Sharif Saber

Head Coach

Sharif Saber has been tabbed as the next leader of the USC Upstate women’s soccer program. Boasting a .747 career winning percentage, seven combined Conference Titles, three National Tournament appearances, and one National Coach of the Year honor as a collegiate head coach.

Before joining the Upstate program, Saber spent the last four seasons as the head coach at the University of Mount Olive (Mount Olive, N.C.), leading the program to two NCAA Division II Tournament appearances, two Conference Carolinas regular season championships, and two Conference Carolinas tournament championships.

Helming the Trojan program, Saber led Mount Olive to three consecutive Conference Carolinas championships, claiming the Regular Season championship in 2019 and 2021, and the Conference Tournament championship in 2019 and 2020. Under his direction, the Trojans appeared in two NCAA Division II Tournaments, qualifying as the Southeast Region’s No. 6 seed in 2019—Mount Olive’s first NCAA Tournament appearance—and the Southeast Region’s No. 8 seed in 2021.

During the 2017 season, Saber served as an assistant at Kutztown University (Kutztown, Pa.), helping guide the program to a 16-win campaign that saw the Golden Bears earn the No. 4 Seed in the NCAA DII Tournament’s Atlantic Region while reaching No. 1 in the NCAA DII national poll.

Prior to Kutztown, Saber led the creation of the women’s soccer program at Penn State Brandywine (Media, Pa.), heading the program during its first two seasons of competition in 2015 and 2016. During his two seasons, he led the upstart program to 21 wins, collecting seven during the program’s inaugural season before leading the Lions to 14 victories in their follow-up campaign.

Earning 2016 United States Collegiate Athletic Association National Coach of the Year honors, Saber led Brandywine to the USCAA National Tournament, becoming the first Pennsylvania State University Athletic Conference member to qualify for the National Tournament.

Before beginning the Penn State Brandywine program, Saber spent the 2014 season as an assistant at Immaculata University (Malvern, Pa.). Prior to joining the collegiate ranks, he spent four seasons as the varsity head coach at Kutztown (Pa.) High School, leading the program to four consecutive district appearances and two district championships (2011 and 2013).

At the club level, Saber has served the North Carolina Football Club (2018-pres.), Penn Fusion Soccer Academy (2014-17), and Boyertown Area Soccer Club (2003-2011) as a staff coach, capturing three State Cup championships and an Elite Clubs National League Regional championship.

Off the field, Saber was a member of the United Soccer Coaches (formally the National Soccer Coaches Association of America) 30 Under 30 Class of 2014 while also seeing his article “The Fragile Flame of Creativity” published in the NSCAA Soccer Journal during the Fall of 2014. Saber also holds numerous USC diplomas, including the Premier Diploma, Advanced National Diploma, and National Diploma.

Saber earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from Bloomsburg University (Bloomsburg, Pa.) and a Master of Education in Social Studies from Kutztown University in 2009 and 2013, respectively.

Mark Laudenslager

Assistant Coach

Laudenslager joined the USC-Upstate in 2022 with more than 20 years of coaching experience at the club, high school, and college levels.

Before joining USC-Upstate, he spent the previous 5 seasons at Kutztown University. While at Kutztown, Laudenslager helped lead the team to 3 NCAA DII top ten national rankings in 2017,2018, and 2021. Additionally, he assisted in guiding the team to 3 PSAC and NCAA tournament appearances and a combined record of 58-16-4 over 4 seasons.

During his time at Kutztown University, he also coached club soccer with Penn Fusion Soccer Academy, PA Dominion, and FC Delco. Laudenslager coached several teams both boys and girls. In his final season with FC Delco he lead his 2004 boys team to a State Cup Championship.

Laudenslager holds a Premier License from the United Soccer Coaches along with Goalkeeping III and Director of Coaching licenses.