UIC Head Men's Soccer Coach John Trask Signs Contract Extension

July 30, 2008

Chicago, Ill. - University of Illinois at Chicago athletic director Jim Schmidt announced on Tuesday, July 29 that head men's soccer coach John Trask has signed a four-year contract extension.

The new deal keeps Trask at UIC through the 2011 campaign.

"I would like to personally thank the University of Illinois at Chicago, the Board of Trustees and Jim Schmidt for showing the commitment to my family, and I hope that what we've achieved thus far is only the beginning of making UIC Men's Soccer a national brand," said Trask. "Many people thought that my time at UIC would be brief, but we've only just begun to realize the potential of this great University. With the continued support of the UIC athletic department, my staff and I believe that many more great things lie ahead for this program."

The UIC men's soccer program has thrived under Trask's direction the past three seasons. UIC continued its rise to national prominence under Trask in 2007, as the Flames won the Horizon League Championship and went on to advance past three straight nationally-ranked foes en route to the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time in school history. UIC earned a pair of Top 10 end-of-season national rankings.

That was preceded by a tremendous 2006 campaign in which the Flames won the 2006 Horizon League regular-season title, reached as high as No. 6 in national polls, registered the nation's top-ranked defense and rounded out the year with an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament that featured a Round of 32 finish.

Trask, who is 36-14-13 in his three years at UIC, was awarded 2006 Horizon League Coach of the Year honors for the Flames' fantastic season.

UIC turned in the nation's sixth-best turnaround during Trask's inaugural campaign as head coach in 2005, going 10-5-2 after the Flames posted just five victories the season before he was hired.

"John Trask has taken the men's soccer program to unprecedented heights," said Schmidt. "Coach Trask has put UIC on the national soccer map and has done so in a short amount of time, and we are extremely excited about his commitment to UIC and continuing the program's rise into becoming a consistent NCAA Tournament participant."

Along with a bevy of national rankings during the last two seasons, UIC has made its mark defeating teams in the Top 25. Trask's UIC teams are 7-1 against nationally-ranked teams on the road since 2005.

UIC has featured two NSCAA/adidas All-Americans in attackers Tonci Skroce and Pavle Dundjer, a College Soccer News All-American in goalkeeper Jovan Bubonja, a total of eight All-Region accolades, 15 All-Horizon League Team selections, and the 2006 Horizon League Player of the Year in Skroce during Trask's tenure. UIC has also had two players, Skroce and Cesar Zambrano, get drafted by Major League Soccer clubs in the last two years.

--Story provided by the UIC office of sports information.