Linus Rhode Position: Head Coach Experience: 4th Year Alma Mater: Portland, 1996

Changing Mindset (11/3/2010 -- Gazette Times)

Linus Rhode enters his fourth year at the helm of the Oregon State women's soccer program with the most wins by a Beavers head coach to start his career and back-to-back trips to the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship.

Rhode has won 36 games in his first three seasons as the head coach, including a school-record 16 wins in his third season after tying the school-record with 14 wins in his second year. He guided Oregon State to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1994 in his second season when the Beavers advanced to the Sweet 16 and made a return trip in his third year with a win in the first round.

In his third season at Oregon State, Rhode led the Beavers to a second-place finish in the Pac-10 with a 7-2 record, both of which are school records. Along the way, the Beavers posted 14 shutouts, wins over three top 25 teams, a No. 17 finish in the final NSCAA poll and several team and individual records.

Several players earned individual honors, including goalkeeper Colleen Boyd who became just the second Oregon State player to receive NSCAA All-America honors and Jenna Richardson who was named to the Soccer America Freshman All-America First Team and selected the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year.

In addition, four players earned NSCAA All-Pacific Region Team honors, five players were named to All-Pac-10 Teams, six players received Pac-10 All-Academic recognition and two players were named Pac-10 Player of the Week.

In his second season at Oregon State, Rhode led the Beavers to unprecedented success as they advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship for the first time in school history. Oregon State finished the 2009 season with a mark of 14-8-1 and a No. 21 finish in the final NSCAA poll.

Their Beavers eight-win turnaround from the previous season was the second most of any team in the nation and they captured their first win over USC since 1994. Oregon State also finished the year with a near-perfect 14-0-1 mark in games in which they scored a goal.

Three Oregon State players were named all-conference following the 2009 season, including Rachael Axon, who also earned all-region honors. In addition, 10 players were named to the Pac-10 All-Academic Team.

In his first season at the helm of the program, a win over nationally-ranked Washington State highlighted the 2008 campaign as a young Oregon State team used strong defensive efforts to nearly pull off a number of upsets against ranked opponents.

Prior to taking over the program as head coach, Rhode served eight seasons as an assistant and associate head coach with the Beavers. During his time as an assistant and associate head coach, Rhode helped lead Oregon State to its best finish in the Pac-10 Conference (2003) since 1995, a top 20 national ranking (2005), wins over numerous top 10 programs and 32 shutouts.

A number of student-athletes have received individual honors during his tenure at Oregon State as players have earned 23 all-conference and 79 academic all-conference honors under his guidance, including Jodie Taylor, who was a four-time all-conference and all-region selection. In addition, student-athletes have excelled academically as the team has consistently ranked among the best in the conference in grade point average and has seen numerous players earn CoSIDA Academic All-District honors.

Prior to joining the Oregon State staff, Rhode spent two years as head coach of the McKenzie United Soccer Academy in Eugene. He also served five years as the Oregon Olympic Development Team head coach and was a Region IV staff coach for both the boy's and girl's ODP programs.

Rhode played professionally for the New Orleans River Boat Gamblers in the "A" League and for Wynberg St. John's in South Africa. He was a member of the Canadian Olympic Team from 1993-96, and was selected for the Canadian National U-20 Team.

Rhode graduated from the University of Portland with a bachelor's degree in organizational communications and captained the team to the NCAA Division I Final Four in 1995.

Originally from British Columbia, Rhode graduated from Centennial High in Coquitlam.

He and his wife, Magda, have two daughters, Nina and Anya.