Lenoir-Rhyne University Men's Soccer

Jorge Morales was named Lenoir-Rhyne's Interim Head Coach on February 27, 2026, after spending three seasons as an assistant with the program.  During his three years as an assistant, Morales helped lead the team to an NCAA Tournament birth and two SAC Championship game appearances. He helped coach one SAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, one Academic All-American, four All-Region honorees, and 13 All-SAC selections. He holds tactical analyst and sport psychology certificates from FC Barcelona and brings experience in the tactical analysis aspect of the game, performance counseling for the development of young players, and an acute skill set to nuture proficient team dynamics that make teams as competitive as possible.  A Colombian native who has lived in the US for nine years, Morales competed collegiately with Ohio Valley University and Graceland University. He then took his talents to the semi-professional ranks where he played for the West Virginia Chaos and multiple teams in the Kansas City area. Prior to coming to Lenoir-Rhyne he served as a member of the coaching staff at Benedictine College (KS). Morales currently lives in Hickory with is wife Kate and their children Elena and Tomas. 

Jake Natola joined the Lenoir-Rhyne men's soccer program as an assistant coach prior to the 2026 season. Natola came to Lenoir-Rhyne after building a coaching résumé across both the collegiate and pre-professional levels. Most recently, he served as an assistant coach with Skidmore College Men's Soccer during a historic 2025 campaign that saw the program finish 10-4-3 overall, earn the No. 2 seed in the Liberty League for the first time in program history, and achieve the program’s highest win percentage since 2006. He coached six all conference players, including the Liberty League rookie of the year Jacob Huminey. Prior to Skidmore, Natola helped guide Rivier University Men's Soccer in 2024 to its first winning season since 2000, while setting program records for shutouts and fewest goals allowed. Natola is also in his second season with Black Rock FC in USL League Two, where he was recently promoted to Associate Head Coach. At Black Rock, he has coached many Division I, international, and former and current professional players, including former first-round Major League Soccer draft pick Ifunanyachi Achara and Puerto Rico national football team captain Juani O'Neil. As a player, Natola competed at New England College from 2019-2023, appearing in more than 4,000 career minutes and serving two seasons as team captain while helping lead the Pilgrims to two conference championships and two NCAA Tournament appearances. Natola graduated summa cum laude, and earned academic all conference and academic all district honors numerous times. Originally born in Massachusetts and raised in southern New Hampshire, Natola earned his degree in Business Administration with a minor in Sports and Recreation Management in 2023.