Hometown: Napa, Calif.
Alma Mater: Concordia University, Nebraska
An experienced coach at the high school and club levels, Bernie Ochoa has returned to his alma mater as Head Men's Soccer Coach. The announcement of Ochoa's hiring was made in March 2026. He took on the head coaching role as former teammate Jason Weides shifted to Director of Soccer Operations / Head Women's Soccer Coach.
Ochoa will look to build upon the success enjoyed by the men’s program, which won the 2025 GPAC tournament title and advanced to the second round of the NAIA National Championships. A native of Napa, Calif., Ochoa has been a soccer lifer. He ventured to Seward for his college career and was a three-time GPAC All-Conference honoree and the 2000 GPAC Player of the Year as a Bulldog. For his excellence as a student-athlete, Ochoa was inducted into the Concordia Athletics Hall of Fame. Ochoa went on to play professionally for the Tiburones Rojas De Veracruz, Atlas Reservas, Sonoma Sol and Sioux Falls Spitfire.
In his home state of California, Ochoa has coached extensively at the high school and club levels. During his high school coaching tenure from 2003 through 2019, Ochoa led teams to two CIF sectional championships and 10 Monticello Empire League titles while compiling records of 139-26-16 on the boy’s side and 156-80-49 on the girl’s side. He was named Napa County KVYN Coach of the Year, CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Coach of the Year, Monticello Empire League Coach of the Year (seven times) and Napa All County Coach of the Year (11 times). Ochoa was chosen to the state’s High School Hall of Fame in 2023. Ochoa was head coach of Vintage High School from 2003-09 and 2012-19.
Ochoa also began coaching club soccer beginning in 2003, while serving the Napa United Soccer Club (staff coach), Napa Sport Academy (Club Coaching Director) and Napa Soccer Academy (staff coach). The accomplishments have included two US Club National Cup championships in seven US Club National Cup appearances, seven US Club regional championships, one US Club Midwest Regional finalist finish, one CYSA Cal North State Cup finalist advancement, two NorCal State Cup championships and 13 NorCal league titles. Ochoa is able to relate to student-athletes of all backgrounds and is fluent in English and Spanish.
Bernie is the son of Joaquin and Lucila. He has a brother Joaquin Jr. and sisters Yesenia and Teresa.
Hometown: Algoma, Wis.
Alma Mater: William Penn University
Haakon Utesch joined the Concordia University soccer coaching staffs beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. As a graduate assistant, Utesch serves as the goalkeeper coach for both programs.
In his first season with the Bulldogs, goalkeepers Angela Banks and Nolan Fuelberth were both named Second Team All-GPAC honorees and both soccer programs played in GPAC tournament championship games. Then in 2025, the men's program made history by reaching the second round of the national tournament for the first time ever. Fuelberth and Inigo Chavarria were chosen as honorable mention all-conference award winners.
The Algoma, Wis., native immersed himself within the coaching profession prior to arriving at Concordia. Utesch coached within the Women’s Premier League, the Midwest Premier League (men’s semi-professional), the National Premier Soccer League and the Major Arena Soccer League 2.
As a collegiate player, Utesch helped Iowa Western Community College to a National Junior College Athletic Association national championship in 2021. He played on four separate national tournament qualifying teams as part of his career at both Iowa Western and NAIA William Penn University. Utesch aided in William Penn reaching the national round of 16 for the first time in program history.
Utesch earned his bachelor's degree in Business Administration from William Penn. He is pursuing his MBA from Concordia. Haakon is the son of Lynn and Nancy Utesch. He has four siblings: Russ, Joe, Addie and Sam.
Hometown: Omaha, Neb.
Alma Mater: Grand Canyon University
Brennan Lamson began his first season as Graduate Assistant Coach for the Concordia Men’s Soccer program in 2024-25. In his first season in 2024, the Bulldogs went 8-3-9 overall and advanced to the GPAC tournament championship game. Year two saw the Bulldogs win the GPAC tournament championship and advance to the second round of the NAIA National Championship tournament. Concordia has gone a combined 20-12-10 over Lamson's two seasons on staff.
A native of Omaha, Neb., Lamson is a student of the game. He worked the Skutt Catholic boy’s soccer camp in 2024 and owns a United Soccer Coaches Game Analysis, Player Development and Performance diploma. Lamson recently graduated from Grand Canyon University with a degree in Performance & Sport Psychology. As an excellent student, Lamson graduated magna cum laude.
Lamson is pursuing his master’s in Athletic Administration from Concordia. He is the son of Bill and Jennifer Lamson and has a brother named Ryan.
Nick Holmes
Athletics, Paul H. & Mary Ann Koehler Department of Business
Hometown: Southampton, England
Alma Mater: Concordia University, Nebraska
Nick Holmes completed his 13th season as an assistant men’s soccer coach at Concordia University in 2025. He has also served two separate stints as an assistant for the women's soccer program.
Holmes was as an assistant for the men's GPAC tournament championship teams of 2015 and 2022 and for squads that recorded conference tournament runner-up finishes in 2016, 2017 and 2024. The 2017 team shattered the program record for wins in a season while the 2023 squad went undefeated in the regular season and reached as high as No. 18 in the NAIA coaches' poll. Holmes then helped the '24 women's team to a national tournament appearance. In 2025, the men's program made history while advancing to the second round of the national tournament for the first time ever.
Holmes has also lent his expertise to several local organizations, camps and clubs. He worked as a staff coach for the Capital Soccer Association from 2010-13 as well as a staff coach for Sporting Lincoln FC in 2013 and 2014. In addition, he has served as a residential camp staff coach at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for three years (2012-14). Most recently, Holmes has been the head coach for Seward High School boys soccer.
Holmes holds a National Soccer Coaches’ Association of America (NSCAA) National Diploma and NSCAA Goalkeeping Level I and II diplomas.
A former Bulldog athlete, Holmes played for the Concordia Men’s Soccer program in 2005 and 2006. He graduated from Concordia with a bachelor of arts in History and M.S. Family Life.
The native of Southampton, England, resides in Seward with his wife, Jen, and their two sons, Andrew and Samuel.