Men's Soccer
Babst, Mike
Mike Babst
- Title:
- Charlie Slagle Men’s Soccer Head Coach
- Email:
- mibabst@davidson.edu
- Phone:
- 2345
Mike Babst enters his sixth season as the head coach of the Davidson men's soccer program in 2024.
During the 2023 season, Babst led the Wildcats to the program's first-ever Atlantic 10 postseason win with a 2-1 victory over Duquesne. He also led the program to its most regular season wins since 2018 and secured double-digit wins for the first time since 2014. Babst coached the dynamic striking duo of Vincent Bennage and Denis Krioutchenkov to All-Region and All-Conference honors. Babst also had the 'Cats within the top-25 when the team was ranked No. 24 by TopDrawerSoccer.com on October 17.
In 2022, Davidson’s youth showed early, but the ‘Cats concluded the regular season 6-4-3 over their last 13 contests highlighted by a 3-1 win over Virginia Tech and consecutive league win’s to close out the campaign, including 2-0 at Rhode Island.
On the individual side, first-year phenom Denis Krioutchenkov was as good as advertised earning Freshman All-American honors and a spot on the league’s second-team. The striker finished his first collegiate season ranked among A-10 leaders in goals (9 / 2nd), total points (20 / 3rd), game-winning goals (3 / T-1st), shots (57 / 2nd) and shots on goal (32 / 1st).
Year three for Babst and his club was another step forward as the Wildcats posted a 9-7-2 overall mark, which included two wins over then-nationally-ranked foes. In addition, Davidson finished 3-3-2 in league play earning its second berth in the Atlantic 10 Tournament in the last three seasons.
Another highlight to the 2021 campaign was the Wildcats' 2-1 victory over Radford, which was the 100th win of Babst's brief nine-year coaching career.
In his first year on the Wildcat sideline, Babst led the program to just their third A-10 Tournament trip since joining the league in 2014.
Since taking over in 2019, Davidson has had six all-conference performers, including Henry Howell and Vincent Bennage in 2021.
Despite his second year on the bench shifting to the spring and being abbreviated due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Davidson finished 3-4-2 overall and 2-2-2 in conference play.
After dropping their first two contests, the Wildcats went 3-1-2 over the next six, which included back-to-back shutouts over league foes George Washington and VCU.
Babst came to Davidson after a successful six-year stint at the University of Chicago, where he led the Division III program to five NCAA Tournament appearances, including the national semifinals the last two seasons.
His teams won four conference championships and went 87-23-12, including 54-6-5 the last three years.
“Coach Babst brings a wealth of experience and a foundation of success to Davidson,” said Director of Athletics Chris Clunie. “He understands an environment with high academic standards that competes to win at the highest level athletically – he exemplifies athletics done right. We are thrilled that he has joined us and we are confident he will lead the men’s soccer program to the next level.”
In Chicago, Babst coached seven of the program’s eight All-Americans, three conference players of the year, four conference rookies of the year and 30 all-conference selections.
He spent 2012-13 as an assistant coach at Northwestern, where he helped Northwestern earn its second straight Big Ten title and reach the NCAA postseason for the seventh time. While there he coached goalkeeper Tyler Miller, who is the current starting keeper for Los Angeles FC (MLS).
Babst spent the previous five years as an assistant at the University of South Carolina, where the Gamecocks reached the NCAA Tournament his final two seasons. He made other coaching stops at Duquesne and Washington & Lee.
“I have been fortunate to work at a number of great institutions, and if I could take my favorite piece of each place it would come together to look exactly like Davidson. My family is so excited to be a part of this community and this amazing educational experience. I hope to lead a team that makes everyone associated with Davidson proud,” Babst commented.
Babst graduated from Boston College in 1999 with a bachelor’s degree in economics and marketing. On the pitch, he joined the Eagles as a walk-on during his sophomore campaign and competed as a junior and senior.
In 2007, he earned a law degree from the University of Pittsburgh.
Babst's Coaching Record at Davidson College
*Denotes 2020 fall season shifted to spring due to COVID-19 Pandemic.
During the 2023 season, Babst led the Wildcats to the program's first-ever Atlantic 10 postseason win with a 2-1 victory over Duquesne. He also led the program to its most regular season wins since 2018 and secured double-digit wins for the first time since 2014. Babst coached the dynamic striking duo of Vincent Bennage and Denis Krioutchenkov to All-Region and All-Conference honors. Babst also had the 'Cats within the top-25 when the team was ranked No. 24 by TopDrawerSoccer.com on October 17.
In 2022, Davidson’s youth showed early, but the ‘Cats concluded the regular season 6-4-3 over their last 13 contests highlighted by a 3-1 win over Virginia Tech and consecutive league win’s to close out the campaign, including 2-0 at Rhode Island.
On the individual side, first-year phenom Denis Krioutchenkov was as good as advertised earning Freshman All-American honors and a spot on the league’s second-team. The striker finished his first collegiate season ranked among A-10 leaders in goals (9 / 2nd), total points (20 / 3rd), game-winning goals (3 / T-1st), shots (57 / 2nd) and shots on goal (32 / 1st).
Year three for Babst and his club was another step forward as the Wildcats posted a 9-7-2 overall mark, which included two wins over then-nationally-ranked foes. In addition, Davidson finished 3-3-2 in league play earning its second berth in the Atlantic 10 Tournament in the last three seasons.
Another highlight to the 2021 campaign was the Wildcats' 2-1 victory over Radford, which was the 100th win of Babst's brief nine-year coaching career.
In his first year on the Wildcat sideline, Babst led the program to just their third A-10 Tournament trip since joining the league in 2014.
Since taking over in 2019, Davidson has had six all-conference performers, including Henry Howell and Vincent Bennage in 2021.
Despite his second year on the bench shifting to the spring and being abbreviated due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Davidson finished 3-4-2 overall and 2-2-2 in conference play.
After dropping their first two contests, the Wildcats went 3-1-2 over the next six, which included back-to-back shutouts over league foes George Washington and VCU.
Babst came to Davidson after a successful six-year stint at the University of Chicago, where he led the Division III program to five NCAA Tournament appearances, including the national semifinals the last two seasons.
His teams won four conference championships and went 87-23-12, including 54-6-5 the last three years.
“Coach Babst brings a wealth of experience and a foundation of success to Davidson,” said Director of Athletics Chris Clunie. “He understands an environment with high academic standards that competes to win at the highest level athletically – he exemplifies athletics done right. We are thrilled that he has joined us and we are confident he will lead the men’s soccer program to the next level.”
In Chicago, Babst coached seven of the program’s eight All-Americans, three conference players of the year, four conference rookies of the year and 30 all-conference selections.
He spent 2012-13 as an assistant coach at Northwestern, where he helped Northwestern earn its second straight Big Ten title and reach the NCAA postseason for the seventh time. While there he coached goalkeeper Tyler Miller, who is the current starting keeper for Los Angeles FC (MLS).
Babst spent the previous five years as an assistant at the University of South Carolina, where the Gamecocks reached the NCAA Tournament his final two seasons. He made other coaching stops at Duquesne and Washington & Lee.
“I have been fortunate to work at a number of great institutions, and if I could take my favorite piece of each place it would come together to look exactly like Davidson. My family is so excited to be a part of this community and this amazing educational experience. I hope to lead a team that makes everyone associated with Davidson proud,” Babst commented.
Babst graduated from Boston College in 1999 with a bachelor’s degree in economics and marketing. On the pitch, he joined the Eagles as a walk-on during his sophomore campaign and competed as a junior and senior.
In 2007, he earned a law degree from the University of Pittsburgh.
Babst's Coaching Record at University of Chicago
| Year | Overall W-L-T | Pct. | Conf. W-L-T | Pct. | Postseason |
| 2013 | 9-6-2 | .588 | 3-4-0 | .429 | |
| 2014 | 12-6-2 | .650 | 5-0-2 | .857 | NCAA 2nd Round, UAA Title |
| 2015 | 12-5-3 | .675 | 3-3-1 | .500 | NCAA 2nd Round |
| 2016 | 17-1-2 | .900 | 5-0-2 | .785 | NCAA Round of 16, UAA Title |
| 2017 | 19-2-2 | .870 | 6-1-0 | .857 | NCAA Semifinals, UAA Title |
| 2018 | 18-3-1 | .841 | 6-1-0 | .857 | NCAA Semifinals, UAA Title |
| Totals | 87-23-12 | .762 | 28-9-5 | .726 |
Babst's Coaching Record at Davidson College
| Year | Overall W-L-T | Pct. | Conf. W-L-T | Pct. | Postseason |
| 2019 | 4-11-2 | .294 | 3-5-0 | .375 | |
| 2021 (Spring)* | 3-4-2 | .444 | 2-2-2 | .500 | |
| 2021 (Fall) | 9-7-2 | .556 | 3-3-2 | .500 | |
| 2022 | 6-8-3 | .441 | 3-4-1 | .437 | |
| Davidson | 22-30-9 | .434 | 11-14-5 | .450 | |
| Career | 109-53-21 | .653 | 39-23-10 | .611 | 5 NCAA Appearances |
*Denotes 2020 fall season shifted to spring due to COVID-19 Pandemic.
FY26 Men's Soccer Preseason Virtual Meeting
Friday, August 15
FY25 Men's Soccer Davidson United Conversation
Wednesday, June 04
2024 Davidson Men's Soccer Highlights
Tuesday, May 13
Davidson Men’s Soccer – March 2023 Virtual Alumni Gathering
Tuesday, March 14
