Julio Machuca begins his first season with the UCF women[apos]s soccer team in 2012 as a volunteer assistant coach. A native of Puerto Rico, Machuca has experience as a collegiate head coach and is a three-time Coach of the Year at the high-school level.
He offers his services to UCF after most recently acting as the Celebration High School[apos]s head soccer coach for the boys[apos] team, which emerged as a state tournament semifinalist for the first time in school history in 2011. Machuca guided the team to Orange Belt Conference, District and Regional championships and was named as the Orange Belt Conference[apos]s Coach of the Year for his efforts.
Machuca has also served as a head coach for girls teams at both Duchesne Academy and Millard South High School in Omaha, Neb. He owns a career record of 165-90-3 as a high school head coach spanning the last 20 years. In 1993, he was named as the Coach of the Year for girls[apos] soccer in the state of Nebraska.
Machuca has been equally successful at the collegiate level, as he guided NAIA programs College of St. Mary (2004-05) and Bellevue University (1994-97). As the co-head women[apos]s soccer coach at College of St. Mary, the team earned back-to-back Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference championships and finished the 2005 season ranked 11th in the nation of 208 NAIA teams.
Machuca implemented the women[apos]s soccer program at Bellevue University in 1994 and served as head coach until 1997. The Bruins wasted no time making an impression as a two-time MCAC Conference Championship runner-up and a NAIA Regional Tournament semifinalist in 1997. For his efforts, he was named as the Coach of the Year in the MCAC that season.
Machuca also boasts nearly a decade[apos]s worth of experience with the Olympic development program, serving as head coach for the U-14, U-16, U-17 and U-19 girls[apos] ODP soccer teams in Nebraska.
In addition to his coaching career, Machuca has taught Spanish and physical education in both Nebraska and Florida school systems for the past 25 years. He was named among Who[apos]s Who Among America[apos]s Teachers in 2004 and 2005 for excellence in teaching.
Machuca received his bachelor[apos]s degree in education from the University of Nebraska in 1985.