Antti Laitinen

Antti Laitinen has helped the UCF men[apos]s soccer program enjoy great success since joining the Knights[apos] coaching staff prior to the 2010 campaign. He has helped the Knights reached the second round of the NCAA Championship on two occasions. A native of Finland, Laitinen helped his alma mater to an incredible 2011 season. The Knights won 12 contests, spent nearly the entire year in the top-25 nationally, where they moved to as high as No. 6, and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championship. In 2010, in his first season back, Laitinen helped goalkeeper Shawn Doyle develop into one of the top keepers in the nation. Laitinen helped Doyle post some of the best figures in program history as he has eight shutouts and allowed just 17 goals in 20 games as he finished with an 0.82 goals-against average in 2010. A member of the Knights from 1997-99, he was a First-Team All-Atlantic Sun goalkeeper in 1998, as his five shutouts during that season still rank tenth on UCF[apos]s single-season chart. Meanwhile, Laitinen[apos]s 143 saves and 1.39 goals-against average during his career places him eighth and seventh, respectively, on the program[apos]s all-time lists. After graduating with a bachelor[apos]s degree in political science at UCF in 2000, Laitinen earned his MBA in football industries from the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom in 2002. He went on to play professionally for FC HIFK and FC Viikingit in the Finnish First Division. Laitinen received a UEFA B coaching license, and has experience coaching goalkeepers ranging in age skill from children to professionals. He has also coached junior teams at elite level. He currently holds a U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) [quote]B[quote] license.