Thursday, February 23, 2023
by Western Oregon Athletic Communications

MONMOUTH, Ore. - University of Pittsburgh men's assistant soccer coach Michael Behonick is the next Western Oregon head men's soccer coach.
 
"We are happy to welcome Coach Behonick to Western Oregon University," WOU director of athletics Randi Lydum said. "The experience he brings to our young program is exciting and we look forward to his leadership within our department. The GNAC is an incredibly tough NCAA Division II conference and we believe Coach Behonick is ready for this challenge."
 
During his seven-year tenure at Pitt, Behonick was instrumental in the remarkable turnaround and resurgence of the University of Pittsburgh men's soccer program in helping guide the Panthers to two Division I College Cup appearances, three consecutive national quarterfinals appearances, two ACC Coastal Division championships as well as four NCAA Division I Tournament appearances. He coached and recruited eight MLS Draft Picks, four All-Americans, four ACC Players of the Year and 37 All-ACC Honorees.

Behonick takes over a WOU men's soccer program heading into its second year of existence after going 2-13-2 in its inaugural season in 2022.

Along with his duties at the University of Pittsburgh, Behonick was also an assistant coach with the United Soccer League (USL) side Pittsburgh Riverhounds. The Riverhounds qualified for the playoffs in each of his three seasons with the club. He also helped coach Danny Vitiello to the Golden Glove award for having the lowest goals against average in the entire USL.

Prior to arriving in Pittsburgh, Behonick spent two years at Penn State while also spending five years at the University of Virginia as an assistant coach. 

During his time in Happy Valley, Behonick helped Penn State secure its first top-20 recruiting class in program history while signing all three high school All-Americans in the state of Pennsylvania that year. During his two seasons at Penn State, the Nittany Lions spent six weeks as the No. 3 team in country, while having one of the stingiest defenses in the entire country. Under the tutelage of Behonick, goalkeeper Andrew Wolverton was selected by the LA Galaxy in the MLS Superdraft.
 
In his five years at the University of Virginia, he helped guide the Cavaliers to five straight NCAA tournament appearances, including a trip to the 2013 NCAA College Cup. Virginia also reached the ACC semifinals or better in his five years with the program. Behonick helped bring some of the best players in the country to Charlottesville during his tenure. With each recruiting class he was involved in ranked in the top 15 in the country and having the No. 2 overall recruiting class in the country three times in that stretch.
 
Over the years, Behonick has served as an assistant coach with U.S. Soccer's U16 & U17 Boys National team, as well as the U.S. Paralympic National Team, helping them qualify for the 2016 Paralympic games in Rio de Janiero. For the past four years, he served as a coach for the MLS Combine.
 
As a professional player, Behonick was a 2003 MLS Superdraft pick of DC United. Behonick went on to play professionally for seven years as a goalkeeper. He spent time with MLS clubs DC United and New York Red Bulls, USL side Puerto Rico Islanders and USL side Charleston Battery, winning a USL championship with Charleston in the 2003 season. Behonick also has a number of caps internationally as a member of the Puerto Rico National Team from 2008-10.
 
Behonick earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from American University in 2003. During his collegiate career with the Eagles, American University made two NCAA Sweet 16 appearances and won a 2001 Patriot League title. He was the only player from the Patriot League to be drafted in the 2003 MLS Superdraft.
 
Behonick holds a United States Soccer Federation (USSF) "A" Coaching License and a USSF Goalkeeping License. 

A New York native, Michael resides in Corvallis with his wife, Lindsey Behonick, who is currently the head volleyball coach at Oregon State, and their two sons: Miles and Aiden.