Central Oregon Community College finished the Fall 2023 Men’s Soccer season with a record of three wins, two losses and one draw. The team is led by Head Coach, Peter Quies. This is his third year coaching the COCC team.
Quies has not only been a head coach, but he was also one of the first American players to play in Europe.
“You know, I wasn’t always soccer crazy… so it grew on me when I finally really understood it, and it became something that I loved, said Quies. “I had no idea I could ever play, but a guy saw me and he was a coach of just a men’s league team here in the States and said you should go play in Mexico I’ll send you there.”
Quies didn’t play for the team in Mexico but that’s when he started believing in himself to play pro.
“Having someone believe in you makes everything a lot easier,” said Quies
Quies spent five months studying coaching full-time at one of the German Soccer Federation’s Schools.
Quies has completed an English FA coaching course and holds a United States Soccer Federation “A”, coaching license.
“My dad was a coach; I learned coaching from him,” said Quies “I knew it was an educational process that I had to specialize in next. Not just because you can play, you can coach more importantly to be a teacher. I needed to be legitimate, I’ve got certifications, and so forth.”
Quies coaching program is about training and playing hard but also enjoying the game and having fun while playing.
“When you play as hard as you can, and you’re alive and you’re full of energy.. that’s what I try to bring the enthusiasm in soccer…intensity combined with joy, that’s what I try to do,” said Quies.
“I think that he really focuses on us and that we still enjoy it. So we always end with something fun,” said Sebastian Meyers, a first-year player for the COCC Soccer team. “He definitely makes it a welcoming experience for everyone. We’ve had new people during the whole team and the whole year that he’s found to invite,” said Meyers.
Meyers said he grew up playing soccer and didn’t have a team to play with for a year and a half until he joined the COCC team.
“I know a lot of club coaches feel like they’re above players so it’s nice to have a coach that sees this as equal,” aid Ronen Retzlaff, a first-year player for the COCC Soccer team.
“George Fox was a tough game. We didn’t have any subs so it really took a lot of character for the whole team to make it through it, and now we lost. We’ve moved on and kept growing,” added Retzlaff
Retzlaff concluded the 2023 season taught him leadership skills, and to not only help himself grow but to help his teammates grow.