After more than a decade guiding the program, Southern Miss head women’s soccer coach Mohammed El-Zare has resigned, the university announced Wednesday.
El-Zare’s decision ends a 13-season tenure that began in 2013.
“We want to thank Coach El-Zare for his dedication and service to our soccer program and to the student-athletes he’s mentored throughout his tenure,” Director of Athletics Jeremy McClain said in a statement. “We wish him nothing but success in his future endeavors.”
A national search for the next head coach will begin immediately, the athletic department said.
El-Zare was hired on Dec. 26, 2012, after previous stops at South Alabama, the University of Mobile, Florida International and St. Thomas University, as well as an extensive career in youth and club soccer. He took over a program that had not recorded a winning season in nearly a decade — and by his fourth year, Southern Miss finished 8-7-2 in 2016, its first winning mark since 2003.
Across 13 seasons, El-Zare compiled an 82-111-34 record, producing just four winning seasons.
A native of Alexandria, Egypt, El-Zare played professionally for the Florida Stars of the USISL and Al-Kuroom Vineyard F.C. in Egypt. He earned his degree from Lincoln Memorial University, where he was a scholarship student-athlete, and holds a USSF “A” license and NSCAA Premier Diploma among several top-level certifications.
El-Zare departs as the longest-tenured head coach in program history, leaving behind a legacy of competitive growth, academic success and program stability.
Southern Miss did not immediately name an interim replacement but said the search for its next head coach is already underway.
