Bennie Bardales enters his first year on the OUAZ men's soccer coaching staff, after serving in the same capacity at UNC Pembroke for the 2016 season. Having played collegiately at both Richland College and Bryan College, Bardales also played semiprofessional soccer for the Southern West Virginia King's Warriors under the direction of John Miglarese. Bardales comes to OUAZ following an extensive coaching career in both the youth, prep and collegiate ranks. After spending a season at UNC Pembroke in 2016, Bardales spent the 2015 season as a head coach with the Piedmont Triad Football Club which is based in Kernersville. Bardales has spent the last three seasons on the coaching staff at Wesleyan Christian Academy (High Point, N.C.) where he helped lead the middle school squad to back-to-back Piedmont Athletic Conference of Independent Schools (PACIS) conference titles, while also serving as an assistant coach for the varsity squad that captured back-to-back state championships. In 2015, he also helped pace the PTFC 96 Boys Black squad to a third place finish in the regular season standings. Prior to his experience coaching youth soccer, Bardales spent both the 2011 and 2012 campaigns on the coaching staff at Bryan. A midfielder by trade, Bardales played collegiate soccer at both Richland College in Dallas, Texas, as well as his final two seasons (2009-10) at Bryan College in Dayton, Tenn. As a freshman in 2005, Bardales helped pace the Thunderducks to a 15-9 record and an appearance in the national championship game. Bardales scored 35 points on 15 goals and five assists in two seasons at Bryan, and helped lead the Lions to a cumulative 29-10-2 record, including an 18-2-2 mark as a senior in 2010. Following a noteworthy collegiate career, Bardales played six semi-professional seasons in the Premier Development League (PDL) with the SoCal Seahorses (2010-11) and the Southern West Virginia Kings Warriors (2012-15). He has also played stints with both C.D. Sula in the Liga Nacional de Ascenso de Honduras and the Texas Strikers of the Professional Area Soccer League (PASL). Bardales earned his bachelors degree in business administration from Bryan in 2012.