Michael McIntyre is the new women's soccer coach at Kansas Wesleyan, but he is certainly not a stranger to the program.
McIntyre returns after a five-month hiatus. He was an assistant coach for former coach Joe Schwartz during the 2024 and 2025 seasons and is back after working as head women's club coach at Division I Valparaiso University (Ind.).
"I'm very excited to be able to come back to a place that is familiar with myself but also that I'm very familiar with," McIntyre said. "I know a lot of the players there, helped recruit some of them, I've coached a lot of them. It's going to be fun to have me be the main voice that they hear now."
McIntyre helped KWU compile a 23-12-5 record, 21-4-1 in the Kansas Conference, during his two seasons and was head coach of the developmental squad.
"Being able to come back and have that familiarity with the team and that little bit of trust, it sort of gets us over that first hump," McIntyre said. "Even with the recruits there are going to be some that I don't know right away but a lot of them I'd spoken with before I left Kansas Wesleyan for this brief time. That's going to be a huge advantage."
McIntyre came to Wesleyan after three seasons as graduate assistant goalkeeper coach at Concordia (Neb.). He is a 2022 graduate of Trinity Christian College (Ill.), earned a master's degree from Concordia and played goalkeeper for the men's team for three seasons.
"Hiring coach McIntyre was an easy decision for us," athletics director Miguel Paredes said. "Michael knows Kansas Wesleyan University, understands the KCAC and has played a key role in recruiting a majority of our current student athletes. He brings a strong soccer IQ and a deep understanding of the game. We're excited about the energy he brings and confident in the continued rise and momentum of KWU women's soccer under his leadership."
McIntyre said he wants his teams to be known for their work on the defensive end of the pitch.
"We're probably going to see is a little more of a defensive organization focus," he said. "My background is goalkeeping. I was a goalkeeper coach, that's how I broke into the college game. I'm very passionate about making sure we're defensively secure - I do not like to get scored on. We have always focused a lot on defense, but I think there's probably going to be another step forward into that with my team specifically."
McIntyre was involved in all aspects of the program during his two seasons.
"Did a lot of individual sessions," he said. "Previously I was out recruiting all the time. I got to take (assistant coach) Mallorie (Lund) with me as well. Being able to come back and not just be familiar with the players but also with other staff members is also a huge advantage in getting them to buy into what we think we can get rolling."
Building and maintaining strong relationships is vital.
"You really prioritize that relational aspect of coaching, and ultimately, I think that was one of the best ways that you can create buy-in with players knowing that they can trust you as a person is key," he said.
McIntyre has a good idea of what to expect from KWU's conference opponents.
"The fun thing about the KCAC is you can watch teams and see them in non-conference play and wonder 'how did they get that result against that team' or 'how did they drop that result against this team?'" he said. "But once they get into conference play everyone's out for blood. It's very competitive, obviously."