Junior Gonzalez
Head Coach • othoniel.gonzalez@ucr.edu
Othoniel “Junior” Gonzalez enters his fourth season as head coach of the UC Riverside men’s soccer program. Gonzalez is the school’s winningest coach at the NCAA Division I level.

Gonzalez had been the top assistant under previous Head Coach Nat Gonzalez for three years since the program’s inception in 2001. In 2004, his first year in charge Gonzalez tied a school record at the Division I level with wins with a 7-10-1 record while leading the Highlanders to a program best third place finish in the Big West conference.

Gonzalez attended UCLA under current Columbus Crew Head Coach Sigi Schmid, where he helped the Bruins to three Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships and a 1997 NCAA National Championship. He played primarily at center midfield but saw time as a sweeper during his senior campaign. He graduated in the fall of 2000 with a degree in history.

Following his graduation he went on to play with the San Diego Flash of the professional A-League. Gonzalez has also played for the Under-18 National Team and for the Utah Blitz of the United Soccer League Third Division.

In addition to his playing credentials, he holds a United States Soccer Federation “A” license, has coached with the Cal South Olympic Development Program Boys’ ‘85, ‘86, and ‘89 teams and is a member of the USYSA Region IV staff. He is also currently on the coaching staff for the Alta Loma Arsenal club teams and is an assistant coach for the ‘90 regional team.

Gonzalez graduated from Rancho Cucamonga High School in 1995, where he was a four-year varsity letterman. He earned all-league honors as a junior and a senior. In his free time, Gonzalez enjoys playing golf and running. He is married and resides in Rancho Cucamonga.

Peter Boyer
Assistant Coach • peter.boyer@ucr.edu

Boyer joined the Highlanders staff in June of 2008 after two years with the University of Redlands (CA) Bulldogs where he worked primarily with the defenders and goalkeepers. At UCR, he will again work primarily with the team's keepers in addition to playing a vital role in the develpment of the Highlanders' field players.

While at Redlands, Boyer also earned his master of arts in counseling through the School of Education.

Prior to joining the Bulldogs staff, Boyer was the assistant men's soccer coach for the United States Military Academy (ARMY) during the 2005 season. A New Jersey native, Boyer graduated from Drew University (Madison, NJ) with a degree in political science. He also competed on the Rangers men’s basketball and men’s soccer teams during his undergraduate career.

During his four years on the pitch, Boyer helped the team reach the 2003 NCAA Championship game while earning NSCAA All-American First Team honors. As the team’s top goalkeeper, he also gained NSCAA All-Region honors during his junior and senior seasons. To wrap up his career, he was named Freedom Conference Player of the Year in 2003.

Following graduation, Boyer stepped into the coaching ranks by serving as the assistant boys’ varsity soccer and basketball coach at his alma mater of Dwight-Englewood School, where he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005.

Boyer enjoys playing and watching soccer, basketball, and golf. He is single and resides in Riverside.