Pete Kowall has been selected to be at the helm of the newest sport on the UIS campus, women's soccer, as the head coach and he will officially begin to put things together starting Monday, February 25th.  "Pete will be a great addition to our UIS Athletic Staff," said Athletic Director Rodger Jehlicka.  "He comes with a wealth of experience in the area of women's soccer and has vast experience with the NCAA.  He seems to be the best fit for our UIS women's soccer program at this time."

Pete Kowall joins the Prairie Stars with impressive soccer credentials.  He has worked over the past 10 years with the Illinois Olympic Development  Program (ODP), winnning the National Championship in 2003 with his 1985 girl's team and then took the 1988 girl's team to a Third Place finish at the National Championship in 2005.  As a Head Coach of one of the teams in the Illinois Fusion Soccer Club, he led his team to the semifinals at the National Soccer Ranking Cup, was an Orange Bowl finalist and won the Metro Tournament.  He currently coaches the 1991 girl's Illinois ODP team.

"I am excited to begin the women's soccer program at The University of Illinois at Springfield," said Kowall.  "When I visited campus for my interview, I was impressed with all the people I met and the campus layout. I was also very impressed with the vision and philosophy Dr. Jehlicka has for the athletic department. I am excited to start and inform the Springfield community about the new women's soccer program."

Along with his involvement with the ODP, Kowall was the Head Women's Soccer Coach at Illinois State University.  Over a 10 year span, his teams were highly competitive, compiling a 104-63-20 career record.   His teams won four regular season championships (1998, 1999, 2001, 2003) and qualified for the 2003 Women's NCAA Division I Soccer Tournament.  Kowall was recognized by his peers in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) and was honored to be named MVC Coach of the Year three times.

As Head Coach at Illinois State University, Kowall has recruited and coached nine NSCAA Great Lakes All-Region Players, three MVC Freshman of the Year, over 30 First or Second Team All-MVC Players and three MVC Players of the Year.

For three years, he was the Assistant Women's Soccer Coach at the University of Michigan, where he helped the team go from 8th place in the Big Ten to 3rd place over that time frame.  Soccer America rated one of their recruiting classes as second best in the Great Lakes Region.

Kowall was the Head Women's Soccer Coach at Drew University (Madison, NJ) for two years (1992-94) where he put together a 21-15-1 record for the NCAA Division III institution. 

He got his start in women's soccer at Kalamazoo College (Kalamazoo, MI) in 1989 where he took his team to the 1990 Division III Women's Championship Quarterfinals.  He was named the 1990 National Division III Coach of the Year and the 1990 Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year.

Joining Kowall on the coaching sidelines will be Chad Jones, the Director of the Springfield Area Soccer Association, in the role of assistant coach