Former Luther soccer coach Doug Mello is retiring

Former Luther College Men's Soccer Coach Doug Mello has announced his retirement, bringing to a close a 45-year career as a soccer coach. Doug Mello was Luther College's men's and women's soccer head coach for 18 years, from 1993 to 2011. He led the Norse women to three Iowa Conference championships and an overall record of 219-120-26. The women never missed the Iowa Conference postseason tournament, producing a league record of 76-19-5. He coached 56 all-conference performers, including five league MVPs. His men's teams won six IIAC titles and made five NCAA Division III National Tournament appearances, reaching the Elite 8 in 1996 and 2001. His 1996 team won the Far West Region championship, and the 2001 squad captured the Central Region title, making Luther the only school to be crowned champions of two different regional tournaments. During his tenure, the Norse posted an overall record of 240-119-13 and a league record of 80-19-2, and never missed qualifying for the IIAC postseason tournament. Luther still holds the NCAA Division III record for consecutive conference wins with 42. Fifty-seven student-athletes were named all-conference, and six were selected league MVPs.Mello left Luther in 2011. His latest coaching job has been as head men's and women's soccer coach at Carroll College in Montana-the college's first and only men's soccer coach. He started the program in the fall of 2014. Mello is the only collegiate coach to have won over 400 men's matches and over 275 women's matches. He finishes his career fourth all-time in NAIA Men's Soccer wins (494) and tied for ninth all-time in NAIA Women's Soccer wins (282). He finishes his career in eighth place all-time on the United Soccer Coaches Men's coaches win record for victories.