Chris King begins his sixth year with Academy of Art University Women's Soccer in 2021 and his fifth as the program's head coach. After serving as the assistant in 2016, he was promoted to the head position before the start of the 2017 season.
Navigating a full schedule for the first time since her debut season, Academy of Art highlighted its 2021 campaign with an impressive record from Nicole Peoples, numerous defensive battles, and a sweep of the season series with Holy Names. Selected as the PacWest Defender of the Week twice in September (
Sept. 13,
Sept. 27), Peoples broke the program's records for most consecutive minutes (354 minutes) and saves (36) without a goal allowed over a span of more than three matches. A
3-0 win over HNU on Oct. 10 pushed ART U's combined score versus the Hawks to 4-0 with Reyna Valencia, who led the team with eight points, either scoring or assisting all four goals. Women's soccer ended the year with 16 honorees on the
Academic All-PacWest Team, marking the fourth consecutive time leading all Academy of Art sport programs.
During the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season, ART U captured a pair of victories along with other individual achievements, including three Urban Knights on the
2020-21 All-PacWest Northern California Team in Sydney Cooke, Brooklyn Morera and Katie Williams. It was the first time in ART U history in which they had at least three selections to an All-PacWest Team, having had one selection at each position. The group was highlighted by Morera's career-high four-goal season at forward in which ended the year with a total of nine points, two points off of her career best. In the PacWest, Morera tied for second in goals, tied for first in game-winning goals (2), sixth in points (1.33/game) and sixth in shots on goal (7). For her two-goal effort during
ART U’s 2-0 win over Holy Names, Morera would be named the
PacWest Player of the Week on Feb. 15, the only Urban Knight to earn the distinction in 2021. Meanwhile, women’s soccer would be well represented on the
2020-21 Academic All-PacWest Team, with 13 student-athletes earning the honor.
ART U's 2019 campaign saw the program collect seven victories and take another step forward. Among the team success came broken records, memorable victories, and individual accolades highlighted by the program's
first ever All-Region awards as the Urban Knights placed not one, but two players on the West-Region Team (Anissa Wilson and Sydney Cooke). The first part of September was marked by two PacWest weekly honors for Wilson and one for goalkeeper Lara Pflicke as the squad went 4-1-1 to open the season with Wilson scoring seven goals in that span. A pair of 2-1 victories over Azusa Pacific and Dominican came prior to a 5-0 win on Senior Day hosting Fresno Pacific. At the year's end, Wilson had become the program's new single-season and career record holder for goals scored, Cooke assumed the honor of ART U's career assist leader, and 16 Urban Knights earned
Academic All-PacWest honors to once again lead all Academy of Art sport programs.
In just his second year at the helm of the program in 2018, King led the Urban Knights to the most wins in program history. En route, the team broke the winning streak record by winning five straight matches, during a span in which the Knights outscored opponents 20-2. At the end of the academic year, women's soccer placed 18 individuals on the
Academic All-PacWest Team, more than any other sport at Academy of Art, giving the team 27 individual Academic All-PacWest selections in King's first two years on staff.
Before joining the Urban Knights' coaching staff, he had experience coaching in many different capacities. For six years (2009-2015), he coached multiple travel teams for the San Francisco Vikings Soccer Club and served as their Technical Director from 2013-2014. Starting in 2010, the San Francisco native served in multiple coaching roles including assistant coach at City College of San Francisco (2011-2014) and SF State (2015), head coach at College of Marin (2014-2015), and women’s varsity coach at Sacred Heart Cathedral (2010-present).
King also serves as head coach of the 02 Girls California State team for the Olympic Development Program (ODP). There, he selects the top 40 players from California clubs of which 18 travel and compete across the country. From his team, the top performers are selected to the regional and then youth national team.
King graduated from Cal State East Bay in 2013 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Recreation.
Head Coach, ART U
2017 - 2021
| Year |
Overall (Pct.) |
PacWest (Place) |
| 2021 |
2-11-2 (.200) |
1-9-0 (10th) |
| 2020* |
2-4-0 (.333) |
2-4-0 (3rd NorCal) |
| 2019 |
7-8-3 (.472) |
3-6-2 (8th) |
| 2018 |
8-8-2 (.500) |
2-7-2 (10th) |
| 2017 |
1-16-1 (.083) |
1-12-0 (13th) |
| Totals |
20-47-8 (.320) |
9-38-4 (.216) |
*Year shortened due to COVID-19
