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Michael Thomas Head Coach First Season Phone: 716-645-6664 Office: 163 F Alumni

Michael Thomas, who has helped lead the University of Denver to four NCAA Tournament appearances, has been named the head coach of the women’s soccer program at the University at Buffalo.

Thomas takes over for longtime head coach Jean-A. Tassy who retired following his 13th season at the helm of the women’s soccer program.

“I am very excited for the opportunity to come in and take over the program at the University at Buffalo,” said Thomas. “What impressed me the most during the process was the people at UB, and I’d like to thank Warde Manuel and John Lambert for all of their help in the hiring process.

“I’m eager to get on campus and begin working with the team to get to the place where we all want the Buffalo women’s soccer program to be,” Thomas added.

Thomas spent the last six seasons as an assistant coach at Denver, helping the Pioneers to a 90-25-12 record during that time. The Pioneers made four NCAA Tournament appearances, including one following their 2007 Sun Belt Championship. During the 2007 season, Denver defeated Stanford, who was ranked number one in the country at the time, by a 1-0 decision. In 2006, the Pioneers had an .848 winning percentage, which was sixth in nation. Denver wasn’t just successful on the field, but also in the classroom as the women’s soccer team won the Sun Belt Conference team academic award with a 3.4 GPA. The Pioneers also had winning percentages in the top 10 in the nation in 2002 (.857) and 2003 (.818).

During his time in Denver, CO, Thomas was also a technical advisor and staff coach for the Colorado Fusion Soccer Club, where he directed over 40 teams, making it the fourth largest youth soccer club in Denver. In 2006, Thomas was a coach for the Olympic Development Program.

Prior to joining Denver, Thomas spent one season at the University of Memphis and a year at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. At Green Bay, he assisted with both the men’s and women’s program, becoming a Horizon League finalist with the men’s squad. While at Green Bay, Thomas acted as the northern coordinator for the girls Olympic Development Program.

Thomas was a professional soccer player in 1998-99 with the Myrtle Beach Sea Dawgs of the United Soccer League and again played in the league in 2000.

“We are extremely excited to have someone with Michael’s qualifications lead our women’s soccer team,” said Warde Manuel, UB’s Director of Athletics. “Everyone who we talked with told us that Michael’s efforts were a significant reason Denver enjoyed the success they had in the six seasons he was there. He will be a tremendous coach, colleague, and ambassador for the Buffalo women’s soccer program and UB. I believe his experiences in soccer will help our team with their ultimate goal of winning Mid-American Conference Championships.”