WILMINGTON, Ohio - Wilmington College Head Men's Soccer Coach Cory Bucur has completed his coaching staff for the upcoming 2022 season, Bucur's first leading the Fightin' Quakers. Felix Maurer, a recent WC graduate and four-year member of the men's soccer program, will make the transition to the coaching staff while Anton Niklasson will return for his fifth year as an assistant coach. Additionally, Nick Stifel joins the program following a stint at Defiance College.
"I couldn't be happier with the staff we have been able to put together," said Bucur. "We have a great combination of people I have existing working relationships with to people who have such a pride in this program. I know we can continue to give these student athletes a great experience and hopefully achieve more on and off the field than has been done before. The path has been set by coaches and players that have came before us, and this is the perfect coaching staff to stay on that path and continue on forward."
Maurer is no stranger to the men's soccer program having started 62 of a possible 63 games in net over a four-year career spanning from 2018-2021. He carried a 1.19 goals against average, made 209 saves and concluded his playing career with a 36-19-6 record. Maurer, who graduated from WC with a degree in business administration, is fourth in program history in shutouts with 17.
"It feels great to be able to come back and continue to being a part of the Wilmington College soccer team as an assistant coach," said Maurer. "I had some of the best years of my life here as a player, and I'm confident that I will feel the same way as a coach. I'm sure it's going to be different on the sideline instead of the field, but I am super excited to get started as a coach to help the program grow in any way that I can."
Stifel comes to Wilmington from Defiance College where he spent four years as a Yellow Jacket (three as a player and one as an assistant). Alongside Bucur on the sidelines, Stifel helped guide the Yellow Jackets to one of their best seasons in school history in the fall of 2021, coming a shootout away from winning the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) Tournament and qualifying for the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament. As a player, he was an Honorable Mention All-Conference honoree and team captain.
"After working with Cory previously, I am excited to join him for this new challenge here at Wilmington," said Stifel. "I look forward to the new opportunities this provides for my coaching career, especially the chance to help this group of players grow individually and overall as a program."
Niklasson, a former goalkeeper at WC for long-time Head Coach Bud Lewis, will enter his fourth year on staff and work with goalkeepers.
"I'm so excited to have the chance to come back and work with this group as it's one of the most talented Wimington teams I've seen," said Niklasson. "I'm confident Cory will keep pushing this program, our culture and student-athletes in the right direction, and I'm happy to be part of it.""
Wilmington opens its 2022 season on Sept. 1 with a home game against DePauw University.