SAN ANTONIO -- The University of the Incarnate Word head men's soccer coach, Vince Martinez, has resigned, announced the athletics department Friday.
 
"I'm sad Vince has decided to move on," said UIW Director of Athletics Dr. Brian Wickstrom. "He has done a great job of building the program, and he was instrumental in helping us transition from Division II to Division I. We wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors, and we hope he stays in contact to watch the program he built continue to grow."
 
"I will be forever grateful for the opportunity I was given here at UIW, and for the incredible people I have had the fortune to both meet and work with along the way," said Martinez. "I am confident Brian Wickstrom and athletic administration will continue to give men's soccer the support it needs to succeed.  I will miss the players, this great campus and the beautiful city of San Antonio greatly. I leave this program with a huge amount of optimism, both for the future of UIW men's soccer, and also for the next chapter of my journey."
 
Martinez held a 59-52-11 record through eight years with the Cardinals. He joined UIW as an assistant coach in 2008 and was later named the interim head coach in 2011. As the interim coach, Martinez led the Cardinals to the NCAA Division II regional playoffs and a first-round win over Midwestern State. After a 14-3-3 overall record and a top-15 national ranking in multiple categories, as well as leading three student-athletes to player of the year accolades, the interim tag was removed.
 
In his first two years as head coach, Martinez guided UIW to two NCAA Division II playoff appearances, a Lone Star Conference title, a South Central Region title, two top-10 national rankings and a 29-7-4 record.
 
In 2013, Martinez took a program that was at the top of the Division II ranks and helped transition it to Division I as an independent program. In 2014, the Cardinals joined the Western Athletic Conference, where they won their first four matches before finishing in third place.
 
Assistant coach Chris Fidler will assume the interim head coach position for the 2018 season.