Marshall University announced Friday that men’s soccer coach Chris Grassie, a native of Newcastle upon-Tyne, United Kingdom, will be back for the next five years. This news follows the team’s 2020 NCAA Title.
Grassie’s new deal will keep him with the Thundering Herd through the 2025 season and will earn him $375,750 annually.
“Right now, we have the best program in the country,” coach Grassie said. “I want to make sure we continue to grow and evolve so we can win more championships.”
“I’m so excited and pleased that Chris Grassie will continue to lead our men’s soccer program well into the future,” said Marshall Director of Athletics Mike Hamrick. “He’s lived up to every expectation since we’ve hired him, and I know that the entire Thundering Herd fanbase is thrilled to see this news today.”
Grassie’s first season at Marshall in 2017 resulted in an 8-10-1 record as the team earned the sixth seed in the conference tournament, after being picked to finish eighth out of eight teams. Still, the Herd showed the growth and the promise that was yet to come as the squad upset 3rd-seeded Kentucky 1-0 in the first round. Marshall then fell in the semifinal 1-0 to No. 2 seed Old Dominion, who went on to win the championship. In 2018, the Herd finished as the fifth seed in the conference and again pulled off an upset of No. 4 seed FIU, 2-1, in the first round before falling to No. 1 seed Kentucky who also went on to win the title.
During the 2019 season, Grassie led the Herd to beat the Mountaineers 2-1, which was the largest crowd of any first or second-round match in the NCAA Tournament that season.
While going unranked into this season’s NCAA tournament, Grassie was always confident his team would win the title. And he was right.
Grassie has led Marshall to back-to-back C-USA Titles and now a national title in his four seasons he has coached.
For all of the latest information on the Marshall men’s soccer team, follow the Herd on Twitter @HerdMSoccer, Facebook at Marshall University Soccer and on www.herdzone.com.