Andrew Shirley enters his second year as an Assistant Coach for the Men's Soccer program in 2023.

In 2022, the Blugolds earned the program's first berth into the NCAA postseason in just their second year. UWEC went on to defeat Luther College 3-1 and fell in a penalty kick shootout to Gustavus Adolphus College to cap off their historic season.

Most recently, Shirley signed a contract with Dutch semi-professional club RKSV Bekkerveld ahead of the 21/22 season, playing under former Borussia Dortmund and Dutch National Team Assistant Coach Dick 'Cookie' Voorn. His one season there ended with Bekkerveld finishing 4th in the league and qualifying for the Eerste Klasse promotion playoffs. 

Prior to playing in the Netherlands, Shirley enjoyed a successful playing career at the University of St. Thomas, where he played under Coach Holm. Shirley's time there included three NCAA Sweet 16 appearances, two NCAA Elite 8 appearances, and one NCAA Final Four appearance. Shirley's four year stint for the Tommies also included three MIAC regular season championships and two MIAC Playoff championships and is the winningest four-year span in program history with 70 wins. Shirley also served as team captain for the Tommies during the 2019 season. 

In addition to his career at St. Thomas, Shirley also spent time playing with the academy of Dutch professional side MVV Maastricht, as well as with TSV Kornburg and SV Schwaig in the German Landesliga and Bezirksliga, respectively. 

While attending the University of St. Thomas, Shirley also served as a staff coach at Minneapolis United Soccer Club, working as a head coach for U13 Boys and an assistant coach for U17 and U19 Boys, coaching multiple players who went on to play at the collegiate level. Shirley also helped to create and implement the curriculum for Minneapolis United summer camps. 

Updated: 7/6/23