Bluefield University names new head men’s and women’s soccer coaches

BLUEFIELD, Va. (WVVA) - Bluefield University announced two new coaching hires on Tuesday... a new head men’s soccer coach and a new head women’s soccer coach.

Alex Smith will serve as the new men’s coach, while Patrick Ritter is set to take over the women’s program.

Smith most recently served as the head women’s coach at the University of Maine since 2019. He played college soccer at Union in Kentucky, so he’s familiar with the Rams program -- having played in the Appalachian Athletic Conference.

Ritter spent his most recent years as an assistant coach at Missouri Southern State University, an NCAA DII program. He’s spent more than ten years coaching the sport, making a few stops along the way at DI programs.