Pace Athletics Announces Coaching Changes and Additions Ahead of 2025–26 Season

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With the 2025 fall season for Pace Athletics set to kick off on August 30 with football’s opening day, the department has announced several coaching changes and additions ahead of the new academic year. Football enters a new era under the leadership—and return—of Chad Walker, while men’s soccer welcomes its first head coach since reinstatement, and women’s soccer promotes its 2024 associate head coach.

Walker, who previously served as offensive coordinator for the football program from 2014 to 2016—during which time he recruited some of the most well-known names in Pace football history, including Jalen Bien-Aime, Jah’Sheem Martin, and Prince Unaegbu—returns to lead the team for the 2025 campaign.

“We are fired up to come back home to Pace University, a place that we hold dear to our hearts,” Walker said. “I've always believed that Pace University was one of the most underrated universities in the country and has so much to offer students—from diverse academic curriculum and career preparation to internship opportunities and the best location in the world.”

Pace football will kick off the fall season for the department with a nonconference matchup against Saint Anselm College at Northwell Stadium on August 30 at 5:00 p.m. Looking ahead to the season, Walker shared his vision: “This season is about raising our standard—not just talking about excellence but living it every day. I’m most looking forward to seeing our guys grow as athletes, teammates, and men.”

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On the soccer side of Pace Athletics, Edward Evans—who was part of the women’s coaching staff for eleven seasons—was named head coach of the men’s program in January 2025. Brittany Soto, previously associate head coach for women’s soccer, has been promoted to lead the women’s team.

Evans and Pace’s first official men’s soccer roster in thirty-five years will compete in a full eighteen-game Northeast-10 (NE10) Conference schedule. Their first contest is scheduled for September 4 at 3:30 p.m. at Northwell Stadium against Goldey-Beacom College.

“I am excited to bring back the men’s soccer program for the first time since 1990,” said Evans. “It’s an honor to be a part of it, and the support we’ve already received from the soccer community has been incredible.”

Soto joined Pace in fall 2024 as associate head coach for the women’s soccer program. As of January 2025, she has been promoted to head coach and will make her debut on September 5 at 5:00 p.m. at Northwell Stadium against Georgian Court University.

She brings with her a résumé spanning fifteen years at the club and high school levels. In 2021 and 2022, she led the Hopkins School team in Connecticut to the Fairchester Athletic Association (FAA) quarterfinals, and in 2015, was named Head Coach of the Year with the Knoxville Crush.

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“I am truly honored for the incredible opportunity to lead the women’s soccer program and deeply grateful to Coach Evans for his mentorship this past season,” Soto said. “With a rich history and a strong foundation laid by those before me, this program stands on a legacy of excellence. I look forward to building upon that tradition, working closely with our players, and guiding the team toward continued success.”

For full schedules and updates, visit the Pace Athletics website.