Chris Shaw became the sixth head coach in program history on May 21, 2014.
In five years under Shaw, the program has seen significant success in a short amount of time, including double digit wins in each of the last four seasons.
Shaw led the Rebels to a 11-6-3 record in 2018, including 4-3-2 in the Mountain West. Shaw reached a special milestone, becoming the program's winningest head coach with a 2-0 win over Montana on Sept. 9. The victory gave him 55 career wins at UNLV, breaking the old record of 54 set by Dan Abdalla from 2000-04. The record now stands at 60 after the 11 wins in 2018.
The 2017 squad finished 13-7, which included an 8-2 start through the first 10 games of the season. Three Rebels captured Mountain West All-Conference honors, including repeat honorees Sophie Cortes and Chidera Akubuilo, who were first and second team selections, respectively. Junior transfer Amanda Galbraith was the third selection, earning a second team nod. For the second consecutive year, Cortes and Akubuilo were also named United Soccer Coaches All-Region selections, while Cortes earned an United Soccer Coaches Academic All-American selection as well.
In 2016, Shaw took the team to new heights as the team won both the Mountain West Regular Season and Tournament Championships in the same season for the first time in program history. The regular season title was its first since 2007 while the tournament title and NCAA First Round appearance were both the first since 2006. The 2016 squad also made its mark on the record book, setting records in wins (16), conference wins (8), winning percentage (.760), points (152), goals (51) and assists (50). UNLV swept the conference awards as Shaw earned his first Mountain West Coach of the Year honor and Lily Sender and Chidera Akubuilo were named the MW Conference Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, respectively. Sender and Akubuilo were both NSCAA All-Region selections - the program's first since 2012 - while Sender became the program's first NSCAA All-American with her second team selection. The team also had a record nine players named to All-Conference teams.
In his second season in 2015, Shaw led the team to 11 wins, which included six-straight victories to close the regular season and capture a Mountain West Tournament berth. His first season in 2014 saw the team win nine games.
Shaw came to Las Vegas with a wealth of coaching experience, having spent the 11 previous years coaching at the collegiate level. Prior to UNLV, he served as the head women's soccer coach at Barton College in Wilson, N.C. Taking over a Lady Bulldog program that had posted just 12 total wins in the four previous seasons, Shaw made an immediate impact by leading the 2013 squad to a 14-5-1 mark - the second-best record in school history and the second best improvement in Division II that year as well. He guided the program to its first winning season and first Conference Carolinas Tournament appearance since 2008, and its first tournament win since 2005. For his work in turning around the program, Shaw was named Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year for the second time in his career. Four players from the 2013 team were named All-Conference Carolinas, three were selected as NSCAA All-Southeast Region, and one became just the second NCAA Division II women's soccer All-American in Barton's history.
Prior to Barton College, Shaw was the associate head coach at North Carolina State for a total of four seasons. Among his highlights with the Wolfpack was recruiting a pair of All-ACC Freshman players, while the 2011 squad earned a 10-8-2 mark, which was the best for the school since 2002.
Shaw's first Division I job was at current Mountain West member Fresno State, where he served as assistant coach from 2007-08,with the Bulldogs reaching the NCAA Tournament after winning the 2008 WAC championship.
Shaw's first head coaching job was also in the Conference Carolinas, guiding the University of Mount Olive from 2003 to 2007. His second year at the school set a NCAA Division II record for single-season turnaround, finishing at 20-3 after a 3-15 mark the year before. Combined with his turnaround at Barton, Shaw is the only coach to have two different teams on the all-time most improved record list for Division II.
The 20-3 mark that season earned him conference coach of the year, while the team also led the nation in scoring offense. The Trojans won their first-ever conference championship in 2004, and finished both the 2004 and 2006 seasons ranked in the 10 top in the region. Shaw finished his career at Mount Olive with a 52-34 record.
Other coaching positions Shaw held include three years as an assistant men's coach at Methodist University and a volunteer assistant role at East Carolina in the 1995 season. He has been heavily involved on the club soccer side as well, most recently as the Capital Area Soccer League Coach since 2010. His West Coast experiences include two years as a girls coach with California Odyssey and the Region IV ODP Girls Coach in the summer of 2008. From 2009 until accepting the UNLV job, he served as North Carolina Olympic Development Head Coach.
Shaw was an All-American at Methodist, and was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in the fall of 2015. He helped the Monarchs win four-straight conference championships and go to four NCAA tournament appearances. He earned Adidas Scholar-Athlete All-American honors in 1993, was named the Methodist University Male Senior Athlete of the Year and was a member of the USA South Conference 50th Anniversary Team. After graduating in 1994 with a bachelor's degree in biology and physical education, he played professional soccer for the Raleigh Flyers of the USISL in 1994. Shaw would earn his Masters of Arts degree in Exercise Physiology in July of 1997 from East Carolina.
He holds the Premier Diploma from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and an "A" level National License from U.S. Soccer.
Notes on Shaw
UNLV Head Coach
• Became the Rebels' sixth head coach on May 21, 2014
• In 2016, guided the Rebels to the Mountain West Regular Season and Tournament Championships, marking the first time in school history UNLV had won both in the same season
• The regular season title in 2016 was the program's first since 2007 while the tournament title and NCAA First Round appearance were its firsts since 2006
• Named the 2016 Mountain West Coach of the Year
• In 2016, coached the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year (Lily Sender) and Defensive Player of the Year (Chidera Akubuilo) and had a record-nine players named to the All-Conference teams (First team: Akubuilo, Sender, Sophie Cortes, Jordan Magnin and Hayley Wilson; Second team: Susie Bernal, Jordan Salle; Newcomer team: Paige Almendariz, Georgia Kingman).
• Also coached two-time Mountain West Second-Team selection Denali Murnan (’14 and ’15)
• Overall, in three years has led the Rebels to two berths in the Mountain West Tournament ('15 & '16) and an NCAA tournament appearance ('16).
As a Player
• All-American defender at Methodist
• Inducted in the school’s hall of fame
• Adidas Scholar-Athlete All-American in 1993
• Member of USA South Conference 50th Anniversary Team
• 1993 Methodist Male Senior Athlete of the Year
• Played for Raleigh Flyers of the USISL in 1994
As a Coach
• Set a NCAA Division II record for single-season turnaround at Mount Olive in 2004
(from 3-15 to 20-13)
• Led Mount Olive to Conference Carolina title in 2004
• Barton's turnaround of 10 games in 2013 (4-11-1 to 14-5-1) ranked second-best
in the nation. He is the only coach to have two teams on the all-time most improved list
in Division II history
• 2004 and 2013 Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year
