Aug. 18, 2003

FAIRFAX, VA ... Chris Haitz and Laura Allen have joined the George Mason University men's and women's soccer teams, respectively, as assistant coaches. Both assumed their duties last week as official practices began.

Haitz joins the staff of third-year men's head coach Fran O'Leary, while Allen will be on the staff of 12th-year women's head coach Jac Cicala. Both will assist in all aspects of the respective programs, including on-field coaching, recruiting and administrative duties. Allen, who played for the Patriots under Cicala, will specialize as the goalkeeper coach for the Patriot women.

This season marks Haitz's third as a collegiate assistant coach. He was a full-time assistant at the University of Rochester (NY) in 1998 and he served as a volunteer assistant at Genesee Community College in Batavia, NY, in 2000. He holds an NSCAA Advanced National Diploma and is a candidate for the preliminary German coaching license.

Haitz, 28, has extensive experience playing and coaching overseas in addition to working for the U.S. Soccer Federation as a team liaison officer to visiting international teams in the United States. From 2001-02, he worked in the ticketing departments for Bundesliga clubs Hamburg SV and FC St. Pauli in Hamburg, Germany, and he also trained with local fourth division semiprofessional clubs. Haitz played with many recreational league teams in Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic and England from 1996-2002, and he coached community teams in England and Germany from 2000-02. He is fluent in German and proficient in Spanish, with basic knowledge of the Czech and Norwegian languages.

A native of Batavia, NY, Haitz is a 1993 graduate of Byron-Bergen High School and played four seasons (1993-95, '97) at Earlham College, an NCAA Division III institution in Richmond, IN. He was a two-year captain and team most valuable player in 1995, and he earned All-North Coast Athletic Conference honors in 1995 (second team) and 1997 (honorable mention). After graduation, he played a year with the Carolina Dynamo in the D3 Professional League.

A 1997 graduate of Earlham, Haitz earned a bachelor's degree in German studies. As an undergraduate, he spent a semester in Germany and Austria as an exchange student. He also received his MBA in football industries from the University of Liverpool in England in 2001.

Allen, 24, returns to the Patriots after a year at Jacksonville State (AL) University as the goalkeeper coach. The Lady Gamecocks posted their best-ever record in 2002 with a mark of 12-6-2, and they ranked fourth in the nation for shutouts. In addition, goalkeeper Amanda Stephens was named to the Atlantic Sun Conference All-Freshman team.

A 2001 George Mason graduate with a degree in physical education, Allen was working toward a master's degree in adaptive physical education at Jacksonville State. In addition to her Patriot coaching duties, she also coaches area club soccer teams and is an instructor at the Soccer Academy.

Playing behind All-American Jaime Pagliarulo, Allen was a member of the Patriot women's soccer team for three seasons (1997-98, 2000) and saw action in three games during her sophomore year. George Mason was 26-14-5 over the 1997-98 seasons, reaching the NCAA Tournament "Sweet 16" in 1997, and allowed just 43 goals in the 45 contests. Allen also played three seasons as a goalkeeper for the Mason women's lacrosse team (1998-2000), seeing action in 11 games.

Allen earned all-county, all-area and all-region first-team honors as a sophomore at Basking Ridge (NJ) High School, setting the school record with 13 shutouts, before her family moved to Greenwood Village, CO. A 1997 graduate of Arapahoe High School, she was injured during her junior season and did not play as a senior. She did play 13 years of youth soccer in several stops across the United States.

The George Mason men return nine letterwinners from a team that finished 8-7-4 overall and 3-4-2 in the Colonial Athletic Association last season. The Patriot women, who have 14 letterwinners returning, were 10-11 overall and 7-2 in the CAA last year and advanced to the CAA Tournament championship game.