IU men’s soccer made two additions to the staff this year in the form of a new director of operations and assistant coach, according to an announcement by Coach Todd Yeagley on Monday.
The No. 2 Hoosiers have appointed Phalo Pietersen to be the new director of operations. He will help with the team’s traveling, post game recovery, engaging fans and facility requests.
Pietersen is a Bloomington native who played soccer with Bloomington High School South. He managed the IU men’s soccer team for a duration of three seasons and coached the IU women’s club team to a 2011 NCCS Soccer championship appearance in Phoenix.
Prior to accepting this new role with IU, Pietersen was the South Central Soccer Academy Director.
The Hoosiers also added former IU goalkeeper Christian Lomeli to the goalkeeper’s coaching squad.
Lomeli served his first season with IU men’s soccer as an undergraduate assistant coach in 2018, a year marked by an NCAA-leading 15 shutouts. The 25-year-old’s resume also includes a one-year stint with the Carmel Football Club as the Director of Goalkeeping from 2016-2017.
Goalkeepers Roman Celentano, Bryant Pratt, Jacob Gruber and Sean Caulfield will work alongside Lomeli in competition for a starting spot in the absence of Trey Muse, who chose to forego his final two years to play with the Seattle Sounders.
IU will play two exhibition games Aug. 19 and 21 in Westfield, Indiana, before playing one exhibition in Bloomington Aug. 24. The season starts Aug. 30 against University of Pittsburgh in Bloomington.
