Coaching changes in men’s, women’s soccer bring alumnus Ochoa back to Concordia

By Keith Siek

This article is featured in the April print edition of the Sower newspaper. 

Concordia soccer is going into the spring season with coaching changes on the men’s and women’s sides.

The restructuring moved Jason Weides from coaching the men’s team to the women’s side, while taking on the new position of Director of Soccer Operations. Taking over the men’s coaching role is Bernie Ochoa, who played soccer for Concordia and is in the Concordia Athletic Hall of Fame.

Bernie Ochoa. Photo: Concordia Athletics.

As a Bulldog, Ochoa earned two first team All-Great Plains Athletic Conference accolades and two team MVP awards. He was inducted into the Concordia Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022. Ochoa played after college in the professional ranks for four teams, including the Tiburones Rojos de Veracruz and Atlas Reservas.

Ochoa then transitioned to coaching. Coaching at every level but collegiate, he won the California state title for his alma mater, Vintage High School, and coached Napa Sporting SC, a semiprofessional team.

“Bernie is a really good coach and is proven at the high school and club level,” Weides said.
Weides said the decision to bring in his former Concordia soccer teammate made his transition away from the men’s coaching role less difficult.

“When we had the opportunity to bring Bernie into the fold that’s when the move started to make sense to me,” he said.
Ochoa was excited with the opportunity to take over an already successful program.

“I like everything about it; Jason has established a great program,” he said.

Under Weides, men’s soccer won three GPAC championships and reached the highest point in postseason school history when it made it into the second round of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics national tournament in 2025.

Weides fills the coaching vacancy that opened up when Nick Smith took a coaching job for the University of Indianapolis after three years at Concordia. The switch helps ease the anxiety for players about the coaching search.

“Knowing how Jason operates, there was a huge relief when we found out that it was going to be him,” said sophomore Avery Black. “Not only does he have the experience, but he is well adapted to the Concordia atmosphere and the Christian values that we find so important on the team.”

Weides looks to carry the same coaching style he had with the men’s program over to the women’s team.

“I believe that what I did on the men’s side can translate to the women’s side,” he said.

Black said the team is excited to see the new vision that Weides brings to the program. In the first weeks, he has led practices that are enjoyable for the players while being dedicated to getting better.

Ochoa and Weides believe working together will help elevate both programs and continue Concordia’s legacy of competing at a high level in Bulldog athletics.

Ochoa​ wants to work closely with Weides to provide greater support for the program. “His experience is the best mentor that I could have going into coaching college soccer,” Ochoa said.

“I want to represent Concordia the right way, everything that we stand for in our mission statement,” said Ochoa.

While Concordia soccer seeks to put Seward on the map as a national contender, Weides pointed out how Concordia’s Athletic Department brings in coaches who know the university, fully grasping the mission and vision of Concordia.