SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Head men’s soccer coach Greg Hooks announced today the hiring of Geoff del Forn as assistant men’s soccer coach at USC Upstate.  Del Forn will assist in all facets of the soccer program.

“I am thrilled about the opportunity to serve as an assistant soccer coach here at Upstate,” said del Forn.  “This is a program with a rich history and one with the potential to do great things.  It will be hard to fill the shoes of Coach Gary Lynch, but with the knowledge and experience that Coach Hooks has, I am positive that we can continue to grow and improve. 

Del Forn joins the Spartans after two seasons as an assistant coach at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va.  He served as the recruiting coordinator and worked primarily with the goalkeepers.  In his first season as an assistant, the Generals finished with an overall record of 9-6-2 and a 4-5-1 mark in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC).  Washington and Lee earned a berth in the 2008 ODAC conference tournament. 

Prior to his coaching stint at Washington and Lee, del Forn was a member of the men’s soccer team at the University of South Carolina from 2004-08.  He graduated from South Carolina in May of 2008 with a degree in Sport and Entertainment Management.

“I cannot wait to meet the team as I have heard great things about them and I look forward to the preseason to get things going,” added del Forn.  “I am looking forward to the preseason so we can get things going as we have a difficult schedule this upcoming season.  Our non-conference schedule is going to be a challenge for us, but it is one that will prepare us for conference play and hopefully postseason play.  Our main focus is to get our student-athletes to work together and play as a single unit so that we can be successful.”

The Spartans will begin the 2010 season with an exhibition against Clemson at County University Soccer Stadium on Aug. 24 at 7:00 p.m.  The regular season will begin on Sept. 1 when Upstate travels to Statesboro, Ga. to face Georgia Southern at 4:00 p.m.