Women’s soccer assistant coach Steve Bode is leaving Marquette to take a men’s soccer head coach position at Loyola University Chicago, the Ramblers’ Director of Athletics Steve Watson announced in a statement Thursday afternoon.
“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome Steve back to Loyola,” Watson said in the statement. “Over the course of his career he has accomplished so much as a coach by developing his student-athletes both on and off the field. We’re confident he will lead this program to even greater heights.”
The 2021 fall season was Bode’s second year with the program and head coach Frank Pelaez after spending the 2019 season as an assistant coach at Loyola.
“I couldn’t be happier to accept the position of head men’s soccer coach at Loyola University Chicago,” Bode said in the statement. “I want to thank Steve Watson and Holly Strauss-O’Brien for believing in me and giving me this opportunity.
The culture they’ve created in the athletic department drew me back to Loyola and to this opportunity. It is truly a special place that aligns with my core values. I am excited and eager to build on the existing relationships that I have with the administration, coaching staff and student athletes.”
Over his tenure with the Golden Eagles, he helped Marquette rebuild its stature within the BIG EAST conference. Marquette went 15-12 overall and 9-9 in BIG EAST play the last two seasons.
Bode played an instrumental part of the team with the Ramblers in 2019 when they won the 2019 Missouri Valley Conference Championship and earned the program’s fifth bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Bode, a native of Milwaukee, was also a four-year player on the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men’s soccer team under now-Marquette men’s soccer head coach Louis Bennett. With the Panthers, Bode was a three-time captain while also earning multiple All-Horizon League honors as well as receiving CoSIDA Academic All-America Third Team honors.
Pelaez will now look for a new coach to join his staff for the 2022 season.
This article was written by John Leuzzi. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @JohnLeuzziMU.
