RUSTON – Vice President and Director of Athletics Ryan Ivey announced Tuesday the hiring of Matt Lodge as the next head coach for the Louisiana Tech soccer program. Lodge will be the fourth head coach for the Bulldogs in program history.
 
"I am extremely excited to welcome Matt and his wife, Brooke, and daughters, Millie and Frankie, to Louisiana Tech and Ruston," Ivey said. "During this search, we wanted someone with a proven track record of success in developing student-athletes on and off the field. Matt has a tremendous amount of respect in the soccer community, and has built a competitive and sustainable program at Murray State. He brings a clear vision for elevating our program, and I am confident he and his family will fit well with our vision and CHAMP values."
 
A native of Doncaster, England, Lodge was the head coach for the Murray State women's soccer program for the past eight seasons following a four-year stint as an assistant for the Racers from 2014-17. Lodge amassed 70 wins during his tenure, becoming the winningest coach in program history.
 
"First of all, I would like to thank Ryan Ivey and Dr. Jim Henderson for this incredible opportunity for myself and my family," Lodge said. "As soon as I stepped foot onto campus, I knew it was a place I would call home. With our top-notch facilities, resources and support of our administration we can build something really special in Ruston. I am walking into a program of players that I know are hungry to succeed and capable of building this program into something to be proud of. I want to thank Wally Crittenden for his work during this process. Finally, I want to thank my incredible wife, Brooke, for her unwavering support as always."
 
Since taking over the reins for the Racers in 2018, Lodge has produced 38 all-conference selections as well as league specialty awards including Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year. He is also the first coach in MSU history to help guide his coaching staff to a Staff of the Year award in the Ohio Valley Conference and Missouri Valley Conference.
 
A two-time Coach of the Year honoree, Lodge helped guide the Racers to an Ohio Valley Conference regular season title in the adjusted 2020-21 season following a 9-1 record in league play. In his first year as head coach, he led Murray State to an OVC Tournament title that was followed by the program's fifth ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
 
"During his time at Murray State, Matt has had tremendous success on and off the field," Ivey added. "From winning multiple championships to developing players into numerous all-conference and superlative awards, he possesses a strong commitment to developing successful student-athletes. Having played at a high collegiate level at the University of Kentucky, Matt knows what it takes to be successful."
 
Lodge was a four-year letterwinner during his collegiate career at Kentucky, being named the Wildcats' first Freshman All-American selection in 2009 and being named to the All-CUSA team in 2012. During his senior year he was named team captain, and helped lead Kentucky to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in nine seasons.
 
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