Lincoln Christian University Hires New Men's and Women's Soccer Coach

[May 04, 2018] 

LINCOLN

Director of Athletics, Nathaniel Smith, and Lincoln Christian University (LCU) are pleased to announce the hiring of Steve Lord as the Head Coach for Men's and Women's Soccer effective immediately. Lord, a native of Phoenix, Arizona, comes to LCU with a wealth of experience having played and coached soccer for over 35 years.

"We are extremely thrilled to have Steve Lord lead our programs. He has been around the game for a long time and brings with him a great deal of knowledge and experience coaching both men's and women's soccer. Coach Lord is a great example of someone with high Christian character that strongly believes and teaches the importance of servant leadership, academic excellence, and athletic success within his teams. This is an exciting time for our soccer programs and we are anxious for the fall season to get here so we can begin practicing."

"God's timing is perfect!" said Lord. "Moving from Tucson, Arizona to the Midwest will be a big change for me and my family but we are excited. We feel so humbled and blessed to be given this opportunity to join the LCU family and can't wait to get started on this new adventure. Lamentations 3:25-26 has been an important verse for my family and we find joy in knowing that God has laid this path for us. My family and I would like to thank President Dr. Green, Nathaniel Smith, and entire LCU community for this wonderful opportunity!"

Lord replaces former Men's Soccer Head Coach Craig Hoskins and Women's Soccer Head Coach Spencer Delong. Both Hoskins and Delong announced their resignations after two years at the helm of their respective programs.

A talented player in high school, Lord received a scholarship to continue playing soccer at the collegiate level doing so for two years at NJCAA Pima College. Lord would go on to finish his education at the University of Arizona where he continued to play soccer at the club level. He graduated from U of A in 1994 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise and Sport Sciences.

Lord's coaching career began a couple years earlier in 1992 when he took over the girls' soccer program at Santa Rita High School. Since then Lord has been involved with soccer in numerous ways including as an official. Most notably, Lord was the head boys soccer coach at Desert Christian High School from 2001-2016. During this time, Lord helped Desert Christian to four Final 4 finishes as well as State Runner-Up finishes in 2004, 2010, and 2012. His coaching recognitions include: three time South Region Coach of the Year, AIA Division IV State Coach of the Year in 2011, Southern Arizona Tucson Citizen Coach of the Year in 2012, and the allsportstucson.com Coach of the Year in 2016.

Style-wise, Red Lion fans can expect to see a fast paced team on the field for LCU. "I strive for up tempo, high speed practices and games" said Lord. "Improvement will be an everyday focus for our programs and we will emphasize playing the game the right way. That includes winning with humility, and losing with honor. If we can all pursue improvement each and every day, in all phases of life, we are going to be pleased with the result. This takes discipline and focus and I know it starts with the example I set. I'm excited to lead our student-athletes and look forward to representing the Red Lion Family!"

Lord has been married to his wife, Linda, for 24 years and they have four kids. Jacen Lord (21) will be a senior at Northern Arizona University; Mikey (19) will be a sophomore at Trinity International University in the fall and is on the men's soccer team; Keegan (15), will be a junior in high school and Sammy (6) will be going into 2nd grade.

Please join us in welcoming the Lord's to the Red Lion Family!

[Christian Lowry
Athletic Coordinator
Sports Information Director
Head Coach – Women’s Basketball
Lincoln Christian University]