Steve Rammel Hometown: Walnut Creek, CA Position: Head Coach Experience: 5th Year Alma Mater: Rutgers, 1990

Entering his fifth season as the head coach of the Saint Mary's men's soccer team is Steve Rammel. During his time here, he has coached 15 players to All-West Coast Conference honors, including a 2004 Freshman All-American, and has broken a school record for most consecutive shutouts, with four in 2001.

The 2004 season saw Rammel lead his team to an 5-10-5 overall record and a 2-8-2 conference mark. In the 2003 season Rammel guided the Gaels to eight wins, the most in his campaign, which included victories over No. 11-ranked Rutgers and No. 14-ranked Loyola Marymount, the first time the program has beaten two ranked teams in a season, since defeating three ranked opponents in 1991. In the 25-year history of the men's soccer program, SMC has defeated two or more ranked opponents in the same season twice.

Rammel also coached Freshman All-American Brian Mason in 2004, and coached Matt Fitgerald to First Team All-WCC honors. The Gaels also had two other players earn WCC accolades. Mason was named to the WCC All-Freshman Team and Derek Youpel garnered honorable mention.

Rammel took the helm of the men's soccer program following a three-year stint as the top assistant coach at UCLA where he helped guide the Bruins to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Final Four appearance in 1999.

Prior to his time spent at UCLA, Rammel was an assistant coach at the University of Massachusetts from 1994-96 where he helped guide the Minutemen to their first-ever Atlantic 10 regular season title in 1994. While at UMASS, he earned his master's in business administration in Finance in 1996. Rammel was also the Assistant Director of Coaching with the Colorado Rush youth club. He is currently the Olympic Development Program Region IV Head Coach for the U18 age group, and in March of 2001 he led the U-16 Cal South State Team to a National Championship.

One of Major League Soccer's top players in 1996, Rammel was an All-Star with DC United which won the MLS Cup and the U.S. Open Cup. He scored 14 goals and had four assists to rank eighth in the league in scoring (32 points). Rammel led the league with six game-winning goals, before being traded the following year to the Colorado Rapids. With the Rapids, he helped lead his team to the MLS Championship game. Rammel was also the first player in MLS history to ever record a hat trick.

In addition to his playing experience in the MLS, Rammel played with the U.S. National Team in 1991, and also participated in the 1991 World University Games. He played professionally for two years in Germany for Tus Celle and SC Norderstedt.

Rammel graduated from Rutgers University in 1990 with a bachelor's degree in Economics. At Rutgers, he led his team to an NCAA Final Four appearance in 1989 and to the NCAA Championship game against UCLA in 1990. He garnered First-Team All-American honors as a senior in 1990 and was also the runner-up for the Hermann Trophy, given to the nation's top player. That season he was the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and was a member of Soccer America's Top 10 College Players. He was also the Big East Rookie of the Year during his freshman season.

In high school, Rammel was named the National Player of the Year his senior year according to Parade Magazine. He also garnered an All-American honor after leading West Deptford High School to two state championships.