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With each passing year, the achievements continue to mount for head coach Michael Moynihan. He enters his 12th season at the helm of the Panther soccer team with eight-straight Horizon League regular season championships in tow, a gaudy .888 wining percentage in league games, five league coach of the year awards and a school-record 132 wins overall. Moynihan also sits just five wins shy of becoming the winningest soccer coach, men's or women's, in school history. Last season was no exception, as the Panthers ran through the league schedule unbeaten for the fourth-straight time and seventh time in eight seasons. Four players were named to the all-league first team, the team's most since 2001. UWM also captured its first Milwaukee Cup crown, advanced to the league title game for a league-record ninth time and posted an unbeaten streak of at least 11 games for the third-straight season.
The national notoriety did not end there. The Panthers defeated a ranked opponent for the second time in team history (W, 1-0 v. #16 Missouri) and finished among the nation's leaders in goals against average, shutout percentage and winning percentage. Ginny Graczyk also became the program's first overall All-American since 1985. Graczyk also headed a list of four all-region honorees, three all-league first team members and three more players selected to the league's second team. The awards are not just limited to the field, as Graczyk was named an Academic All-American--one of five under Moynihan--and is one of 15 players to be named to an academic all-region teams since 1997. Overall, Moynihan boasts a 57-5-5 (.888) record in league play and has led the team to nine Horizon League regular season titles. The Panthers went 5-0 in 2000 to post the league's first perfect season since 1995. They followed that up with a 6-0 campaign in 2001 and then posted 7-0 league records in 2004 and 2006. UWM has also posted unbeaten seasons in 1997, 2002, 2005 and 2007, and has won the league tournament a league-record four times. Already the winningest coach in history of the UWM women's soccer program, toward the end of the 2005 regular season Moynihan became just the fourth soccer coach in school history, men's or women's, to reach 100 wins. He now has 132 for his career, five back from breaking the school all-gender record. Moynihan has never experienced a losing season while winning at least 10 games in all but one season. The Milwaukee native has been rewarded for his efforts as he has won five league coach of the year awards. He was honored after his first season in 1997, then in back-to-back years in 2000 and 2001. He was then honored in 2004 and again last season. Moynihan's players have also earned their fair share of awards, as four players have been named Horizon League Player of the Year, including three straight from 1999 to 2001 (Fanta Cooper, 1999 and 2000; Erin Blaedow, 2001). Panthers have also earned all-region honors 27 times and 60 all-league first or second team awards. On top of that, Erin Kane and Sarah Teegarden were both Freshman All-Americans in 2005. In 1997, Moynihan's first season as head coach, Milwaukee earned the school's first berth in the NCAA Tournament by virtue of winning the league tournament. The Panthers went 13-3-4 that season after getting off to a school-record 7-0-2 start. The next season saw the Panthers pull off their first victory over a ranked foe, as they topped No. 8 Nebraska, 2-1, in overtime, in Lincoln, Neb., to open the season. In 1999, the Panthers spent the entire season ranked in the top 10 of the Great Lakes Region by the NSCAA, another first for the program. Moynihan began is collegiate coaching career in 1993 as an assistant coach with Milwaukee. Coaching under his sister, Susan, he helped the Panthers to a 40-33-4 mark in four seasons as an assistant. That time laid the ground work for when he would take over the program in 1997. Moynihan has taken pride in his soccer ties to the community. Giving back to the area that supported his growth as a player, Moynihan has coached and influenced many local soccer clubs and players. He currently serves on the board of directors for the Shorewood Kickers and formerly was the the director of coaching for the Wisconsin Girls Olympic Development Program. Moynihan also coached both the Milwaukee Pius XI varsity girls and Marquette High School freshman boys teams, along with club soccer for F.C. Milwaukee. Moynihan and his players regularly host soccer camps and clinics throughout the area to help spread their knowledge and love of the game. His coaching philosophy is based on his players having a simple desire to learn. He excels in developing not only players' skills, but also their appreciation for the game. He graduated from Wisconsin in 1990 with a degree in history. While at Wisconsin, Moynihan was a four-year letterwinner with the Badger soccer team. He served two years as team captain and was also the recipient of the team's Bill Reddan Award for Sportsmanship as a senior. In addition, he was named the team's most valuable freshman in 1986. Continuing his education, he earned a teaching certificate in secondary education from UWM in 1993. Moynihan holds a USSF `A' coaching license as well as a USSF national youth license. He is currently on the advisory staff for Region II ODP, the head coach for the `91 ODP regional team and coach for the `89 ODP team at the state level. Moynihan and his wife, Holly, have one son, Gabriel, and reside in Shorewood. |
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