University of St. Thomas Athletics

Program Overview

Men's soccer Program Overview

Points of Pride

  • Won or tied 70 percent of games in 54-year history of the program, with only five seasons with a final losing record
  • Three consecutive top-10 NCAA Division III finishes from 2016-18 (12-3-1 postseason record) 
  • Program’s 70 wins (70-12-8) and five All-America honors to close the last decade ranked among the best in Division III men's soccer
  • Jon Lowery was voted National Coach of the Year in 2016 by D3Soccer.com
  • Lowery’s staff received Regional Coaching Staff of the Year in both 2016 and 2017
  • The 2017 team had D-III's National Player of the Year in Shae Bottum
  • Surpassed 500 all-time wins in 2017 in its 50th season; has surpassed 900 all-time games
  • Swept conference regular-season and playoff championships in both 2016 and 2017
  • Made conference playoff semifinals or finals eight of last 13 seasons in D-III era


In fall 2021 St. Thomas became the first institution to make a direct move in all sports from NCAA D-III into D-I athletics.

Tommie Men's Soccer is one of 18 sports that compete in the Summit League, and is Minnesota's lone Division I men's soccer team. St. Thomas teams also competes in the Pioneer Football League; the WCHA women’s hockey league; and the Central Collegiate Hockey Association for men’s hockey. 

Jon Lowery, a National Coach of the Year in Division III, returns for his 11th season in 2022 to lead year two of the transition into Division I. The Toms averaged better than a 17-3-2 record over the last four full seasons in D-III with a 70-12-8 record (.822 win clip). The first D-I team won its last three games of the season after taking several close losses. Lowery has guided the Purple to a near .700 win percentage over his first 11 seasons.

St. Thomas’ home field is on the university’s south campus features a recently installed turf field. The complex includes new bleachers and scoreboard.

Tommie men’s soccer had only four losing seasons in the program's first 53 seasons through 2020-21. The Toms surpassed 500 all-time wins in 2017 in its 50th season and moved past 900 games in program history with an all-time record of 542-276-96.


Division III Era

St. Thomas has broken through to record top-5 national finishes in 2016 and 2017 and a top-10 finish in 2018. The Tommies' 70 wins over the last four complete seasons in D-III ranked in the top six in Division III men's soccer. The record included a 38-5-4 slate against conference opponents over the same four-year span.

Lowery was selected National Coach of the Year in 2016 by D3Soccer.com and received Regional Coaching Staff of the Year in both 2016 and 2017. 

St. Thomas senior Shae Bottum was named National Player of the Year and MIAC Player of the Year in 2017, and repeated as All-America. Justin Oliver also made second-team All-America in 2017. Mark Heydt was named first-team All-America in 2016. Will Kidd made the 2018 All-America team. Goalie Aidan Hogan closed his career in 2018 and made All-Region. Hogan became the first MIAC Men's Soccer goalie to surpass 50 wins and reach 30 shutouts.

Lowery has guided St. Thomas Men's Soccer's improvement from nine wins in 2014; to 12 wins in 2015; to a school-record 20 wins in 2016; to 22 victories in 2017; and to 16 wins in 2018. The 2017 Tommies became just the third team in the last 27 seasons to post a 10-0 MIAC finish.

In 2017, Lowery's No. 4-ranked St. Thomas team lost in the national playoff quarterfinals, 1-0 on the road at No. 5-ranked North Park (Ill.), to end the season 22-2. The Toms had a 19-game win streak halted and fell one victory shy of a return trip to the national semifinals. St. Thomas won 3-0 the previous day over No. 10-ranked Otterbein. The 2017 UST squad broke a school record for goals with 56. 

The Tommies' 2016 success was historic. They won the program's first solo MIAC title for the first time since 1991 with a conference mark of 7-1-2 and later captured the conference playoff tournament crown to receive an automatic berth into the NCAA playoff tournament. St. Thomas then posted victories over St. Scholastica, Luther, Benedictine (Ill.) and Redlands, including three comeback wins in overtime. They advanced to the Division III Final Four for the first time in program history. The Tommies lost 2-1 to eventual champion Tufts in the semifinals to end their remarkable season with a third-place national finish and a 20-2-3 record. The team also set school records for victories (20) and shutouts (16). 

St. Thomas reached conference playoff finals three consecutive seasons from 2015-2017. The Toms also made the conference playoff semifinals in 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2012. Prior to 2015, the program's last postseason victory came in 1991 in an NCAA playoff win over Macalester.

A young 2019 Tommie team reeled off 11 consecutive wins and shared the conference championship.

 
Tradition

Over the last 42 years, St. Thomas has had just three head coaches: Denzil Lue (1979-2001/242-140-46); Aaron Macke (2002-11/102-57-21); and Lowery (2012-present/115-47-20). 

An Apple Valley, Minn., native, Lowery was named the 1994 Gatorade Minnesota High School Player of the Year. He competed collegiately at Ohio State University and was twice named first-team All-Big Ten. He later enjoyed a four-year professional playing career in both the United Soccer League and Major League Soccer. His 17-year coaching career includes Division I assistant jobs as well as a three-year run as head coach at Hamline University.

Lowery replaced Macke, who had just one losing season in his 10-year run as head coach.

Macke replaced legendary Denzil Lue, who retired in 2001 after he completed his 23rd season with St. Thomas men's soccer. Lue's teams won four MIAC championships and claimed four NCAA tournament berths.