Bethel University Athletics

Coach Iwaszkowiec is entering his second season at the helm of the Bethel men’s soccer program in 2012. In his first year he helped lead the Royals to one of their better seasons in recent history with a 9-6-3 mark and the team set a program record with nine shutouts. The nine victories was a huge jump from the 2010 season victory total of three. In 2011 Iwaszkowiec also served as the head women’s soccer coach leading that squad to an overall record of 9-7-2. In the spring of 2012 Bethel hired Amanda Maxwell to become the first full-time women’s soccer coach, allowing Iwaskowiec to focus solely on the mens’ squad.

Iwaszkowiec came to Bethel from Murray State University in Kentucky, where he served as an assistant coach for two seasons. In 2009 he helped lead the Racers to an Ohio Valley Conference championship. That same year the Racers qualified for the first round of the NCAA tournament. Prior to being at Murray State, Iwaszkowiec was the head men's and women's soccer coach at Crichton College (now known as Victory University).

Growing up in the St. Louis metro and attending Francis Howell North High School, Iwaszkowiec was a stand out prep athlete winning numerous awards. Honors included the St. Louis Metro High School player of the year, Missouri High School player of the year, NSCAA Player of the Region, and All-American selections by both the NSCAA and Parade Magazine.

After high school Jeremy played collegiately at Clemson University. While at Clemson he was a three-year starter on two teams that reached the NCAA Quarterfinals, and in 1998 was part of a Clemson squad that was ranked No. 1 for much of the season, before finishing with a record of 22-2. He graduated from Clemson in 1999 with a degree in marketing. In 2006 he graduated from Bethel Seminary with a master's degree in theology.

Post-collegiately Iwaszkowiec had the opportunity to continue playing as he was drafted by the Minnesota Thunder, but rather chose to pursue other interests. Jeremy lives in St. Paul with his wife Shannon and two children Irene (4) and Isaac (2).



Coach Berg returns to the program this fall for his fifth season as a coach. Berg's responsibility will be working with the goalkeepers, focusing on fundamentals and technique. Berg is a 2005 Bethel graduate, playing goalkeeper for the Royals from 2001-2004. He was a key player on the 2004 team that earned a berth in the MIAC playoffs, and was named to the All-MIAC team. He previously held the school record for most shutouts in a season with six in 2001. In 2011 Leif Sundberg, the Royals keeper, blossomed under Coach Berg's tutelage. Sundberg eclipsed Berg's record, recording seven of the team's nine shutouts on the season. Sundberg was named to the Honorable Mention All-MIAC squad and earned the MIAC's Men's Soccer Athlete-of-the-Week honor in the final week of the season after tallying 27 saves and two shutouts against MIAC Co-champion St. Olaf and St. Thomas.
 
Berg currently lives in Oakdale, Minn., with his wife Melinda, and is an Art teacher in Oakdale, Minn.




Assistant Coa

ch: Matt VanBenschoten

Coach Matt, or "Schoten" as he is referred to by the team, is returning for his 3rd year as an assistant for the soccer program. He began his career at Bethel in 2005 where he was a three year starter and two year captain and helped the Royals to one of their best finishes in 2009. Despite several different coaching changes, Matt, as well as Coach Berg, have been committed to establishing a sense of consistency to the soccer program and have helped the program grow over the years.

Matt is currently attending Bethel Seminary where he is pursuing a M.A. in Marriage and Family therapy. Eventually he hopes to become a licensed therapist and work with adolescents and their families. Along with finishing school Matt also works part time at the YMCA where he leads a summer program for middle school students. During the school year he works as a PCA for Custom Care LLC as well as coaching youth soccer for the Plymouth Soccer Association. Matt and his wife Kelsey reside in Golden Valley and are expecting their first child in March.

Assistant Coach: Todd Meyer

Todd is in his second year as an assistant for the Bethel University Soccer Program, having graduated in May of 2011 from Wartburg College with a degree in Business Administration. He currently works for Thomson Reuters. Todd played soccer at Eastview High School in Apple Valley, MN and then went on to Crichton College in Memphis, Tennessee where he played soccer for two years under Coach Iwaszkowiec. During Todd’s final two years of college, he attended Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. While at Wartburg he was an Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) All-Conference nominee while helping the Knights to an IIAC regular season championship, IIAC tournament championship, and an NCAA tournament appearance. This past summer he was a club coach at Dakota Rev, coaching U-16 boys.