University of South Carolina - Upstate Women's Soccer

Boasting a .747 career winning percentage, seven combined Conference Titles, three National Tournament appearances, and one National Coach of the Year honor as a collegiate head coach, Sharif Saber has been tabbed as the next leader of the USC Upstate womens soccer program.   Before joining the Upstate program, Saber spent the last four seasons as the head coach at the University of Mount Olive (Mount Olive, N.C.), leading the program to two NCAA Division II Tournament appearances, two Conference Carolinas regular season championships, and two Conference Carolinas tournament championships.   Helming the Trojan program, Saber led Mount Olive to three consecutive Conference Carolinas championships, claiming the Regular Season championship in 2019 and 2021, and the Conference Tournament championship in 2019 and 2020. Under his direction, the Trojans appeared in two NCAA Division II Tournaments, qualifying as the Southeast Regions No. 6 seed in 2019Mount Olives first NCAA Tournament appearanceand the Southeast Regions No. 8 seed in 2021.   Under Sabers tutelage, defender Shaunalee Govia was thrice the Conference Carolinas Defensive Player of the Year (2019, 2020-21, 2021) while forward Sara Berglund garnered United Soccer Coaches Association Third Team All-American honors in 2019. Berglund (Second Team), Govia (First Team), and midfielder Kali Schindler (Second Team) also earned Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association All-American accolades following a 14-1-3; 9-0-2 season that saw Saber earn Conference Carolina Coach of the Year honors.   In addition to the Trojan programs major awards throughout his tenure, Saber tutored 21 All-Conference players, earning six or more All-Conference players over each of the past three seasons.   During the 2017 season, Saber served as an assistant at Kutztown University (Kutztown, Pa.), helping guide the program to a 16-win campaign that saw the Golden Bears earn the No. 4 Seed in the NCAA DII Tournaments Atlantic Region while reaching No. 1 in the NCAA DII national poll.   In his lone season at Kutztown, midfielder Maddie Mohr and forward Emily Zwiercan earned a combined three All-American honors as Zwiercan and forward Randi Smith earned Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Offensive Player and Freshman of the Year honors, respectively.   Prior to Kutztown, Saber led the creation of the womens soccer program at Penn State Brandywine (Media, Pa.), heading the program during its first two seasons of competition in 2015 and 2016. During his two seasons, he led the upstart program to 21 wins, collecting seven during the programs inaugural season before leading the Lions to 14 victories in their follow-up campaign.   Earning 2016 United States Collegiate Athletic Association National Coach of the Year honors, Saber led Brandywine to the USCAA National Tournament, becoming the first Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference member to qualify for the National Tournament.   Brandywines historic 2016 season also culminated with three USCAA All-American selections, headed by 2016 PSUAC Player and Newcomer of the Year, forward Brianna Banks who earned First Team recognition. Goalkeeper Emily Bush (Second Team) and midfielder Brooke Muhlbaier (Honorable Mention) joined Banks as All-Americans in 2016 while forward Olivia Encarnacion earned Honorable Mention All-American honors in 2015.   Before beginning the Penn State Brandywine program, Saber spent the 2014 season as an assistant at Immaculata University (Malvern, Pa.). Prior to joining the collegiate ranks, he spent four seasons as the varsity head coach at Kutztown (Pa.) High School, leading the program to four consecutive district appearances and two district championships (2011 and 2013).   At the club level, Saber has served the North Carolina Football Club (2018-pres.), Penn Fusion Soccer Academy (2014-17), and Boyertown Area Soccer Club (2003-2011) as a staff coach, capturing three State Cup championships and an Elite Clubs National League Regional championship.   Off the field, Saber was a member of the United Soccer Coaches (formally the National Soccer Coaches Association of America) 30 Under 30 Class of 2014 while also seeing his article The Fragile Flame of Creativity published in the NSCAA Soccer Journal during the Fall of 2014. Saber also holds numerous USC diplomas, including the Premier Diploma, Advanced National Diploma, and National Diploma.   Saber earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from Bloomsburg University (Bloomsburg, Pa.) and a Master of Education in Social Studies from Kutztown University in 2009 and 2013, respectively.

Sam Odell was tabbed the fifth head coach in the Division I Era of USC Upstate women's soccer on December 4th, 2025. Odell arrives in Spartanburg after five ...

Patrick Grey enters his first season as associate head coach with the Spartans for the 2026 season. Grey joins the Spartans after previously coaching alongsi...

Laudenslager joins the Spartan army after spending the last four seasons as the women's assistant head coach at Kutztown University (Pa.)  where he helped lead the Golden Bears to three top 10 NCAA Division II national rankings (2017, 2018, & 2021).  As an assistant coach, Laudenslager focused on goalkeeper development and instruction while handling fundraising efforts, student-athlete recruitment, and video analysis for scouting reports.   During his time at Kutztown, Laudenslager also coached for FC Delco (2020-2021), PA Dominion FC (2019-2020), and Penn Fusion Soccer Academy (2017-2019) where he focused on player development of various age groups and assisted with the college recruiting process.   Prior to Kutztown, the Pa. native was a men's soccer assistant coach for Penn State Brandywine during the 2016 season. Laudenslager's efforts contributed to the Lion's 15-3-1 record, their 2016 PSUAC Championship, and their USCAA National Championship appearance. Laudenslager played one season of collegiate soccer at Reading Area Community College in 1995 where he was a team captain before suffering from a career-ending knee injury.   Along with his degree in Social Sciences from Reading Area Community College, Laudenslager also holds his Goalkeeping I, II, and III Diplomas, Director of Coaching Diploma, National Diploma, Advanced National Diploma, and Premier Diploma, all through the United Soccer Coaches.