Eddie Salazar
Eddie Salazar

Bio

Head Coach Eddie Salazar '02 will enter his 18th season leading the Bulldogs in 2023. Salazar is the longest-tenured head coach on the Texas Lutheran Athletics staff. 

In his 17 seasons leading the Bulldogs, Salazar has become the all-time wins leader in TLU Men's Soccer history. Salazar has collected an overall record of 128-145-27 and a conference record of 93-100-16.

Texas Lutheran has made the SCAC Tournament eight of the last ten seasons. Salazar led the program to a SCAC Championship in 2019 - the second conference championship in program history and first since 2002's American Southwest Conference Championship.

2022 saw a number of individual accomplishments as five Bulldogs earned conference honors led by Luis Green - who earned his record fifth SCAC Player of the Year and First Team honors - while also earning United Soccer Coaches All-America and College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America honors. Green left Seguin first in SCAC history in goals scored (81), points (182), goals per game (1.04) and points per game (2.33). A nine-time SCAC Offensive Player-of-the-Week honoree during his TLU career, including three times this season, Green finished his career tied for 10th all-time in NCAA history for career goals.

2021 saw the Bulldogs miss the SCAC Tournament for the first time since joining the conference finishing the season with an 8-6-1 mark. Six Bulldogs earned SCAC All-Conference honors including forward Luis Green - who earned SCAC Player of the Year and First Team honors for a record fourth time.

Coach Salazar led the Bulldogs on a historic run in the 2019 season as the Bulldogs claimed their first ever SCAC Men's Soccer Championship and making an NCAA Tournament appearance vs. Claremont Mudd-Scripps in the program's second ever tournament appearance - the last of which Salazar was a member of as a player. The Bulldogs finished the season with a 15-5 record and won the SCAC Championship vs. Trinity University.

Coach Salazar was named the 2018 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Men's Soccer Coach of the Year. 

The 2018 season saw the Bulldogs to their best season since joining the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.

The TLU finished the season with a final record of 11-8 and 9-6 in SCAC contests and the Bulldogs advanced to the 2018 SCAC Men's Soccer Championship semi-finals as the No. 3 seed. 

The Bulldogs fell in their SCAC semi-final matchup 2-1, in overtime against the No. 1 seed Trinity (Texas). The lone goal for TLU came from Edgar Molina (Houston/Klein) with the double-assist credited to Braulio Adam and Green.

In the Bulldogs' opening-round matchup of the SCAC Men's Soccer Championship, TLU won in dominating fashion by a count of 5-1, over the University of Dallas. Luis Green (Monterrey, Mexico,Smithson Valley) had two goals, one unassisted and the other goal had Molina (Houston/Klein) on the assist. Townes(Cypress/Cy Ranch) scored two unassisted goals for the Bulldogs. Nicholas Medina (HoustonSt. Pius X) also had one goal with the assist credited to Nathan Sevigny (San Antonio/Steele).

The Bulldogs were led by freshman forward Luis Green (Monterrey,Mexico/Smithson Valley). Green had one of the most decorated seasons in TLU Bulldog Men's Soccer Program history. He was named to the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division III All-America Third-Team, United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division III All-West Region First-Team.  Green was also the SCAC Offensive Player of the Year, SCAC Newcomer of the Year and was selected to the SCAC First-Team. 

Green (Monterrey, Mexico/Smithson Valley) was the first player in SCAC history to win SCAC Offensive Player of the Year and SCAC Newcomer of the Year in the same season. He had a team high 18 goals and two assists to finish the season with 38 total points. He put 47 shots-on-goal in 87 total shots. He started 17 games and played in all 19 games his freshman year for TLU. 

There were three Bulldogs who earned SCAC Second-Team honors. Eduardo Lopez-Rivera (Round Rock/Stony Point) (D), Cameron Townes (Cypress/Cy Ranch) (MF), and Brendan Soto (Georgetown/East View) (GK).  

In 2017, TLU was one of 303 men's soccer programs in the NCAA Division I, Division II and Division III and the NAIA to receive the team academic award. To receive the national team academic award from United Soccer Coaches, soccer squads must post a team grade point average of 3.0 or higher for a full academic year. The Bulldogs posted a team GPA of 3.03 in 2016-17.

On the pitch in 2017, Texas Lutheran Men's Soccer senior midfielder David Ching (Keller/Keller Central) was to the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference All-Conference First Team. Bulldog sophomore Eduardo Lopez-Rivera (Round Rock/Stony Point) received All-SCAC Honorable Mention.

Ching, a four-year starter, played in 17 total matches and made 16 starts. He scored a team-leading six goals, and he tied for the team lead in assists, with four. Ching recorded an overall point total of 16. Ching led TLU in shots on goal (30) and in total shots (78). He also paced the team in game-winning goals, with four.

TLU finished the year with an overall record of 5-10-4. The Bulldogs went 4-8-2 in conference play and qualified for the SCAC Championship tournament as the No. 5 seed.

In 2016, Texas Lutheran freshman defender Eduardo Lopez-Rivera was named Monday as the SCAC Men's Soccer Co-Newcomer of the Year. Lopez-Rivera (Round Rock/Stony Point) also claimed All-SCAC Second Team honors along with teammates Guillermo Guerra (San Antonio/Brennan) and David Ching (Keller/Central). Guerra is a freshman forward, and Ching is a junior midfielder.

TLU rallied late in the year to secure the No. 3 seed for the 2016 SCAC Tournament and advanced to the SCAC semifinal round after a penalty shootout quarterfinal versus University of Dallas. In the SCAC semifinal against No. 14 Colorado College, TLU lost to 1-0.

The Bulldogs ended the year five wins and a tie in their final seven matches and had a home win on Senior Day over No. 1-ranked Trinity, giving the Tigers their lone loss of the conference schedule.The Bulldogs finished the season with an overall record of 7-12-1 and a conference mark of 7-7. TLU's 2016 roster included 19 freshmen.

In 2015, the Bulldogs went 10-8-1 overall with a 5-3-1 conference record. The 2015 campaign followed up a 2014 season in which the team went 9-9-2 overall and 4-4-1 in the SCAC.
 
TLU finished the 2013 campaign with an 11-8 overall record. The Bulldogs’ 7-7 mark in their first season in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference was good enough for a fourth place SCAC finish.

On July 17, 2006, Salazar was announced as the head coach for Texas Lutheran Men’s Soccer. He was promoted from his post as an assistant coach on the Bulldog staff and took the reigns to the program he played for as a student-athlete. Including his time spent as both a student-athlete and an assistant, Salazar has given 19 years to TLU.
 
Since 2007, Salazar has coached 12 All-Conference First Team members, 17 Second Team members and 23 Third Team or Honorable Mention players.
 
Salazar made the leap to head coach after three years as the lead assistant for Michael Alderson, who coached the Bulldogs for the previous nine years. 
 
In his first campaign as head coach, Salazar guided the Bulldogs to a two-game improvement in the overall record and to a one-game improvement in the conference standings. Salazar coached the ASC Offensive Freshman of the Year Alan Garza, who scored 14 goals for the Bulldogs in the 2006 campaign. Salazar also had the Bulldogs in most every contest despite a thin bench and relatively young roster. TLU pushed Hardin-Simmons, the eventual conference champion, to overtime at TLU’s Gustafson Field. 
 
Salazar lettered and started in all of his four seasons at TLU. As a defender and a three-year captain, Salazar was a two-time ASC All-Conference selection and a two-time ASC West Division First Team choice. 
 
The Bulldogs won the 2002 ASC Championship with two ASC Championship Tournament victories at TLU’s Gustafson Field. The Bulldogs then made their first-ever appearance in an NCAA Division III tournament game and hosted No. 1-ranked Trinity University (Texas) at Gustafson Field. The Bulldogs lost to Trinity 3-0 and ended the year with a sterling record of 14-4-2.
 
Salazar graduated from TLU in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology.  
 
Salazar, a graduate of San Antonio’s Robert E. Lee High School, has been a trainer for the Classics Elite Soccer Academy in San Antonio. He has trained the ’00 girls age group and U-16 USSF Developmental Academy. Salazar currently holds an NSCAA Advanced National Diploma and a USSF National “A” License. 
 
In addition to his assistant coaching duties at TLU, Salazar also coached at Central Catholic High School in San Antonio. As head coach, Salazar led Central Catholic to a 24-2-1 record in the 2005-06 season, Salazar’s only season with the high school team. Central Catholic advanced to the TAPPS 6A state semifinals in the 2005-06 season.

Salazar and his wife, Holly, are the parents of a daughter, Isla Wren.