Biniam Afenegus begins his second year as Southern Oregon's head men's soccer coach in 2016 after being selected to lead the Raiders into their inaugural season in February of 2015.
After piecing together a roster of true freshmen and junior college transfers, Afenegus guided SOU to a 5-0 start and a 10-8 overall record in its first season. The Raiders missed out on the postseason by just one game despite needing freshmen to account for 31 of their 38 total goals.
Afenegus came to the Raiders following eight seasons in the same role at Clark College in Vancouver, Wash. The 38-year-old amassed a record of 123-27-16 at Clark, winning one Northwest Athletic Conference championship and five NWAC South Region titles. He was the NWAC South Coach of the Year five times and the NWAC Coach of the Year twice.
As a player at Concordia University (Ore.), Afenegus earned NAIA first-team all-region accolades in 1998 before receiving a bachelor's degree in physical education. He also obtained a master's degree in education with an emphasis in P.E. from Concordia.
He holds a United States Soccer Federation National "A" license and was a high school coach before taking over at Clark. As recently as last summer, he was also the head coach of the Vancouver Victory, which competes in the newly-formed Evergreen Premier League for collegiate and post-collegiate athletes.
Afenegus was born in Eritrea, Africa, and his family relocated to Spokane, Wash., when he was a child. He and his wife, Irene, have three children: Ahmon, Cierra and Elijah.