Northwest Nazarene University Athletics

John Powell recently concluded his second season as Head Men's Soccer Coach at NNU in the fall of 2022.

Powell led the Nighthawks to the best season in program history in 2022, going 15-4-3 overall and 9-2-1 in GNAC play, earning the GNAC Regular Season Championship, and winning three NCAA Tournament games to make it all the way to the NCAA Super Region 4 Final (Elite 8). NNU earned a program-record nine All-GNAC honors, including Powell as the Coach of the Year and Nestor Serrano as the Newcomer of the Year. Four different players received All-Region honors, including consensus First Team pick Lorenzo Valentini, who along with teammate Sawyer Price was also named an Academic All-American.

During the season, NNU was ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Top-25 once at No. 22 before finishing the season sixth in the nation following their deep postseason run. The Nighthawks also set a new program record for wins in a season in 2022 with 15, eclipsing the mark of 14 set by the 2014 team, the only other group in program history to reach the NCAA postseason. NNU was extremely resilient all season, never going two games in a row without a win as they followed up every loss or draw with a victory. 

In his first year at the helm of the Nighthawks in the fall of 2021, Powell led NNU to an 8-8 overall mark and 5-5 GNAC record, capping the year with a 1-0 win over No. 22 Seattle Pacific. NNU had four players earn All-GNAC honors, including Lukas Juodkunaitis as the Freshman of the Year. Lorenzo Valentini, a first team all-conference selection, also earned United Soccer Coaches All-Region honors and CoSIDA Academic All-American honors.
 
Powell came to NNU after spending a year at Arizona Christian University, first named an assistant coach in June 2020 before being promoted to Head Coach of the Firestorm in November 2020.
 
Prior to ACU, Powell was the Associate Head Coach at California State University - Stanislaus from 2013-2019. After playing for the Warriors, Powell twice served as a coach for his alma mater. His favorite highlights on the pitch as a coach were helping the Warriors advance to the NCAA Division II Tournament in 2015 and play in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) championship match in both 2014 and 2015.
 
During his time at Stanislaus State as the top assistant, Powell was the lead recruiter and academic coordinator. The Warriors produced 16 All-CCAA players, six All-Region honorees, and one NCAA Division II All-American with Powell on the staff. The 2015 squad owns the Warrior record for goals (54), assists (51), and shutouts (10) in a season.
 
In between his stints at Stanislaus State, Powell spent time at Modesto Junior College as an assistant coach.  The Pirates qualified for the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) playoffs and were ranked as high as seventh in the state of California.
 
Along with his collegiate coaching, Powell has spent the last nine years working with the San Jose Earthquakes Regional Academy Center, Academica FC (CA), and the CCV Stars (AZ).
 
Thanks to his work in the classroom and on the pitch, Powell was named the 2010-11 Cal State Stanislaus Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year.  He was a three-time member of the CCAA All-Academic team.
 
Graduating with honors in 2011, Powell earned a degree in business administration with a double concentration in human resources and marketing along with a minor in communication studies.
 
Powell and his wife Megan, who works in the NNU Athletic Department as the Athletics Office Manager, live in Nampa with their two daughters.