Former UC Davis letter winner Chris Leer returns to the sidelines as an assistant coach for his third season with the 2016 campaign.
Leer returned to his alma mater after spending two seasons as an assistant with the women’s soccer program at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, Minn., aiding in the Auggies’ recruiting efforts while helping the NCAA Division III program to a 10-3-5 overall record and a No. 25 national ranking, at one point, in 2013.
The year prior, Leer helped guide Augsburg to a 12-5-3 record, a second-place finish in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, and a No. 5 regional ranking. While in Minnesota, three of his players were selected to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America’s Division II All-North Region Team and seven more were chosen to the MIAC all-conference squads, while Augsburg was also a two-time recipient of the NSCAA’s Team Academic Award.
As a player, Leer was a four-year letter winner for the Aggies from 2006-09, helping UC Davis to a pair of NCAA Division I Tournament berths in 2007 (First Round) and 2008 (Second Round) while earning All-Big West Honorable Mention honors as a senior. He finished his Aggies career with 13 goals and seven assists (33 points), tying for second on the team in goals (5) as a sophomore and finishing second on the team in both goals (4) and points (12) as a senior, starting all 19 matches.
His coaching career also includes positions with the Minnesota State and Region II Olympic Development Program, the Minneapolis United Soccer Club, and the Tonka United Soccer Club, as well as stops as the head boys junior varsity coach at San Ramon Valley High School in his hometown of Danville, Calif., and the Walnut Creek Soccer Club.
Leer graduated from UC Davis with a degree in communications and sociology in 2011, earning his master’s degree in kinesiology/sports and exercise science from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in 2013.