Steve Cornish - Men's Soccer Coach - UNC Asheville Athletics

Steve Cornish

Title:
Head Coach

Steve Cornish, twice named Big South Conference Coach of the Year, is in his 17th year as head coach of the UNC Asheville men's soccer program. The popular head coach is the Dean of Coaches in the UNC Asheville Athletics Department. He also serves the Athletic Department as its Director of Academic Services and teaches a full load of classes in the school’s Health and Fitness Department.

Cornish is UNC Asheville’s all-time winningest coach in the sport of men's soccer with 101victories. He has led the Bulldog program to one Big South Conference regular-season title. Cornish has guided UNC Asheville to some of the biggest wins in school history and coached a first team Academic All-American in Mike Roach.

The 2008 season had the Bulldogs make important strides as they finished with a 7-8-4 overall record and 3-3-2 mark in the Big South. Asheville posted a 1-0 victory over conference champion Winthrop and tied Kentucky during the year. The Bulldogs knocked off Gardner-Webb 4-2 in the quarterfinals of the Big South Tournament and advanced to the semifinals.

The Bulldogs bounced from a tough start in the 2007 season to record a monumental upset when Asheville shocked ACC foe Clemson, 2-1 in overtime at Greenwood Field. Cornish’s charges ended the season with a win at Appalachian State and just missed upsetting eventual Big South Tournament champion Liberty in the quarterfinals of the league tourney.

In 2004, UNC Asheville got off to a surprising 3-0 league start, including a 1-0 upset win of nationally ranked Coastal Carolina on the road. The Bulldogs advanced to the semifinals of the league tournament with a 2-1 victory over Winthrop before falling to eventual league champion Coastal Carolina, 1-0.

The 2003 season was another good year for the UNC Asheville soccer program. Cornish guided the club to an 8-9-1 record and a fourth-place finish in the rugged Big South Conference. A big highlight of the year came when the Bulldogs upset nationally ranked Coastal Carolina, 2-1 midway through the season. It was the last time the Chanticleers would lose until the third round of the NCAA Tournament.

The 2001 season was one of the best years that the Bulldog soccer program has ever had thanks to Cornish's leadership. Picked to finish in last place in the Big South Conference, UNC Asheville stunned everyone by finishing in a tie for first place and earning the conference's regular-season championship and top seed in the tournament. The Bulldogs finished with a 9-8 overall record and school-record 5-2 mark in league play. Asheville picked up a big non-conference victory when it shocked Evansville, 2-1 early in the season. For his efforts, Cornish was named Big South Conference Coach of the Year for the second time. The Bulldogs also had the league's Rookie of the Year and Scholar Athlete of the Year. Later in the year, senior Mike Roach was named as a first team Academic All-American, the first ever in school history.

In 2000, Cornish's club finished with an 8-11-0 record against a very difficult schedule. The Bulldogs were just a goal away from finishing in second place in the Big South Conference and finished in fifth spot with a 3-4 league mark.

In 1999, the Bulldogs finished with a deceiving 5-11-3 overall record. Asheville was a very competitive outfit in 1999 and proved that in the Big South Conference tournament. The Bulldogs were seeded seventh in the tournament but playing second-seed Coastal Carolina on its home field, UNC Asheville sent the game into penalty kicks and shocked the Chants 4-2 on PK's and advanced to the tournament's semifinals for the first time in eight years. The next day saw the Dogs lose in overtime to the eventual champion Radford, 1-0.

The 1996 season was a special one for Cornish and his program. Picked to finish in seventh-place in preseason polls, the Bulldogs earned their first winning season in 12 years by finishing with an 8-7-3 record. In addition, UNC Asheville finished in third place with a 2-2-3 record, the program's highest finish in six years. Of the Bulldogs seven losses, five were to teams in the NCAA tournament the previous year and three were to teams in the Top 10 at the time. Asheville tied a school-record with a five-game winning streak early in the season. The Bulldogs earned an impressive win over conference rival Radford, the first win over the Highlanders since 1990, and compiled a 4-0 mark against teams from the Southern Conference.

In 1995, Cornish's club enjoyed a breakthrough season. The Bulldogs finished with a 9-11 overall record and 3-4 mark in the Big South Conference. The nine wins were the most the program had earned in five seasons and Asheville earned a berth in the Big South Conference tournament for the first time in four seasons. The Bulldogs tied a school record early in the year with a five-game winning streak, including a 2-1 win over eventual Big South Conference champion and NCAA participant Coastal Carolina. Asheville earned wins over established programs such as Appalachian State, Stetson and Virginia Commonwealth. At the conclusion of the year, Cornish was honored by his peers in the Big South when he was named Big South Conference Coach of the Year.

Cornish has a great deal of experience, both international and in the United States. At Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, he assisted in all phases of the program and helped lead the school to an 11-5-1 overall record and third-place finish in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference during the 1991 season. For five years, Cornish had been a coach in Region II of the Olympic Development Program, working with such coaches as Fred Schmalz of Evansville and Steve Adlard of Marquette. He has also been a staff coach for the Minnesota and North Carolina State coaching schools for soccer. In 1990, he directed the Minnesota State Under -19 team to the semifinals of the prestigious Dallas Cup competition.

A native of England, Cornish is a 1982 graduate of North Cheshire College, University of Manchester in Cheshire, England, with a bachelor's degree in physical education and Mathematics. He helped lead the team to two British College championships, and was an all-star forward, representing England Colleges in the North-South all-star game in 1981 and 1982 and North squad vs. Scotland in 1982. Cornish still holds a school record for most goals in a game with six that he scored as a senior. He has also worked several camps in England with soccer legend Sir Bobby Charlton.

Steve's wife, Michele, will begin her 15th year as women's soccer coach at UNC Asheville. The Cornish's have a son, Cameron, 15 and a daughter, Cheyney 10.