Head Coach Bob Carlson
Record at School/Years: 121-78-21/13th season
Career Record: Same
Telephone: (507)222-5840
Email: rcarlson@carleton.edu

Bob Carlson is now in his 13th season as men’s soccer coach, having led the 2007 and 2008 teams to back-to-back MIAC regular-season titles. Last year’s squad also captured the conference’s post-season title as well as the program’s first-ever trip to the NCAA Championships, where the Knights advanced to the “Sweet Sixteen.” He earned MIAC coach of the year honors for the second time and was named West Region Coach of the Year by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

The Knights have posted nine winning seasons under Carlson, including a spectacular 31-4-6 record (.829) over the last two years. In comparison, Carleton posted only eight winning seasons in the 24 years prior to his arrival.

With an overall ledger of 121-78-21 during his first dozen seasons at the helm, Carlson ranks first all-time at Carleton in both career victories and winning percentage (.598) among coaches with two or more seasons coached. His tenure has been marked by consistent play and strong finishes in the MIAC, perennially one of the strongest men's soccer conferences in all of NCAA Division III. For the past 12 years his team has earned NSCAA Team Academic awards, including three years in which the Knights posted the highest team grade point average in all of NCAA Division I, II and III.

The 2008 campaign was the best in the program’s history, as the Knights went 17-2-3 including the team’s first-ever trip to the NCAA Championships. That victory total shattered the previous school record for wins (14) in a single season. Carlson's Knights were ranked throughout most of the year, rising as high as No. 7 in the NSCAA/adidas national poll, and finished 8-1-1 in MIAC play.

After earning the 2007 regular-season title and reaching the MIAC Playoffs for the first time, Carlson guided Carleton to new heights in 2008. Following a decisive 2-0 triumph over St. Thomas in the semifinals the Knights posted a shootout victory over Augsburg to capture their first MIAC playoff title and earn the squad its initial trip to the national tournament. With their NCAA Championships second-round win over Wisconsin-Platteville, the Knights reached the Sectionals (round of 16) only to fall to defending national champion Middlebury College, 1-0.

The Knights have become nearly unbeatable at Bell Field under Carlson. Over the last three years Carleton has compiled a 24-3-4 record at home. In addition, under his direction, the Knights have gone an amazing 20-1-3 in MIAC play since Oct. 14, 2006.

A 1986 graduate of St. Olaf College, Carlson was a standout player for the Oles as a team captain, all-conference selection and four-year letterwinner. He helped St. Olaf capture the 1984 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) crown and an NCAA tournament bid, the first-ever for a MIAC institution. As a coach, Carlson returned to Minnesota in 1991 as an assistant at Gustavus Adolphus College. During his four-year tenure there, the Gusties won two conference championships and earned two NCAA tournament bids.

A native of Illinois, Carlson was an all-area soccer and basketball player at New Trier High School. He is married to Cathy Carlson, Associate Dean of Students at Carleton; the couple has a son, Sam, and a daughter, Emma.

Assistant Coach Josh Petty

This is Josh Petty’s third season as an assistant coach with the Knights. He excelled as a midfield leader under Carlson as a Carleton student. Petty majored in adventure education and minored in environmental studies, graduating from Prescott College (Ariz.) in December 2006. He also assists the soccer program at Shattuck-St. Mary’s School in Faribault, Minn.