Nathan Mason became the William Woods University head men’s soccer coach during the summer of 2008. Mason is the fifth men’s soccer coach at William Woods and is currently the record holder for the most wins in program history. The program was founded in 1997.
In his first season, Coach Mason and the Owls posted a 9-9-1 record. The nine victories was the largest win total since the 2000 season (13 wins). WWU improved on that success during the 2009 season. The Owls finished the year 11-6-1 and 4-3 in the American Midwest Conference. WWU tied for third in the AMC in 2009 and finished the year with the most conference wins in the history of the program.
WWU reached the 11-win mark again in 2010. The Owls earned a victory over Hannibal-LaGrange University in the AMC Quarterfinals before falling to top seed Park University in the Semifinals. The 2010 season produced the AMC Freshman of the Year (Marcelo Carreiro) and the most single-season All-Conference selections in school history.
In 2013, the Owls won the most AMC games in program history (six). Also, in 2013, Marcelo Carreiro became the school’s all-time leader in career points (105), breaking the previous mark of 104 set by John Hayes and held since 2004.
During the 2015 season, Mason led the Owls to a 9-7-3 record and a mark of 5-3-3 in the AMC for a sixth-place finish, which was led by All-AMC Honorable Mention players Conor Foxall and Lendell Louis-Jaquces. The Owls tallied 12 wins in 2016, the most wins in the program history since they won 13 games in 2000. The 2016 season produced the first NAIA All-American in school history as Rodrigo Alves earned Honorable Mention honors.
The 2017 season the Owls Men’s soccer team went to new heights as they were Co-AMC Regular Season Champions and advanced to the NAIA Men’s Soccer National Championship – Opening Round. Both were the first time the men’s soccer has achieved these accomplishments. The Owls tied the most wins (13) in a single season during the 2017 season, which saw the Owls have a 15-game unbeaten streak stretch. The 2017 season produced six First Team All-AMC selections and three NAIA All-American Honorable Mention Honors, including Rodrigo Alves, who became the first two-time NAIA All-American in program history.
The Owls placed second in the AMC regular season in 2018, and their season came to an end in the semifinal round of the AMC Championship. They finished the season with a 13-4-3 mark. Coming out of the 2018 season was the program's first AMC Player of the Year, Billy Nyzojyibwami. He was also tabbed an NAIA All-American Honorable Mention, AMC Freshman of the Year and AMC First Team All-Conference. The Owls had six AMC All-Conference selections total.
The Owls snuck into the 2019 AMC Championship, grabbing the final seed. The Owls fell in the opening round, ending their season with a 6-13 record.
During the 2020-2021 season, the Owls went 4-5-1 overall. Their season came to an end after falling to Columbia College in the Quarterfinals of the AMC tournament. The Owls had four AMC All-Conference selections. He also had eight players named to Academic All-AMC Team.
Mason came to William Woods from Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge, Iowa. Mason spent one year as the head coach at Iowa Central. During his one season at Iowa Central, the Triton’s went 8-10-1, and advanced to the Region XI Tournament. They were eliminated in the third round of the Regional Tournament by Marshalltown Community College.
Prior to Iowa Central, Coach Mason served as the head women’s soccer coach at Neosho County Community College in Chanute, Kansas, in 2006. Mason guided Neosho County to a 12-7-1 record, and the Region Semifinals that season. The two previous seasons, Mason served as an assistant men’s coach at Neosho County.
Mason has a National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Premier Diploma and Advanced National Goalkeeping Diploma. He also holds a United States Soccer Federation (USSF) “D” license.
Coach Mason is a graduate of Hazelwood Central High School in St. Louis, Missouri. He began his collegiate playing career at State Fair Community College. He played two seasons for the Roadrunners. Mason was a member of the 1999 National Junior College Athletic Association National Championship team.
Mason finished his playing career at McKendree University. He was a two-time All-American Midwest Conference player. He graduated from McKendree in 2005 with a Bachelor of Science in education.
Coach Mason received his Master of Education degree in athletics activities administration at William Woods University.
