Justin Carey has been named the new head coach of the Eastern Mennonite University men’s soccer team. He started his new duties Jan. 3.
“I am delighted to have Justin join our team and give leadership to the men’s soccer program as head coach,” said Director of Athletics Dave King. “His knowledge of the program, experience in culture building and commitment to the hard work of recruiting are just a few of the qualities that stood out to the committee and make him the ideal candidate to lead the program into the future. I am excited about giving Justin his first head coaching opportunity and look forward to working with him. He was an outstanding player and leader at University of Mary Washington, giving him the experience of what it takes to achieve excellence. I am certain that Justin will develop a culture focused on excellence on and off the field and represent the university in positive ways. Justin has packed a lot of experiences in a short amount of time and I’m convinced that he is ready to be a head coach.”
Since May 2020, Carey has been an assistant coach for the Division I Stetson University Hatters.
Carey is no stranger to Eastern Mennonite, as he was the graduate assistant for the Royals for the 2019-20 season. The 2019 Royals picked up five wins on the season, including an OT win over cross-town rival, Bridgewater. Carey also earned his MBA from EMU in 2021.
“I am incredibly excited to return to EMU to become the next head coach of the men’s soccer program,” Carey said. “Thank you to President Huxman, Dave King and the search committee for placing their faith in me to lead this special group of young men. It is an honor to follow in Roger Mast’s footsteps after all he’s done for the program the past 30-plus years and to build upon his previous achievements. I know there is potential for great success on and off the field at EMU and I am eager to get started!”
In his time at Stetson, Carey has helped produce one ASUN Freshman of the Year, two first-team All-ASUN selections and four ASUN All-Freshman Team selections. This season, the Hatters finished 8-7-2 and reached the quarterfinals of the ASUN Championship after knocking off #5 Liberty. In his time in Florida, he was responsible for coaching the goalkeepers, which helped the Hatters pick up four shutouts during the 2021 season.
Along with on the field coaching, Carey was also responsible for coordinating the team’s social media accounts. During his time at Stetson, the Stetson men’s soccer team saw a 494% increase in their social media interactions and was ranked #7 in interactions by Skull Sports for 2020 NCAA DI soccer programs. He also helped coordinate the fall athletics fundraiser, which raised over $12,000 for the men’s soccer program. In the community, he worked with local youth soccer clubs and the DeLand Boys and Girls Club, co-coordinated the Stetson FA “Tiny Tots” and organized over 145 hours of team community service during the fall season.
Carey was a standout player for the Mary Washington men’s soccer team. While with the Eagles, the team went to two NCAA tournaments. Individually, Carey was named a United Soccer Coaches NCAA DIII First-Team All-American as well as a USC NCAA DIII First-Team Academic All-American during the 2018 season. He was also named the Capital Athletic Conference Player of the Year, the VaSID Player of the Year and the Mary Washington Male Co-Athlete of the Year. He finished his playing career with 18 goals, four assists and 40 total points.
He will become just the seventh men’s soccer coach since 1965, taking over for Roger Mast who announced his retirement after the 2021 season.