Nicholas Deren enters his seventh full season as the head coach of the University of Detroit Mercy men’s soccer team in 2016.
Deren was the lead assistant coach for six seasons, the interim head coach for the last half of 2009, and was named to his current position at his alma mater on Dec. 8, 2009. He has coached the Titans to 46 victories overall, including 22 in conference play.
Deren helped the Titans capture the 2012 Horizon League Championship with a 6-1 conference record. It was the first regular season championship for Detroit since 2005 when UDM also had a 6-1 Horizon League record.
Deren coached Detroit to its second consecutive winning season in 2015 and another berth in the Horizon League Tournament. The Titans earned the program’s first win over the University of Michigan, defeating the Wolverines 2-1 in Ann Arbor. The Titans were 7-5-8 in 2015, just one tie away from the NCAA record for draws in a season.
Deren enrolled at Oakland University after a stellar high school career, but transferred to Detroit after two seasons. He was the leading goal scorer for Oakland during his freshman season with 13 goals. Deren also played for the Detroit Dynamite and the Michigan Madness during this time. The Dynamite and Madness were formerly in the USISL, but now they are recognized in the PDL.