Knox College Men's Soccer

Knox College Athletics is pleased to announce the hiring of Pablo Arriaga as the next head coach of the Prairie Fire men's soccer program. Arriaga joins Knox after serving as an assistant men's soccer coach at Wheaton College. He replaces Tyler Sheikh, who had to step away for an opportunity to return to his home state of Connecticut. "While the timing of our coaching transition was unexpected, it also created an opportunity to identify the right leader for the future of Knox men's soccer," said Vice President and Director of Athletics Justin Newell. "Pablo emerged as the clear choice throughout our search. He has built a reputation as an outstanding recruiter, a strong developer of student-athletes, and a coach who understands what it takes to be successful in the Midwest. His passion for building relationships, commitment to the student-athlete experience, and vision for the future of our program made a tremendous impression on our search committee. We are thrilled to welcome Pablo to Knox College and excited about the future of Knox men's soccer under his leadership." Widely regarded as a rising coach in the region, Arriaga has been part of successful programs at Wheaton, Elmhurst, and Greenville, earning recognition for his ability to recruit top talent, foster player development, and build strong team cultures. As a student-athlete, Arriaga played four years of collegiate soccer at Vanguard University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in kinesiology. "Knox is a place with a proud soccer tradition, strong institutional values, and a clear commitment to providing an outstanding student-athlete experience," Arriaga said. "The foundation that has been established here is exciting, and I am eager to build on that momentum. I look forward to connecting with our players, alumni, and recruits as we work together to compete in the Midwest Conference." Arriaga will begin his duties immediately as he prepares the Prairie Fire for the upcoming season.

Kevwe Akpore, following three stints as a head coach at Knox College (women 2001-02, men 2010-11, men 2022-24) announced his retirement at the end of the 2024-25 academic calendar. But he was coaxed to return as an assistant coach for Tyler Sheikh for the 2025 season. In each of his three final seasons as head coach at Knox, Akpore guided the men’s team to a .500 or better record in Midwest Conference play, and twice landed a berth in the conference tournament (2022, ’24). Six of his players earned All-Midwest Conference honors in his last three-year stint, including three on the first team. Akpore has been a leader in the Galesburg soccer community for more than three decades. He rejoined the Prairie Fire coaching staff months after a very successful and historic year as head men’s soccer coach at Carl Sandburg College, where he left with a school-record 34 victories in four  years of leading the program. In the 2021 season, Sandburg won a school-record 16 games — 16-5 overall — and ended the season ranked No. 12 in the country, appearing in the national rankings each week. The Chargers also ranked as high as seventh nationally, won the first-ever Arrowhead Conference Men's Soccer Championship and the first NJCAA Region title in the program's history, and assured the program’s first appearance at the NJCAA Division II Men’s Soccer Championship. Unsurprisingly, Akpore was named NJCAA Region IV Coach of the Year for the 2021-2022 season. While at Sandburg, Coach Akpore was an adjunct professor of law enforcement. He is a retired U.S. Army veteran with multiple tours of duty in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and more, and is a retired executive with the State of Illinois corrections system.   Coach Akpore holds a B.A. with two minors, in military science, and industrial technology. He also holds a postgraduate diploma in police executive administration, a masters degree in manufacturing engineering, and a masters degree in public safety.