University of Providence Athletics

Brian Clarke is in his 13th season as head coach of the University of Providence women's soccer team. He became the second head coach of the Lady Argos in 2008 and leads the program into its 16th season of competition this fall. Clarke looks to continue the growth of the Argo women's soccer program which began under his predecessor, Jamie Rizzuto.

The 2014 season was a breakthrough campaign for the Lady Argos, as they finished 9-8-2. The stellar season included the program’s first victory over a ranked team and first playoff victory before UP was ousted in the Frontier/North Star Conference Tournament semifinals. For his efforts Clarke was named the Frontier Conference Coach of the Year.

The 2014 Lady Argos also impressive individual performances as senior forward Dani De La Vina established single-game and single-season records for goals with five and 11, respectively. De La Vina and senior defender Kandace Leliefeld each were named to the All-Conference first team while senior goalkeeper Jocelyn Morris and junior defender Chelsea Roughsedge earned honorable mention.

In 2015, Lauren Ozdowski set the team assist record with 6. In addition, the 2015 team set a record for ties in a season with 5.

In the last season in the Frontier Conference, 18 Lady Argos earned Academic All-Conference honors and six were named NAIA Scholar-Athletes. Leliefeld and De La Vina were all named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America’s (NSCAA) 2014 Women’s College Division Scholar All-West Region Second Team while Morris, Roughsedge and Kendra DeJanovich received honorable mention. The NSCAA West Region covers programs from NCAA Division II, Division III and NAIA.

In 2015, Alejandra Guzman earned a NSCAA West Region Second Team honor, which was a first in program history.

Clarke came to the University of Providence from the University of Mary in Bismarck, N. D. The Newcastle, Wyo., native competed from 2002-2005 for the Marauders. Clarke was named team captain his senior year and was also selected as an NAIA All-American Scholar-Athlete.

He helped his team advance to the NAIA regional playoffs during three of his seasons at the school. During Clarke's senior year, the institution was in the process of making the transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II and the team was not eligible for postseason play or accolades.

After completing his playing career at the University of Mary, Clarke stepped into the assistant coach's role for the 2006 season. After just one season as an assistant, Clarke was promoted to interim head coach in January 2007. During the 2008 season he helped the team complete its first season as a NCAA Division II team. The Marauders tallied a 4-13-1 record in a major rebuilding effort during Clarke's first season.

Since 2008, Clarke's student-athletes have earned 11 Frontier All-Conference and five All-Conference honorable mention awards. UP joined the Cascade Conference as an associate member in 2015 and garnered one All-Conference second team member as well as two honorable mentions. The team earned four postseason trips in the Frontier Conference and one as a Cascade Conference member.

Academically, the program has been honored by the NAIA and NSCAA for being a Scholar Team each year. A total of 95 Argos have been tabbed as Academic All-Conference with 34 being named NAIA Scholar-Athletes. The 16 honored by the Cascade Conference in 2015 were a conference high for women's soccer programs. The team has also had five student-athletes named to the Scholar All-West Region first and second teams. In addition, 10 have earned Scholar All-West Region honorable mention.

Brian married Kaila Fowler on June 22, 2013, and they welcomed a son, Aidan, in August 2015 and Elijah, in July 2018.