Ike Ofoje is set for his 17th season at the helm of the USC Aiken men's soccer program. The season will mark the ninth season that Ofoje will focus all of his attention to just one team.

Ofoje started the women’s program at USC Aiken in 1997 and served as its head coach for eight seasons, compiling a record of 51-77-10. In 2005, however, Sue Vodicka was hired as the program’s first full-time women’s soccer coach.

With the addition of Vodicka, Ofoje took on the role of Director of Soccer Operations. In his 16 seasons at the helm of the Pacers, he has an 85-179-23 overall record.

The 2011 Pacer men’s soccer team ended their campaign with a record of 3-10-4. The Pacers owned a record of 1-5-2 in Peach Belt Conference action. Numerous Pacers received acclaim for their efforts on the pitch in the 2011 season with Chinedu Arinze claiming the majority of the accolades. Arinze was chosen to the Peach Belt Conference All-Conference First-Team, the Peach Belt Conference Men’s Soccer All-Academic Team and the Daktronics NCAA Division II Men’s Soccer All-Southeast Region Team. Arinze was one of five Pacers named to the Peach Belt Conference Men’s Soccer All-Academic Team, joining Scott Berry, Michael Poole, Jack Reynolds and Kofi Trim. Schevon Joseph was named Honorable Mention.  Berry was also selected to the Capital One Academic NCAA Division II Men’s Soccer District Three First-Team for his efforts in the classroom and on the playing field.

The 2010 USC Aiken men’s soccer team advanced to the Peach Belt Conference Tournament before losing to Clayton State in the first round of the championship. USC Aiken concluded the year overall with a 2-11-2 record. Brett Van Pelt was chosen to the league’s All-Conference first team.

The 2009 USC Aiken men’s soccer team closed out their regular season with three consecutive victories, capped off by a 3-2 upset win over 13th-ranked Anderson at the Pacer Pit. USC Aiken outscored their opponents 11-3 during the three-game winning streak.

Overall, the Pacers finished the 2009 campaign 7-11-1 (2-6 PBC), earning a trip to the Peach Belt Conference Tournament. The Pacers concluded their season with a 2-0 loss to league rival Lander in the quarterfinals of the 2009 Peach Belt Conference Men’s Soccer Championships. Alex Lewis was named to the PBC All-Tournament Team for his efforts during the tournament.

The Pacers had two players receive all-conference accolades in 2009. John Lesko and Troy Watson were named to the Peach Belt Conference Men’s Soccer All-Conference Team for the second year in a row. A four year starter for the Pacers, Lesko was named to the second team as a defender, while Watson was named to the second team as a midfielder. Lesko was the only Pacer named to the 2009 Daktronics All-Region team. He was a second team selection.

Watson led the Pacers in 2009 with a team-high seven goals and seven assists for a team-high 21 total points, finishing the regular season in the top 10 in the PBC in seven different categories. He was selected as the PBC Player of the Week twice in 2009, winning the award on Sept. 9 and Sept. 22. Watson netted three match-winning goals in 2009 for the Pacers.

Ofoje guided the Pacers to a 5-11-1 record in the 2008 campaign. One season earlier he led the Pacers to a 7-9-2 record in 2007, including a 4-2 mark in Peach Belt play which left them in a three-way tie for second place. The squad was led by junior Kofi Akyere, who was the first player under Ofoje to win PBC co-Player of the Year honors and be named an Honorable Mention All-American.

Playing at "Pacer Pit" has become a specialty of Ofoje's teams. In 2007, USC Aiken went 6-2 on their home field with the Pacers at one point running their home unbeaten streak to 14.

In 2006, Ofoje guided the Pacers to their most successful season in the program’s history. After being picked to finish seventh in the Peach Belt Conference, USC Aiken had fewer losses than any other PBC team and fell just one point short of the league title. The Pacers set school records in both overall and conference wins, finishing the season with a 12-6-2 record (4-1-2 in the PBC), including a 2-1 win over Lander on October 4.

The Pacers also achieved their first-ever national ranking and appeared in the PBC Championship game. The rest of the league’s coaches took notice, naming Ofoje the 2006 PBC Coach of the Year.

The 2001 campaign, in which the Pacers finished 10-9-0 in Ofoje’s sixth season on the USC Aiken sideline, marked the program’s first winning season since 1994 and only its second winning record since joining the NCAA Division II in 1990.

Ofoje’s 2002 team reached another milestone. The Pacers entered that year’s Peach Belt Conference Tournament as the seventh seed, but Andre Joseph’s game winner with four minutes to play lifted USC Aiken to a stunning 2-1 upset over eighth-ranked and second seeded North Florida and gave the program its first-ever PBC Tournament victory.

On the women’s side, after struggling through a 1-14-1 inaugural season in 1997, Ofoje led the Pacers to a 45-39-7 record over the next five seasons.

In 2002, the Pacers scored the program’s first-ever win over a top 10 team, a 2-1 overtime victory over ninth-ranked Francis Marion University.

Ofoje, a 1991 graduate of New Hampshire College, was a two-time NCAA Division II All-American and was named Most Valuable Player for his 1989 NCAA National Championship team.

As a player at New Hampshire College, Ofoje led his teams to a 72-15-4 record and four NCAA Tournament appearances. He totaled 58 goals, 36 assists, and 152 points in 75 career matches.

He owns the school record for most career points, is tied for most career assists and is a member of the New Hampshire College Hall of Fame.

After graduation, Ofoje played professionally in the United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues for the Boston Storm for two seasons.

Ofoje also played on his native country of Nigeria’s junior and senior national teams.

While coaching at St. Joseph’s High School in Huntington, W.Va., Ofoje earned his Master’s degree in Sports Management at Marshall University.

Ofoje, who holds a USSF “A” coaching license, served as assistant women’s soccer coach at Illinois State University before arriving at USC Aiken.