Ribeiro named head soccer coach at Cowley; Vaz leaves for Eastern Illinois

Ribeiro has been an assistant coach for the Cowley College men's and women's soccer teams for the past three seasons. During this time, he has helped lead both programs to new heights.

In the three seasons Ribeiro spent as an assistant coach at Cowley, he helped the Tiger men capture three straight district titles and post a record of 48-11-5. This past season, Cowley won the conference and region titles and advanced to the national title game before losing to Iowa Western in a shootout.

Ribeiro also helped the Lady Tiger soccer team capture back-to-back district titles and advance to its first-ever national tournament appearances. The Cowley women have posted a record of 33-20-7 over the past three seasons.

"We are thrilled to announce Marcos Ribeiro as our new head men's soccer coach," Cowley athletic director Jeff Fluty said. "Marcos's vision, passion for the game, and commitment to student-athlete development align perfectly with our athletic department values. I am confident that he will continue the high level of competitive excellence that our program has achieved and build upon it, guiding our team to continued competitive excellence both on and off the field."

Ribeiro moved to the United States in 2018 to play for Johnson County Community College, where he was the team captain and led the team in assists in both seasons. He was selected as the team MVP in 2018 and Academic Player of the Year in 2019. Ribeiro was named First Team All-Conference and All-Region throughout both his seasons at Johnson. He finished his final two years at Baker University, earning a BA in Business and Marketing.

Ribeiro was a prominent player of the squad at Baker, again leading the team in assists. While at Baker, he played semi-professional soccer with Sporting Wichita in the UPSL league, where he was coached by former Cowley soccer coaches Ruy Vaz and Tanner Brock.  

"Coaching at Cowley is not just a role for me; it feels like home," Ribeiro said. "This program has shaped me as a coach, and I am grateful for the opportunity to lead in this next chapter. I want to thank Ruy Vaz and Roberto dos Santos for their mentorship and support, which have been instrumental in my growth. Working with them has taught me invaluable lessons that I will bring into this new position. To the Cowley College athletic department, I appreciate your trust in me and the support provided to the soccer programs. Lastly, to my family, thank you for being my primary source of inspiration, energy, and encouragement. Your support means everything to me."

After incredible success as a player and coach at Cowley, Vaz will take over as the head men's soccer coach at an NCAA Division I school, the University of Eastern Illinois.

"We are incredibly thankful for the competitive excellence and dedication Ruy Vaz brought to our men's soccer program during his tenure," Fluty said. "Under his leadership, our team achieved remarkable success, consistently competing at a high level and developing outstanding student-athletes on and off the field in the NJCAA. No doubt, Ruy will continue to provide successful leadership as the new head men's soccer coach at Eastern Illinois University. We are extremely happy for Ruy and his family with this new career opportunity."

Vaz took over the reins of the Tiger men's soccer program in 2018 and became the most successful coach in the program's history, having led Cowley to five national tournament berths in six seasons and an overall record of 110-17-6.

Ribeiro hopes to continue the tradition established under Vaz's leadership and knows expectations are high for the program.

 I am excited about the challenges ahead," Ribeiro said. "We have a strong group of returning players, along with 20 new faces joining us, so I am highly motivated by the team we are building."