MINNEAPOLIS -- Augsburg University men's soccer alumnus Peyton Boich '20 has been named the team's new graduate fellow assistant coach, after Jonah Garcia has departed to take the top assistant coach position at Hamline University, head coach Greg Holker announced on Friday.
A four-year veteran of the Augsburg men's soccer program (2016-19), Boich served in his first season as an assistant coach in 2022. He will serve in the graduate fellowship program for the Auggies, as he pursues his master's degree at Augsburg. Graduate fellows gain knowledge in coaching a college program, while also recruiting and providing organizational duties for the team.
"I am excited to have Peyton move into the role of graduate assistant," Holker said. "He knows this program deeply -- the difficult times and the wonderful moments. He's played a key role in this program over the past years, and I am excited to work more closely with him as he works toward achieving his personal goals. Recruiting will remain a priority, and I know Peyton will bring in the quality of players and people that Augsburg is so fortunate to work with."
A midfielder, Boich played in 60 games in his Augsburg career (3,578 minutes, 59.6 minutes per-game), scoring seven goals with 10 assists for 24 points, with two game-winning goals in his career. He scored six goals with two assists in 2016, had a goal and assist in 2017, six assists in 2018 and an assist in 2019. Boich earned All-MIAC Honorable Mention honors in both 2016 and 2019.
A 2018 alumnus of Wisconsin-Superior, Garcia spent two seasons as Augsburg's graduate fellow, after serving as a volunteer assistant in the 2020-21 campaign. He had served as an assistant coach at Rosemount (Minn.) High School in 2018-19, and as a team coach for the Salvo Soccer Club (2018-20) and Minnesota Thunder Academy (2021-present).
Garcia earned All-Upper Midwest Athletic Conference first-team honors in both 2016 and 2017 as a midfielder/defender. He scored six goals with three assists for 15 points in 69 career games. Since 2018, he has played for Minneapolis City SC in the USL League Two.
"The coaching transition is taking place now, and when we gather in August, Peyton will assume the duties Jonah so effectively carried out," Holker said. "I'd like to thank Jonah for the three years he spent helping build our program and pushing us along as we continue to strive for more. He learned how to become a more effective recruiter, team-builder, and on-the-field coach in his time here and he will be missed. Maybe more than this were the relationships he built with the players. They all admire him and wish him well."
Augsburg opens its 2023 season, its 20th under Holker's leadership, on the weekend of Sept. 1-2 with a pair of games in Oregon against Linfield (Ore.) and George Fox (Ore.).
