Illinois Head Softball Coach Tyra Perry announced in June 2024 the addition of Brendan Goler as an assistant coach to the Fighting Illini program. Goler previously served as an associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at Minnesota Morris.
In his first season with the Illini, Goler saw the team post a 22-28 overall record with a 6-15 mark in Big Ten play. Keirys Click was a bright spot in the Illini lineup, earning Freshman of the Week honors during the 2025 campaign. The Illini earned one ranked victory during the season, a 9-5 rout of No. 21 Ohio State during the final weekend of the regular season.
Goler started as an assistant coach for the softball and women’s soccer programs at Minnesota Morris in 2016. He transitioned to assist the men’s soccer program in 2018 while also being promoted to being the associate head coach for the softball program at that time. Prior to the 2023 season, Goler left the men’s soccer program to focus solely on softball.
Goler made an immediate impact at Minnesota Morris during the 2017 season, with the softball team jumping into the top-10 in the record books in 14 categories and ended the season with three student-athletes earning spots on the All-Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) teams.
Most recently under Goler’s guidance, Minnesota Morris set the program record for wins with 28 in 2024 and added the longest winning streak in program history with 18-straight victories. With a 15-3 UMAC record, the Cougars earned a share of the regular-season title for the first time in program history.
With Goler’s help, the 2024 team set new records for total hits (374), stolen bases (79), RBI (226), runs scored (264), walks drawn (122), strikeouts (254), and ERA (2.63).
During his eight seasons with the program, Goler helped athletes receive 21 all-conference honors and 68 academic all-conference accolades. In his final season, Minnesota Morris placed two on the NFCA All-Region Team, the first Cougars to ever receive the honor.
A graduate of Benedictine University, Goler played three seasons on the men’s soccer team and served as the kicker for the football team for the 2013 campaign. Goler received Academic All-NACC recognition in his sophomore season and was a three-time NACC Scholar-Athlete in his three seasons suiting up for the Eagles.
Goler graduated from Benedictine University in May of 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in bilingual journalism (Spanish) and added a master’s degree in education from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2020.
After his college days at Benedictine, Goler briefly played and practiced as a reserve for Concepcion of the Chilean Professional B league.
