University of California Athletics

With nearly two decades of coaching experience along with two years on a semi-professional team and a four-year starting role for Eastern Michigan University, Associate Head Coach Chris Lemay brings a rich and varied soccer background to the Golden Bears. 

Lemay completed his fourth campaign with the Bears in 2016. Cal extended its streak of NCAA Tournament appearances to 13 with another 13-win season (13-5-3) that included wins overs No. 7 USC, No. 15 Texas Tech and a tie against No. 10 UCLA. Four Cal players were named to the All-Pac-12 teams, with redshirt senior Ifeoma Onumonu (first team), senior Arielle Ship, junior Emily Boyd and senior Emma Fletcher (second team) representing the Bears. Freshmen Abigail Kim and Mia Corbin were also honored for their performances by being selected to the All-Freshman team. Ship, Onumonu, Boyd and junior Haley Lukas were also named to the NSCAA All-Pacific Region team. Boyd matched her Cal record with another 11 shutout campaign, while Ship (11) and Onumonu (10) lead the team with double digit goals. 

During his third season in 2015, Cal posted a 13-6-3 record, finishing 4th in the Pac-12 Conference. The season started with a bang with Cal winning the Duke Nike Invitational with a win over nationally ranked Duke, and a tie against 22 time national champion North Carolina. Cal’s signature win on the season was a 7-0 victory over perennial national power UCLA. Sophomore goalkeeper Emily Boyd tied a school record of 11 shutouts on the season and Arielle Ship was named Cal’s first ever Pac-12 Player of the Year. Samantha Witteman and Arielle Ship were named First team All-Pac-12, Celeste Bourielle and Emily Boyd were named to the All Pac-12 Second team and Emma Fletcher was an honorable mention for Pac-12 honors. 

Lemay wrapped up his second season with Cal in 2014. Under his tutelage, the Bears produced 47 goals from 15 different players and averaged 2.14 goals per game, finishing with a 14-6-2 record and earning the program's 11th consecutive postseason berth. Cal ranked as high as 10th in the NSCAA and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament before falling to regional No. 2-seed Florida.

In 2013, his first year with the Bears, Lemay helped guide Cal to its best start in 20 years. The Golden Bears went unbeaten through 13 games before dropping a game to eventual National and Pac-12 champions UCLA. Cal clinched a 10th consecutive NCAA Tournament berth, losing in the first round to Santa Clara for an 11-5-5 record.

Lemay joined the Bears as assistant coach in July 2013 after one season as an assistant coach at San Diego State, during which the Aztecs won both the Mountain West regular season and conference tournament championships and went 21-2-1 with a No. 4 national ranking after being defeated in the NCAA round of 16. He was also the assistant coach at UC Riverside from 2003-2006, where he helped the team to a 45-20-14 overall record during his tenure and a 2005 NCAA tournament bid.

Aside from coaching at the collegiate level, Lemay spent time as an assistant coach for the Women’s Premier Soccer League’s San Diego Sea Lions, featuring three women’s World Cup players. A licensed United States Soccer Federation Class A coach, Lemay was also the head coach for the San Diego Surf Soccer Club’s girl’s U9 to U18 teams, leading his players to four state cup championships. He was named the San Diego Surf Girls Coach of the Year in 2010 and 2013 and was also a finalist for the award in 2009. Prior to that, he was the Del Mar Sharks’ Director of Younger Girls Programs and head coach for the U8 to U18 teams from 2001 to 2007, where he won three state cup championships. In total, Lemay’s teams have won seven Cal South State Cup Championships, including two national state cups. Most recently, Lemay’s 2012-13 U12 Surf team won the Cal South National State Cup Championship and were crowned regional finalists. His U14 team won the prestigious Southern California ECNL conference championship and took third nationally.

Lemay was a four-year starter at Eastern Michigan from 1995-2000, where he graduated with a degree in communication and a minor in business management, before playing for the USISL semi-pro soccer club Michigan Madness. 

He joins the University of California family with wife, Tami, son Van, and daughters Olivia, Hannah and Eva.