George Kiefer out as NC State men’s soccer coach

NC State announced Friday that George Kiefer has been let go—beg pardon, they “mutually agreed to part ways”—after seven seasons at the helm of the men’s soccer program. Kiefer’s 2023 team finished 6-9-3 overall and 1-5-2 in the always-tough ACC, the season capped by a 5-0 loss to Syracuse in the ACC tournament.

Like all of Debbie Yow’s non-revenue coaching hires, Kiefer made good sense at the time he was brought on board—he’d built an impressive track record at USF, and he was a good recruiter. His addition brought immediate returns, as State went to the NCAAs in each of his first three seasons, but the Pack never finished above fifth in the ACC, or with a league record over .500. Again, tough neighborhood.

It fell apart after that. The NC State soccer job is a tough one—the Pack came into 2023 with an all-time ACC record of 112-256-54—and may require a truly special coach to establish sustained success. The league is always difficult, and State doesn’t boast the best facilities or tradition, though fan support has improved substantially with the move to an on-campus venue. Someone who knows better could speculate about the true potential of this program, but I have no idea. All we can say for sure is that it’s been a rough 21st century.