Wytse (Veetz-a) Molenaar did not wait long to make UW-Oshkosh a national title contender. In his first season leading the Titans, Molenaar achieved a 20-1-3 record and a third-place finish at the NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Championship.

UW-Oshkosh went undefeated for 23 matches under its rookie head coach during 2010. The Titans posted wins in 11 straight contests at one point, eventually reaching the playoffs with a 16-0-3 mark. Molenaar’s group then won four tournament matches on its home field to reach the Final Four in San Antonio, Texas.

After leading UW-Oshkosh to a share of the WIAC title (3-0-1 record), Molenaar received the league’s Coach of the Year honor. He was also selected the North Region Coach of the Year by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).

Molenaar’s team dominated its first 23 opponents in 2010, racking up a school-record 18 shutouts. The defense yielded just 0.36 goals per game, while the Titans booked a season scoring margin of 62-9. Seven UW-Oshkosh players were named all-conference, as six made the all-region squad and one earned NCAA Division III All-America status.

Before taking the lead job, Molenaar was an assistant coach with the Titans from 2004-08. He spent the previous 11 years as the director of coaching for FC Green Bay. Molenaar, a native of the Netherlands, played for NCAA Division II California State-Dominguez Hills from 1990-92. He came to the United States as a foreign exchange student in 1988, attending El Segundo High School in California.

Molenaar, 40, has an “A” license from the United States Soccer Federation and a premier license from the NSCAA, while also being certified by the Royal Dutch Soccer Association. He earned a degree in business administration from UW-Oshkosh in 2006. Molenaar and his wife, Jeanne (also a UW-Oshkosh graduate), live in Neenah.

- Written August 1, 2011 -

Benjamin Winter enters his first season as an assistant men’s soccer coach at UW-Oshkosh.

Winter joins Molenaar’s staff from St. Mary’s Springs Academy High School in Fond du Lac (Wis.). He coached both the boys and girls since the program's inaugural season in 1999.

Winter played in the midfield for Marian University from 1994-97. He was a member of the 1995 Saber squad that won the Lake Michigan Conference, went undefeated in league play and made an appearance in the NAIA tournament.

Winter is currently the President of the Fond du Lac Soccer Association.  He is also the President/Owner of Graphic Design Marketing in Fond du Lac. Winter has one daughter, Breanna.

- Written August 1, 2011 -