24 Jan 2024 Irvine named NPC Men’s, Women’s Soccer coach

HOT SPRINGS — National Park College (NPC) Nighthawk Athletics named Corey Irvine as Head Men’s and Women’s Soccer Coach this week. 

A native of Glasgow, Scotland, Irvine joins NPC after two seasons as Assistant Women’s Soccer Coach at Northwest Mississippi Community College in Senatobia, Mississippi, where he helped lead the Rangers to consecutive NJCAA National Tournament appearances and the school’s first soccer State Championship. 

While at Northwest Mississippi Community College, Irvine and the Rangers earned numerous achievements, including back-to-back Region Staff of the Year honors by the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges, the 2022-23 NJCAA Region 23 championship, and a No. 1 NJCAA national ranking.

Prior to Northwest Mississippi Community College, Irvine served as Assistant Men’s Soccer Coach for NCAA Division I Georgia Southern University.

“We are excited to announce Coach Corey Irvine, who comes with a wealth of experience as both a coach and a player,” NPC Athletic Director Rich Thompson said. “Formerly part of the No. 1 ranked NJCAA team in the country, he has been part of National Championship tournament teams and we are excited to bring that level of success to our soccer program. His coaching experience, especially in women’s collegiate soccer, was something we valued greatly in our search for our next head coach. We believe that Corey will continue our winning culture here at NPC as we look to bring more NJCAA Region 2 championships to Hot Springs and look for our first National Championship tournament bid.”

Irvine’s playing career began with Partick Thistle Football Club in Glasgow, Scotland, where he played for one and a half years after high school. After moving to the United States, he spent the first two years of his collegiate career with NJCAA programs Eastern Oklahoma State College and Northeast Texas Community College before advancing to Georgia Southern University, where he spent three years as a student-athlete before accepting the Assistant Men’s Soccer Coach position. 

Irvine succeeds Diego Figueroa, who led NPC men’s and women’s soccer to NJCAA Region 2 Championships last season before accepting the Head Men’s Soccer Coach position at Meridian Community College in Mississippi. Irvine will serve as the Nighthawks’ fourth head men’s and women’s soccer coach.

“I’m super excited to be joining the National Park College Nighthawk family,” Irvine said. “Playing against NPC the past two seasons, I’ve become familiar with both the men’s and women’s programs and I know how close they were to making it to the NJCAA National Tournament. I want to make it clear that my goal is to make it to the National Tournament with both teams this season and have a crack at the title. A heavy focus on recruiting, combined with my knowledge and experience with the game, will give us a good step forward to meeting that goal.”

Irvine holds an Associate of Science from Northeast Texas Community College and a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies from Georgia Southern University. He and his wife, Lindsay, married in Hot Springs in late 2022 and are excited for the opportunity to return to Arkansas.