Player Bio: Ben Somoza - University of Washington Official Athletic Site
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Former Husky standout and Seattle Sounders player Ben Somoza will serve as interim assistant coach for the Husky men's soccer team while new assistant coach Brandon Prideaux completes his professional playing career in 2009. Somoza, who served as the Huskies volunteer coach in 2007, will join the team for the 2009 season.
Somoza, a four-year UW letterwinner from 1998-2001, returns to his alma mater where he was a two-year captain and led the Huskies to three-straight league championships including MPSF titles in 1998 and 1999, and the inaugural Pac-10 crown in 2000. All four of his UW teams advanced to the NCAA Tournament, and he was a second-team All-Far West region selection in 2001 and a two-time first-team All-Pac-10 honoree in 2000 and 2001.
"Ben is ideal person to serve as the assistant coach for the 2009 season," head coach Dean Wurzberger said. "Ben was on our staff as the volunteer coach one year ago and he knows our program, players and coaching staff well. It's also special for me to have former UW players return to join the coaching staff since they played a huge part in defining our program."
Upon graduating from UW, Somoza played five years of professional soccer - one with the Portland Timbers and four with the Seattle Sounders. While with Seattle, he helped lead the Sounders to their 2005 USL First Division Championship title.
In 2007, Somoza, coached the inaugural season for the King's High School boys' soccer program which finished second in the state. He currently holds a USSF "B" coaching license, and has coached and served as a trainer for many different youth squads in the Northwest.
Somoza, a 1998 graduate of Edmonds-Woodway High School, resides in Seattle.
