Warren Lipka is an American retired soccer

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

who formerly coached the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state ...

and

Morehead State University Morehead State University (MSU) is a public university in Morehead, Kentucky. The university began as Morehead Normal School, which opened its doors in 1887. The Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics, a two-year residential ...

women's soccer teams.

Youth and college

Lipka attended Lindbergh High School. After graduation, he attended the University of South Carolina where he played as a

on the men's soccer team. He spent his first two seasons as a backup to Glen Thompson. Once he earned the starting spot in 1984, he rewarded his team with a .36 GAA. He followed that in 1985 with a .75 GAA as South Carolina went to the third round of the NCAA tournament where it lost to Davidson. That year he was named the ISAA Goalkeeper of the Year. He finished his career at South Carolina with 13 shutouts, tied with

Charles Arndt Charles (Charlie) Arndt (born c. 1967) is a retired U.S. soccer goalkeeper who was the 1988 ISAA Goalkeeper of the Year. He spent two seasons in the American Professional Soccer League and is currently the Furman University goalkeeper coach. P ...

, for the Gamecocks’ record. He graduated from South Carolina in 1986 with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in hotel and restaurant management.

Playing career

Lipka joined the Fort Wayne Flames of the

American Indoor Soccer Association American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

(AISA) in 1986. He played with the Flames through the 1988–1989 season, earning team MVP recognition in 1987 and 1988. In June 1989, the Indiana Kick hired Lipka as the team's head coach. He would spend the year both on the bench and in the nets as a player-coach. The Kick collapsed at the end of the season and in July 1990, the Atlanta Attack selected Lipka in the dispersal draft. He also spent time in trials with the

San Diego Sockers San Diego Sockers may refer to: *San Diego Sockers (1978–1996) The San Diego Sockers were a soccer and indoor soccer team based in San Diego, California. The team played in the indoor and outdoor editions of the North American Soccer League ( ...

before signing with the

Detroit Rockers The Detroit Rockers were an indoor soccer team in the National Professional Soccer League from 1990 to 2001. They played in Joe Louis Arena and Cobo Arena in downtown Detroit, Michigan as well as The Palace of Auburn Hills and Compuware Sports A ...

of the NPSL in November 1990. He was an NPSL All Star that season.

Coaching

Lipka began his coaching career while playing for the Flames. In 1987, he joined Bishop Dwenger High School as the boys' soccer team assistant coach. He stayed with the team until 1990. In 1989, he served as the head coach of the

Tri-State University Trine University is a private university in Angola, Indiana. It was founded in 1884 and offers degrees in the arts and sciences, business, education, and engineering. Trine University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. History Tri ...

women's soccer team. That year he also became the general manager and head coach of the indoor soccer Indiana Kick of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL). In 1991, the

hired Lipka as its men's soccer team assistant coach. The next season, the university hired him as the women's soccer team head coach, the first women's soccer coach in the school's history. He was the SEC coach of the year in 1995, 1999 and 2006. In 2003,

United States Soccer Federation The United States Soccer Federation (USSF), commonly referred to as U.S. Soccer, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, the federation is ...

hired Lipka as the goalkeeper coach of the U.S. U-19 women's national team, a position he held through 2003 and 2004. In 2004, the U-19 team took third place at the U-19 World Cup. In 2004, he also served as the goalkeeper coach for the U.S. U-21 women's national team at the Nordic Cup, which the U.S. won for the fifth consecutive time. He has also coached various Olympic Development Program teams as well as youth soccer clubs and camps. Lipka served as the head coach for the

Morehead State Eagles The Morehead State Eagles are the athletic teams that represent Morehead State University (MSU), located in Morehead, Kentucky, United States, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division I ranks (for football, the Football Champio ...

women's soccer team from 2009 to 2021. Lipka finished his tenure there with an 88–130–29 record and won OVC Tournament Championships.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lipka, Warren Soccer players from St. Louis Living people American men's soccer players American soccer coaches Detroit Rockers players Fort Wayne Flames players Indiana Kick players Kentucky Wildcats men's soccer coaches Kentucky Wildcats women's soccer coaches Men's association football goalkeepers Morehead State Eagles women's soccer coaches National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) coaches National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) players Trine University people 1964 births