Diego Bocanegra 2016-17 Women's Soccer Staff

Notre Dame Highlights

• Two NCAA Championship Appearances
• 2014 ACC Championship Semifinalist
• 2 NWSL College Draft Picks
• 10 All-ACC Selections

Diego Bocanegra (pronounced boh-kuh-NEG-ruh) joined the Irish coaching staff in 2014, bringing with him 16 seasons of previous coaching experience. Prior to joining the Notre Dame program, he spent five seasons (2009-13) as assistant and associate head coach/recruiting coordinator at Cal State Fullerton. In addition to player development, Bocanegra also focuses on recruiting, game scouting and assisting with the program’s successful summer camps.

In his time with the Irish, Notre Dame has earned two NCAA Championship berths, qualified for the 2014 ACC Championship semifinal and seen 10 All-ACC honors awarded. After the 2015 season, the Irish saw two graduates drafted in the first two rounds of the 2016 NWSL College Draft.

THE CAL STATE YEARS

Cal State Fullerton Highlights (Assistant Coach, 2009-13)

• 2012 Big West Conference Champion
• 2013 Big West Tournament Champion
• 5 NSCAA All-Region Selections
• 21 All-Big West Picks
• 2013 Big West Midfielder of the Year (Erica Mazeau)
• 2012 NSCAA Far West Region Assistant Coach of the Year

While at Fullerton, Bocanegra helped the Titans to the 2012 Big West Conference regular season title and the 2013 Big West Tournament championship, the latter bringing with it a spot in the NCAA Championship (Fullerton dropped a narrow 1-0 decision at Stanford in the opening round of the 2013 tournament).

During his tenure, Bocanegra helped develop four Titans players who earned five NSCAA all-region citations, as well as 16 players combining for 21 all-conference awards, led by 2013 Big West Midfielder of the Year Erica Mazeau. For his efforts, Bocanegra was named the 2012 NSCAA Far West Region Assistant Coach of the Year.

Cal State San Bernardino Highlights (Head Coach, 2008-09; Men’s & Women’s Assistant, 2007-08)

• 2 NSCAA All-Region Selections
• 7 All-Conference Picks

Prior to his time at Fullerton, Bocanegra spent two seasons as head coach at Cal State San Bernardino, leading the NCAA Division II program to 18 wins (including a 10-5-5 record and nearly an NCAA Championship berth in 2008) after the Coyotes had recorded 14 victories combined in the three seasons before his arrival.

Bocanegra ascended to the top post at San Bernardino after two seasons as an assistant coach with the school’s men’s and women’s programs. He began his coaching career as an assistant men’s coach at Pomona-Pitzer (1998-2000) and UC Riverside (2001-04).

COLLEGIATE CAREER AND PERSONAL

Bocanegra enjoyed a successful college playing career in the mid-1990s, beginning with two seasons at Grand Canyon University (1993-94; all-conference in ’94) before one season and a redshirt year (1995-96) at UCLA, where he played for Sigi Schmid, currently the coach of Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders FC, and ultimately concluding at Fresno State in 1997.

Bocanegra comes from a family with a rich soccer tradition, led most notably by his younger brother, Carlos, who is a former U.S. Men’s National Team captain and two-time FIFA World Cup participant (2006 and 2010). Carlos retired after the 2014 season with the Los Angeles-based Chivas USA of the MLS, following a successful decade-long career in Europe, playing in the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga and French Ligue 1.

Bocanegra received his bachelor’s degree in liberal studies from Fresno State in 1998. He also has earned several coaching licenses, including United States Soccer Federation (USSF) National “A” License, the NSCAA Advanced National Diploma and the NSCAA National Diploma.

A native of Upland, California, Bocanegra now makes his home in South Bend with his wife, Kellie, and their two children, daughter Isabella and son Luca.