FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas assistant soccer coach Chris Neal is returning to his alma mater.
Neal, who joined Razorbacks coach Colby Hale’s staff in January, will become the head soccer coach at UNC-Wilmington. Neal came to Arkansas from Elon, where he spent the previous decade as coach of the Phoenix women’s soccer team.
“I’m grateful to be the new head coach at a place I know and love,” Neal said in a release. “To be able to help lead the soccer program at my alma mater is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I’m appreciative of Coach Hale’s support in allowing me to pursue this advancement of my coaching career, even while heading into the 2018 season.
“I have enjoyed the time I have spent at Arkansas and am confident the Razorback program will continue to have great success under coach Colby Hale.”
Neal is the winningest coach in Elon women’s soccer history (90-76-31) and played a key part in the program’s move from the Southern Conference to the Colonial Athletic Association in 2014. Two years prior, he was named SoCon Coach of the Year and, in 2013, led the team to its first conference semifinals and championship game appearances.
Arkansas finished 11-11-2 overall last season and 4-5-1 in Southeastern Conference play. The Razorbacks lost 4-1 to NC State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.