. In just three seasons, West Texas FC has captured back-to-back Lone Star Conference Regular Season Championships (2024 as an assistant coach, 2025 as a head coach). As a Graduate Assistant at Faulkner University, he played a key role in the team’s turnaround from 5-9-2 in 2022 to 11-4-2 in 2023, contributing in goalkeeping development, in field coaching, opposition analysis, and international recruiting. As a player, Murray earned All-Conference honors at Huntington University before transferring to Bluefield University, where he helped secure the program’s first National Tournament appearance. He later competed professionally in Australia’s NPL Queensland with Sunshine Coast Fire FC and Launceston City FC, expanding his international network and tactical lens. He holds a USSF D License, is pursuing his USSF C and UEFA C Licenses, and has a National Goalkeeping Diploma. Murray earned a B.S. in Psychology from Bluefield University and a Master’s in Business & Data Analytics from Faulkner University. Murray is a native of The Sunshine Coast, Australia.