Klaus to lead Harper men's soccer program

Harper College athletic director Doug Spiwak has named Dan Klaus as Hawks men's soccer coach.

Klaus, a former Hawks player, currently directs the girls soccer program at Elk Grove in the spring.

"It's neat," Klaus said of his new oppurtunity. "I'm excited to learn all these rivalries."

Klaus doesn't expect to have much of a problem coaching a different gender and age group.

"I'm a soccer coach," he said. "The more the years go by, I look at it as they're athletes."

At Harper, Klaus succeeds Jason Diebold, who stepped down after 12 seasons. Klaus feels the program can do better than last year's 3-19 record, and he aims to take an aggressive stance tactically in an effort to turn things around.

"I've always liked the high-pressure, attacking style," said Klaus, who said he'd also like to upgrade the schedule with tougher competition.

The new coach would like to tap the Mid-Suburban League's talent pool, calling the conference "key" to recruiting.

As Klaus begins evaluating the roster, he'll depend on the help of assistant coach Tom Wang, who's been with the team 13 years. Achievement off the field will remain an important component of the program.

"The most important thing is to get the grades," Klaus said. "We are invested in (the players) not just as soccer players."