The Importance of Greg Maas’ Extension
On December 17, the Utah Valley University athletic department announced they had signed men’s soccer coach Greg Maas to a five-year contract extension. In his first two seasons, Maas has led the soccer team to an overall record of 23-13-4. Extending the contract of Greg Maas is the best thing that UVU could do for its soccer team in the long run.
In just two years, Maas has assembled a team that is full of players that receive national recognition, from Aaron Meyer earning Freshman Best XI honors from TopDrawerSoccer, to Alex Neff being named to the All-West Region first team. With more top-tier talent waiting in the wings, Maas will be with the Wolverines for a long time to develop these players and create a perennial soccer powerhouse.
Maas is passionate about leading this team to great heights. Having spent significant time around the soccer team this past fall, I have experienced Maas’ passion for his team first-hand on the sideline and after games. His enthusiasm is contagious and rubs off on his players for 90 minutes a game.
The contract extension Maas signed last month brings stability to a growing program through the 2020 season. With Maas around for at least another five years, recruits will be attracted to the stability of the program and the great strides he has made in building a dominant team in such a short time. The steady hand of Maas will continue to build the men’s soccer program as they seek dominance in the Western Athletic Conference and the rest of the NCAA.
In just the second year of competing at the NCAA Division I level, Maas led UVU men’s soccer to a second place finish in the WAC and an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. It is safe to say that in the years to come, the men’s soccer team will continue to improve and reach heights that Wolverine athletics has never seen. He’ll probably tell you it’s because of the hard work his players put in and he couldn’t be more proud of them; and it is true that the players put in the hard work. But make no mistake about it; Maas is the author of the story that will take this team to the next level and make us all proud to be called Wolverines.
I’m a Pacific Northwest guy who loves his Pacific Northwest sports. An amateur movie buff who prefers the disc to digital. Chasing the sports writing dream while I geek out on Assassin’s Creed.