Ralph Named Head Men's Soccer Coach

ERIE, Pa. – Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, has selected Chris Ralph to become the seventh head men's soccer coach in program history. 

Ralph was the interim head coach during the Spring 2024 season after the retirement announcement of 31-year head coach Dan Perritano. He spent the last three seasons beside Perritano, leading the team to a 41-14-8 overall record and a 20-2-2 mark in Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) action. Ralph also led the Lions to three appearances in the ECAC Tournament, vying for the ECAC Championship the last two seasons.

Prior to returning to Behrend, Ralph spent a year as the men's soccer assistant coach at Mercyhurst University. He was also involved in coaching goalkeepers at Mercyhurst and Behrend.

A three-year starter for the Behrend men's soccer team, he was an NSCAA All-American and a USC Scholar All-American. Ralph was also named a two-time Scholar All-East Region selection. He started in every game he played to register a 43-9-6 overall record. Ralph made 170 saves and tallied 26 shutouts in three seasons. He boasted a 0.73 career goals-against average, helping the Lions to a pair of AMCC Championships and two NCAA Tournament appearances.  

Ralph also played six seasons for the Erie Commodores of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL). 

Ralph, the 2019 Penn State Behrend Co-Male Athlete of the Year, was also a two-time AMCC Defensive Player of the Year and three-time All-AMCC first-team selection.

He graduated from Penn State Behrend in 2019 with a B.S degree in project and supply chain management and earned a master's degree in project management from Penn State World Campus in 2023.