Joey O'Keefe returned to Biola in Fall of 2021 to take over the reigns of the Biola Men's Soccer Program, becoming the program's 11th head coach. Fall 2025 will be his fifth year as the Eagles' head coach.
| O'Keefe's Record at Biola |
Year
2021
2022
2023
2024
TOTAL |
Overall
11-7-0
8-4-6
5-8-5
7-9-2
31-28-13
(.521) |
Conference
7-3-0 (3rd)
7-0-3 (1st)
3-4-3 (7th)
5-5-1 (7th)
22-12-7
(.622) |
Playoffs
NCAA Nats. - 1st Rd.
NCAA Nats. - 1st Rd.
-
- |
As Biola's head coach, O'Keefe has instructed one United Soccer Coaches Association Scholar All-American, one CSC Scholar All-American, one D2CCA All-American, five United Soccer Coaches Association All-West Region players, seven D2CCA All-West Region selections, one PacWest Player of the Year, two PacWest Defenders of the Year, two PacWest Newcomers of the Year, two PacWest Freshman of the Year, one PacWest Goalkeeper of the Year, 24 All-PacWest selections, eight PacWest Players of the Week, two PacWest Defenders of the Week, and 39 Academic All-PacWest players.
Through the Years
The Eagles finished the
2024 season seventh in the PacWest Conference and were led by four All-PacWest selections.
Ethan Hardin and
Tomislav Jozinovic were Second Team All-PacWest picks and
Brennan Furlan and
Cruz Navarro were named to the PacWest's Third Team.
2023 was a rebuilding year for the men's soccer team who welcomed 18 new players.
Luca McGreevey Couchman had an outstanding freshman campaign, leading Biola with eight goals which was fourth-best in the conference. McGreevey Couchman was named the PacWest Freshman of the Year and was one of the Eagles' three all-conference selections. McGreevey Couchman and Ethan Hardin were selected to the PacWest's Second Team and
Tom Irion was a Third Team All-PacWest pick.
2022 was an exciting season for Biola. O'Keefe's 2022 squad made program history as the first Biola men's soccer team to win the PacWest Conference and made a return to the NCAA West Regional with the PacWest's automatic qualifier bid. BU fought hard in Texas, but ended up losing 1-0 in their opening round against Midwestern State University Texas.
Under O'Keefe's leadership, the Eagles earned four of the PacWest's six major individual awards including PacWest Player of the Year (
Kristian Colaci), Defender of the Year (
Izaac Zausch), Newcomer of the Year (
Jakob Schnitzler) and Goalkeeper of the Year (
JD Gunn). He also contributed to nine all-conference selections, six all-region picks, one D2CCA All-American, one CSC Scholar All-American and 19 Academic All-PacWest players.
Colaci earned All-American status under two publications. The Graduate Student transfer was a key component of Biola's 2022 success, ending the season with 15 goals which was the seventh-most in Division II. He was also named the Biola Male Athlete of the Year at the annual Eddies Gala.
2021 was a historic year for O'Keefe and the Biola men's soccer program. O'Keefe led his 2021 team to their highest conference placement since 2015 (third place) and first-ever NCAA West Regional where they lost in the opening round to Cal Poly Pomona.
O'Keefe's team was showered with well-deserved awards for the 2021 season. The Eagles received three of the PacWest's six major individual awards, including Defender of the Year (Zausch), Newcomer of the Year (
Theo Le Calve) and Freshman of the Year (
Adam Jones). He also contributed to eight all-conference selections, three all-region picks, one United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-American, and 20 Academic All-PacWest players.
Zausch was Biola's Scholar All-American who was a key part of the Eagles' 2021 success. The Junior Defender played the full 90 in every match and was able to contribute offensively, scoring three goals and one assist. He was also the 2021 Biola Male Athlete of the Year.
Before Biola
Before his return to Biola, O'Keefe spent two seasons at Westcliff University. In 2019, O'Keefe coached both the inaugural men's and women's soccer teams who, under his guidance, saw immediate success with a combined winning percentage of .863. In 2019 and 2020, O'Keefe helped the men's and women's soccer teams achieve a 19-6-4 combined overall record.
O'Keefe began working with LA Galaxy in 2018 as International Scout whose job was to bring back talent to the Galaxy 2 USL squad. He has maintained his involvement with LA Galaxy over the years and currently serves as an Academy Scout and Team Chaplain.
O'Keefe also left his mark on the men's soccer program at Pacifica Christian High School where he took on the role as head coach in 2017. He served as the head coach of the Tritons for three years and was named Coach of the Year all three seasons.
Playing Career
O'Keefe played in the PDL for three seasons before signing a contract to play professionally in Salzburg, Austria.
O'Keefe is a Biola men's soccer alum who played four seasons with the Eagles from 2012-2015. During his playing career at Biola, he was the GSAC Player of the Year, a NAIA First Team All-American and was selected to an All-GSAC team three times. O'Keefe, a midfielder, scored 28 goals and contributed 21 assists throughout his career.
He has this to say about rejoining Biola Athletics:
"I graciously accept the stewardship role that I have been given and I intend on developing generations of quality student-athletes that Biola can be proud of. The opportunity to pour back into the young men of this program is a dream come true for me. I am committed to the growth of these young men; spiritually, academically and athletically."
