Joe Czerniak begins his 13th season as an assistant coach with the UW-La Crosse soccer program in 2026.
AT UW-LA CROSSE:
* Eight National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III appearances. Three trips to the national quarterfinals (2017, 2021, 2023). Two appearances in third round (2018, 2022) and one in second round (2025). Qualified in 2015 (first appearance in school history) and 2024.
* Seven WIAC regular season titles (2015, 2017-18, 2022-25).
* Six WIAC tournament titles (2017-18, 2022-25).
* Member of five WIAC Coaching Staff of the Year Awards (2017-18, 2022-24
* Three (2017, 2022-23) United Soccer Coaches Region Staff of the Year.
2025:
* UWL finished 19-3-1 overall and 6-0-1 in the WIAC, winning the WIAC regular season and tournament titles. Won conference tournament with 2-0 home victory over UW-Platteville. Ninth straight appearance in the WIAC Tournament Championship game.
* Earned NCAA III First Round win (4-0) over St. Catherine University (Minn.) before losing (3-1) at the University of Chicago (Ill.)in the second round.
Earned 200th career win in UWL's 6-2 victory at Millikin University (Ill.) on September 13.
* The 19 victories rank fourth in single-season school history.
* Set single-season school records for goals (103), assists (91) and shots (596) while recording their second-most shutouts (15).
* Aubree Caya, Summer Nicolai, Ella Opie, Jillian Sawadski, Sera Speltz, Allison Steeno and Monica Wawrzyn named to All-WIAC First Team and Amaya Thesing to the honorable mention team. Caya was selected the 2025 WIAC Offensive Player of the Year and Nicolai the WIAC Goalkeeper of the Year. Wawrzyn was voted the WIAC Newcomer of the Year.
* Caya was voted to the United Soccer Coaches All-America First Team while Caya (first team), Sawadski (third team), Speltz (first team), Steeno (first team) and Wawrzyn (second team) earned United Soccer Coaches All-Region accolades.
* Caya (first team), Sawadski (second team) and Speltz (first team) earned United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-Central Region honors with Caya being named to the United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-America First Team and Speltz to the United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-America Second Team.
2024:
* UWL finished 16-4-2 overall and 6-0-1 in the WIAC, winning the conference regular season and tournament titles. Won conference tournament with 2-1 home win over UW-Platteville.
Lost (2-1 in double overtime) to Simpson College (Iowa) in NCAA III First Round.
* Ellie Arndt, Ellie Behnke, Chelsea Gale, Alexis McMahon, Addie Pauling and Sawadski earned All-WIAC First Team honors. Sophie Pope was named to the honorable mention team. Arndt was named the WIAC Offensive Player of the Year for the second straight season while McMahon earned the WIAC Defensive Player of the Year for the third consecutive season. Arndt was also selected the WIAC Judy Kruckman Scholar-Athlete.
* Arndt was voted to the United Soccer Coaches Association All-America First Team and McMahon to the Second Team. Both players earned United Soccer Coaches All-Region IX First Team accolades while Behnke earned third team and Pauling fourth team honors.
* Academically, McMahon was selected to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America First Team and Arndt to the Second Team. Both players earned United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-America First Team awards.
2023:
* UWL finished 20-1-2 overall and 7-0 in the WIAC, capturing the conference regular season and tournament titles. Won conference tournament (3-0 home victory) over UW-Platteville.
* Advanced to the NCAA III Quarterfinals home wins over UW-Superior (1-0) and Simpson College, Iowa (3-1) in the first two rounds and victory (1-0) over Loras College (Iowa) in third round. Lost in shootout (5-4) at Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.) in national quarterfinals.
* The 20 victories tied for second-most in single-season school history.
* Tied school record for assists (63).
* Ranked seventh in United Soccer Coaches Top-25 Poll.
* Nine student-athletes were named to the All-WIAC Team with Ainsley Allan, Sophia Anger, Arndt, Claire Cater, Maggie Hernandez, McMahon, Jenna Nichols and Pauling earning first team honors. Sydney Halstead was an All-WIAC Honorable Mention choice. Arndt was named the WIAC Offensive Player of the Year while McMahon earned the Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season. Anger was voted the Goalkeeper of the Year. McMahon was selected the WIAC Judy Kruckman Scholar-Athlete.
* Arndt and McMahon both earned United Soccer Coaches All-America accolades with Arndt named to the first team and McMahon second team.
* Off the field, Arndt was voted the United Soccer Coaches National Scholar Player of the Year while being name to the Scholar All-America First Team with McMahon. Anger was named CSC Academic All-America First Team.
2022:
* UWL finished 21-2-1 overall and 7-0 in the WIAC, winning the conference regular season and tournament titles. Won league tournament (3-2 home victory) over UW-Eau Claire.
* Won first two rounds at home in NCAA III Championships over Greenville University, Ill. (3-0) and Illinois Wesleyan University (1-0).
* The 21 wins set a single-season school record.
* UWL won 14 straight games, tying the school record in 2018.
* Tied school record for shutouts (14).
* Ranked 13th in United Soccer Coaches and D3soccer.com Top-25 Polls.
* Six players were selected to the All-WIAC Team, including Allan, Arndt, Ellie Behnke, Cater, McMahon and Pauling. Allan was named the WIAC Offensive Player of the Year while McMahon was voted the WIAC Defensive Player of the Year.
* McMahon was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-America First Team while Arndt earned Second Team accolades. Allan, Arndt, Behnke, McMahon and Anger earned all-region honors.
2021:
* UWL finished 16-4-4 overall and 6-1 in the WIAC in 2021. Lost the WIAC Tournament title game (2-1) at UW-Oshkosh.
Advanced to the NCAA III Quarterfinals, earning a first round win (1-0) over Wartburg College (Iowa) and second round victory over St. Catherine University, Minn. (1-0 in double overtime). Defeated sixth-ranked Washington-St. Louis (Mo.) in a shootout (3-1) in the third round before losing in a shootout (4-3) to Loras College (Iowa) in the quarterfinals.
* Four student-athletes were named to the all-conference team, including Sophie Amundson, Katie Feller, Quinn Shannon and McMahon. Amundson was voted the WIAC Offensive Player of the Year.
* Amundson and Feller were named to the United Soccer Coaches Division III Region IX Team First while McMahon was named to the second team. Amundson was also named to United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division III All-America Third Team.
2020:
Season canceled due to COVID-19 public health threat.
2019:
* UWL finished 12-7-3 overall and 4-2-1 in the WIAC, advancing to the conference tournament championship game for the fourth straight year. Lost at UW-Whitewater (4-1) in championship game.
* Five student-athletes were named to the all-conference team, including Kaitlyn Villars, Feller, Amundson, Shannon and Halstead. Feller was voted the WIAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year while Halstead was named the WIAC Newcomer of the Year.
* Feller and Villars were named to the United Soccer Coaches All-North Region Second Team.
2018:
* UWL finished 18-3-3 in 2018 and 6-0-1 in the WIAC, including school record 14 straight games. Won WIAC Tournament at home (3-1) over UW-Eau Claire.
* Advanced to NCAA III Third Round with home wins over Wartburg College, Iowa (2-0) in first round and by penalty kicks (3-0) over the University of St. Thomas (Minn.) in the second round. Lost (3-0) at Washington-St. Louis (Mo.) in third round.
* Seven players were named to the All-WIAC Team. It marked the first time in school history UWL had seven student-athletes named to the all-conference first team. The Eagles' Lily Brock, Megan Carroll, Cassie Handrick, Margaret Harings, Delaney Harnell, Maya Schmitt and Villars all earned the honor in 2018. Harings was selected the WIAC Offensive Player of the Year while Schmitt was named the WIAC Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season.
* Harings (first team) and Schmitt (third team) were voted to the United Soccer Coaches All-America Team while Harings (first team) was selected to the D3soccer.com All-America Team. She is the first player in school history to earn D3soccer.com All-America honors. Harings, Schmitt, Carroll and Handrick were all voted to the United Soccer Coaches All-North Region First Team.
2017:
* UWL finished 20-2-3 overall and 7-0 in the WIAC, setting a then school record for overall victories. Finished undefeated in conference play for the first time in school history.
* Won WIAC Tournament in shootout (4-3) over UW-Whitewater.
* Advanced to NCAA III Quarterfinals, including home wins in the first two rounds over The College of St. Scholastica, Minn. (2-0) and St. Thomas, Minn. (1-0). Defeated Washington-St. Louis, Mo. (2-1) in third round before losing at Chicago, Ill. (4-0) in quarterfinals.
* Set then school records for wins (20) and shutouts (14) and single-season school records for goals (65), assists (63), points (193) and shots (506).
* Seven players, Brock, Carroll, Alex Cording, Maddie Granos, Harings, Schmitt and Villars, were named to the All-WIAC Team.
Harings was selected the WIAC Offensive Player of the Year while Schmitt was named the WIAC Defensive Player of the Year. Harings became the first player in school history to be named the league's offensive player of the year.
* Harings (second team) and Carroll (third team) earned United Soccer Coaches All-America Team accolades while Harings (first team), Carroll (first team), Schmitt (first team) and Villars (second team) were voted to the United Soccer Coaches All-North Region Team.
* Carroll was named to the United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-America Second Team while being voted to the United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-North/Central Region First Team. Stephens was named to the United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-North/Central Region Second Team.
2016:
* UWL finished 14-5 overall and 5-2 in the WIAC, placing second in the league standings. Advanced to WIAC Championship game for first time since 1999, losing (3-0) at UW-Whitewater.
* Carroll, Granos, Harings, Haley Hartkemeyer, Natalie Herzog and Hayley Stephens, were named to the All-WIAC Team. It marked the first time in school history UWL had six student-athletes named to the all-conference first team.
* Carroll, Harings and Herzog were selected to the 2016 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-North Region Team for NCAA Division III with Carroll and Harings earning second team honors and Herzog third team recognition.
2015:
* UWL finished 12-7-2 overall and 5-1-1 in the WIAC, claiming a share of the league’s regular season title.
* Lost in double overtime (2-1) to UW-Whitewater in WIAC Semifinals.
* Made first appearance in school history in the NCAA Division III Championship, losing (3-0) to Pomona-Pitzer Colleges (Calif.) in the first round.
Kourtni Alcock was voted the WIAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year.
* Alcock and Harings were both named to the 2015 NSCAA All-North Region for NCAA Division III. Alcock was voted to the first team while Harings earned third team recognition.
OTHER COACHING EXPERIENCE:
* Served as head boys and girls soccer coach at La Crosse (Wis.) Central High School for eight years. He continues as the girls head coach.
* Recorded over 100 wins at Central, earning a Mississippi Valley Conference title in 2008.
* MVC Coach of the Year three times (2008, 2011, 2013).
* Social studies teacher at La Crosse Central since 2006.
* Serves as the Girls' Classic-1 Coach for the Mississippi Valley Storm Soccer Club (U-15, U-16, U-17 teams), a position he has held since 2011.
PLAYING EXPERIENCE:
* Graduate of West Bend (Wis.) East High School in 2001.
* Member of two (1999, 2000) Wisconsin Little Ten Conference championship teams.
* Team captain in 2000.
* First team all-conference and honorable mention all-Southeastern Wisconsin accolades.
* 2001 Wisconsin Collegiate Conference Player of the Year while attending University of Wisconsin-Washington County.
EDUCATION/COACHING LICENSES:
* Earned bachelor's degree from UWL in 2006 in broadfield social studies
* Master's degree from UWL in 2010 in education and professional development.
* Obtained his National "D" License from the Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association in 2007.
