June 29, 2012
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - UNLV has added three new members to its men's soccer staff, as Matt Armstrong has been hired as an assistant coach, Richie Louis as director of soccer operations, and Andre Boudreaux as the goalkeeper coach, UNLV men's soccer head coach Rich Ryerson announced on Friday.
Armstrong finished his college career at New Mexico after leading the Lobos to the second round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament in his one year on the squad. He spent the past year as both an undergraduate assistant for the Lobos as well as coaching for Rio Vista United in Albuquerque, and guided that team to the U-17 boy's state championship in 2011. Armstrong originally attended Notre Dame, where he started 66 matches before transferring to New Mexico for his senior season. For the Fighting Irish, he was named to Soccer America and College Soccer News All-Freshman teams, and earned honorable mention All-BIG EAST his freshman season as well. Notre Dame reached the NCAA tournament all three years he was on the squad, including the quarterfinals in 2007 and the second round in 2008 and 2009. He has also played professionally for HFC Haarlem in Holland, and E.C. Vitoria in Bahia, Brazil, after graduating from UNM. He is the nephew of former UNLV standout Rob Taber (1982-85), an all-conference midfielder that played on three NCAA tournament teams for the Rebels. Armstrong will receive his bachelor of arts degree in university studies from New Mexico later this summer.
"We are extremely excited to have Matt on our staff," said Ryerson. "Coming from such perennial powers as Notre Dame and New Mexico, we look forward to Matt's ability to break down the game and relate with our players through his experience domestically and internationally. Matt will bring a strong recruiting ability from the Arizona-New Mexico markets."
Louis is a former Rebel, having played for UNLV from 1990-93. He joins the staff after spending the past 10 years as a coach for NM Rush SC, and he was also an ODP staff coach for New Mexico from 2010-12. In 2002 Louis was an assistant coach for La Cueva High School, which won the state championship title. He holds a "C" license from the United States Soccer Federation (USSF).
A three-time first-team all-conference defender for the Rebels (in both the Big West and the MPSF), Louis earned NSCAA Far West region honors twice (third team as a junior, second team his senior year), and was an All-America candidate his senior season as well. Despite playing on the backline, Louis ranks seventh all-time at UNLV with 18 career assists. He went on to play professionally for the California Jaguars and the New Mexico Chiles in the A-League from 1995-2000, and also spent time on the San Jose Clash training squad in 1996 and 1997. He received his bachelor of arts degree in criminal justice from UNLV in 1995.
"We have an amazing opportunity to bring a highly successful alumnus back into our program in Richie," said Ryerson. "He will assist us at many levels, but primarily in alumni and community relations and outreach. Richie has a vast experience in the business and soccer world, and we hope to maximize that in our program. He bled Rebel Scarlet and Gray, and we are glad to have him back."
Boudreaux joins the Rebels after a outstanding career at the University of Louisville, where he was the starting goalkeeper all four seasons while helping the Cardinals to a NCAA runner-up finish in 2010. A second-team All-BIG EAST selection as a senior, Boudreaux owns the school record for career shutouts with 37, while his 0.67 GAA in 2010 is also a team record. This past spring, he participated in the New England Revolution's preseason camp, and has played in the PDL with Baton Rouge (2007) and New Orleans (2010). Boudreaux received his bachelor of arts degree in English from Louisville in December of 2011.
"Andre is coming off an extremely successful playing career at Louisville, holding numerous records for the school as their goalkeeper," said Ryerson. "We look forward to Andre sharing his recent experiences in postseason NCAA play with our current roster. I have no doubt Andre will be successful as a coach as he was a player, and we look forward to developing his new skill set."
