Esteban Martinez is entering his 13th season as an assistant coach with the Maroons. He is responsible for recruiting, practice planning, scouting and other administrative duties. This summer he traveled with the team to Costa Rica. It was the fourth time he had assisted head coach Phil Benne on the preseason trip.
He is no stranger to soccer in the college scene in Virginia, as he has been around soccer in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference for the last 16 years. For three years prior to joining the Roanoke staff, Martinez was the head coach at nearby Hollins University.
Martinez served as the head coach of the Cave Spring High School varsity girls soccer team until 2009. He was voted district coach of the year in 2005, after leading the Knights to the Class AA State Semifinals. In 2007, he was voted Region III Coach of the Year after a school-record 19 wins, claiming the Region III Championship and advanced to the State Semifinals. In 2008, he was selected by the Virginia High School League Coaches Association to coach the Senior game for the West Squad in Hampton VA. He finished his six-year tenure as the Knights head coach with an impressive 95-33-5 mark.
Martinez, who holds his NSCAA Advanced National and National Diplomas, has also served as a girls basketball and softball coach at the high school level. In addition to his NSCAA diploma, Martinez holds and NSCAA Regional Goalkeeper Diploma and a USSF-D license.
Originally from Ellenville, New York where he attended Ellenville High School, Martinez is a graduate of Bridgewater College, where he was a member of the men’s soccer team for three years. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish with a minor in Special Education.
Dedicating more time to the game, Martinez has spent his last twelve years working elite soccer camps at Virginia Tech, ten years at Penn State camps, Radford University and most recently Exact Sports Camp ID clinics. He has also coached at the youth level for local clubs including Roanoke Star, Valley AFC & New River United.
Martinez is entering his seventh year as a Spanish teacher at nearby Andrew Lewis Middle School in Salem, VA.