LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University Director of Athletics James Downer has announced that Mads Kaiser has been elevated to the men's soccer head coach position. Kaiser becomes the 10th head coach in program history with the team heading into its 39th season in 2023.
 
"I'm thrilled to have Mads assume leadership of our men's soccer program," said Downer. "First and foremost, he's a tremendous fit for our institution, department and most importantly, our student-athletes. We have long considered Mads a rising star in the profession and I'm eager to see him not only build upon the foundation that Coach Frank Olszewski established, but chart his own legacy of success at Saint Francis. I'm entirely confident that the program will continue to make substantial gains under Coach Kaiser's guidance." 
 
Kaiser, originally from Rheinberg, Germany, becomes the head coach after serving as an assistant coach for the Red Flash in last two seasons. This season, fellow countryman Jordaine Jaeger (Munich, Germany) was named the Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year, while Kaiser has also coached an All-NEC second-team performer and four NEC All-Rookie selections. Kaiser also helped the Loretto program return to the league postseason in 2022 after all five fall teams made the postseason for Saint Francis for the first time.
 
"I would like to express my gratitude to James Downer along with the hiring committee for giving me the opportunity to be the head men's soccer coach at Saint Francis University," said Kaiser. "I'd also like to thank all former teammates, coaches, staff and colleagues who have helped and shaped me along the way. Special thanks to Frank Olszewski for his mentorship and for preparing me for this role over the past six years."

Before coming to Saint Francis, Kaiser worked as the head coach at Kings Hammer SC in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he guided the U12 academy team to the state cup quarter finals in his first season. 

"This is a special group of student athletes, and I am honored and extremely motivated to build on the success this team has had on and off the field, and to help them along their way to elevate the program to the next level," said Kaiser. "I am eager to get started and enhance the winning culture, celebrating the past while building our future."

Kaiser got his start in coaching as an assistant coach for the men's soccer team at Regis University for three seasons in Denver, Colorado. In three years with the Rangers, he helped the squad to a 21-12-5 overall record and coached 12 All- Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) performers (three first team, nine second team). In 2019, the team went 11-6-3 overall and 9-4-1 in RMAC play and advanced to the championship game for the first time in three seasons. 

Kaiser was a four-year letterwinner at Davis and Elkins College in West Virginia, where he aided the team to a 40-23-11 record. With Frank Olszewski as the head coach, who Kaiser would later serve as an assistant coach and replace at Saint Francis, Kaiser and the Senators would go 14-3-4 and advance to the NCAA Division II second round for the first time in decades, while the 14 wins were the third-most in program history.

Kaiser made the Great Midwest Academic All-Conference Team in 2016 and 2017, and was named to Second Team All-Conference in 2017. He also got recognized with the Joe Carroll Leadership Award during his time as a team captain. He was also awarded with the Academic Achievement Award of the Sport Science department at Davis and Elkins in 2018 and received the ADA Academic Achievement Award in 2017.

Kaiser graduated from Davis and Elkins in 2018 with a Bachelor's degree in sports management, and earned his Master's degree in marketing from Regis in 2020.

What They Are Saying About Mads Kaiser
Frank Olszewski – Notre Dame University of Maryland Men's Soccer Head Coach
"Mads is a great choice to lead the program. I have full confidence that he will be prepared and organized to build on the success of the team. He will be working with a great group of students-athletes and people. It is a fantastic combination. He knows the game and how to convey that to players. He understands the culture at St. Francis and how it is a special place. He has developed as a coach and will continue to do so because he is a real student of the game."
 
Mandi Larkin – West Virginia University Potomac State College Director of Athletics
"I'm thrilled for both Mads and for Saint Francis to learn that he has been chosen as the new head coach of the men's soccer program. Mads is not only a great coach but a great person. His background both as a player and a coach make him well prepared to continue the success the program has already developed. He is a constant student of the game and his coaching is reflected in this way. And you would be hard pressed to find a better character individual. I have no doubt he will generate success in all facets of this collegiate program." 
 
Bediako Swan – Daemen University Men's Soccer Head Coach
"Over the years, Mads has made remarkable strides as a coach. I believe it is because of his commitment to development and growth in all the aspects that makes a coach impactful to a team and university. Saint Francis University will be happy to receive a person who will be emotionally invested in the holistic advancement of those young men in the soccer program."