Ben Sohrabi
Head Women's Soccer Coach

THE SOhrabi FILE

Profile:

Ben Sohrabi is entering his 13th season at the helm of the Highlanders. He has guided Radford to two Big South Championships and two NCAA Tournament appearances. He has been awarded for his success with a pair of Coach of the Year honors and three of his athletes have been named Player of the Year in the last seven seasons.

In 2006, Sohrabi became Radford women's soccer's all-time winningest coach and reached the 100-victory plateau at RU.

Sohrabi reached both milestones on the road. On Sept. 23, RU defeated Charleston Southern, 3-2 for his 98th win at RU, surpassing Don Staley. He notched his 100th Radford victory when the Highs downed the Bulldogs of South Carolina State, 4-0 on Oct. 8.

Two seasons earlier, Sohrabi notched his 100th career overall win against his alma mater, Maryville College. The Highs shut out the Lady Scots, 4-0 on Sept. 7, 2004 in Maryville, Tenn.

In 2002, he coached the Highlanders to a 15-5-1 record, tying them for the second highest win total in school history, and a second NCAA Tournament appearance in his tenure. He earned Big South Coach of the Year honors and had five of his players named to the All-Conference teams, including Big South Player of the Year Nikki Porter.

He also has several accomplishments under his belt during his stint at the helm of RU. It started with a school record 16-wins in 1997, followed by a NCAA Tournament berth for the first time in 14 years in 1998. That Tournament berth was earned after the Highlanders claimed their first ever Big South Tournament Championship. In 1999 he directed RU’s magical 6-0 run through the Big South Conference to win the regular-season title in 1999, also firsts in the program's history. All of these accomplishments complete a remarkable turnaround which began upon Sohrabi's arrival 12 years ago.

Sohrabi landed at Radford in 1996 inheriting a team coming off its worst season in school history. His 1996 team started slowly but finished strong, generating positive momentum that led to landmark seasons in 1997 and 1998.

Sohrabi’s hard work paid dividends in 1997 when he led his Highlanders to a school record 16 victories, earning Coach of the Year honors from the Virginia Sports Information Directors Association in the process.

His effort in 1998 may have been more impressive. As injuries mounted in the opening weeks of the season, the Highlander boss kept his squad focused on the long-term goal of winning the Big South title. That effort paid off as the Highlanders finished strong to win the tournament title on their way to an 11-8-2 overall mark.

In 1999 things all came together, as the Highlanders, who were picked to win the League, completed their run through the BSC regular season with a perfect 6-0 record only to be stopped by Liberty, 1-0, in the in the semi-finals of the Big South Tournament.

Sohrabi previously served as head coach at Lambuth University in Jackson, Tenn. Sohrabi led Lambuth to a 19-16-2 record in only two seasons after taking over a program in disarray. In 1995, he guided the Eagles to a 16-4-2 record and their first national ranking, 27th overall.

Sohrabi is a 1992 graduate of Maryville College, where he was a standout from 1988-91, earning All-South honors in 1991. From 1992-93, he served as executive director of the professional Nashville Metros in the U.S. Indoor Soccer League. He then returned to his alma mater as the assistant men's and women's coach from 1993-94. Sohrabi also played semi-pro soccer for six seasons.

An avid fisherman, Sohrabi and his wife, Beth, reside in Radford.