About King's Men's Soccer

The men's soccer program at King's became a varsity sport in 1980 and the Monarchs have developed into a highly competitive program in the Middle Atlantic Conferences.   

The Monarchs began a new era in 2006 with the arrival of head coach Mark Bassett who owns a great deal of experience as a national championship winner during his days as a player at Messiah College.

Bassett was part of one of the most successful Division III programs in the nation and helped Messiah to four straight Division III national tournament berths, including the 2000 national title. During his time at King's Coach Bassett has made a major impact on the program.

In just his second year at King's, he led the Monarchs to a second-place finish in the 2007 Freedom Conference Tournament, falling one win shy of reaching the NCAA Division III National Tournament.  In 2008, he guided the Monarchs to a program-best 16-1-5 record and the Eastern College Athletic Conference Southern Region Tournament championship. The 2009 version of King's soccer advanced to the semi-finals of the Freedom Conference Tournament.   The 2012 squad was also reached the conference tournament semi-finals.

In 2013, the Monarchs made history by winning the team's first-ever Freedom Conference championship while qualifying for the NCAA Division III National Tournament for the first time in  school history. The Monarchs then doubled their pleasure by repeating as Freedom Conference winners and NCAA national qualifiers for the second straight year. King's nearly made it a three-peat in 2015 by finising in first place in the regular-season but falling in the league title game. King's made a fourth straight tournament appearance in 2016.

While King's has been consistent contenders for post-season play, the soccer program has also performed quite well in the classroom. Since 2000, a total of 120 Monarch players were named to the MAC Academic Honor Roll after posting grade-point averages of at least 3.20.

On the field, King's competes for an opportunity to qualify for the Freedom Conference Championships as the top four teams from within the conference earn post-season berths. In 1999, the NCAA restructured its national tournament criteria and began awarding the Freedom Conference winner an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III National Championships, further increasing King’s chances of competing at the national level.

King’s typically faces a rugged 18-game schedule and play its home games at Robert L. Betzler Athletic Complex. The team plays the majority of its games on King's multi-purpose synthetic turf field, McCarthy Stadium. Constructed in 2008, the field features lights, allowing the Monarchs to play night games. King's will occasionally play on the natural grass surface of Leffler Field, also located in the Betzler Complex.

Included are spirited annual contests with local rivals Wilkes, Misericordia, Scranton, and Marywood, aside from an always challenging conference slate.

In April, the Monarchs partake in a spring practice campaign that also features the annual Alumni Game. A fund-raising golf tournament also takes place to benefit the program. The team also travels to Europe every three years to play a series of exhibition games while also enjoying sight-seeing and experiencing different cultures.


Last updated 6/1/17


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