Coach Austin Shafer enters his first season as the Head Women’s Soccer Coach at Colorado Northwestern Community College (CNCC), bringing a strong blend of high-level playing experience and a rapidly growing coaching résumé to the Spartan program.
A native of Jamestown, North Dakota, Schafer began his soccer career with Jamestown Soccer Club and Jamestown High School before advancing to the collegiate and semi-professional levels. He played four seasons at Montana State University Billings (NCAA Division II) from 2018–2022 before transferring to the University of Jamestown (NAIA). During his time at Jamestown, he tied the school’s single-season goal-scoring record with 14 goals in 17 matches and earned GPAC First Team All-Conference honors.
Beyond the college game, Schafer competed at a high level in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) with Dakota Fusion from 2017–2021 and later in USL League Two with the Colorado International Soccer Academy from 2022–2024, gaining valuable experience in competitive summer environments.
While still an active player, Schafer began giving back to the game through coaching, working with youth programs in his hometown and serving with the Olympic Development Program (ODP) in the Dakota region. He also spent time as an assistant varsity girls’ coach and goalkeeper coach at Jamestown High School, further developing his coaching foundation.
At the collegiate level, Schafer served one season as an assistant men’s soccer coach at the University of Jamestown before being promoted to head men’s coach, leading the program for a year. His coaching strengths include training design, match preparation, opponent scouting, video analysis, recruiting, and comprehensive student-athlete support.
Schafer graduated from the University of Jamestown with a degree in History Education and a minor in Political Science. Now entering his third season as a collegiate coach, he is excited to lead the CNCC women’s soccer program, building on the strong foundation already in place while continuing to develop a competitive, player-centered culture within Spartan Athletics.
