Conor Ward is in his third year as the head coach for Irvine Valley's men's soccer team after spending three years as an assistant under legendary coach Martin McGrogan.
Ward took over in 2023 and helped guide the Lasers to the So. Cal. Regional Playoffs. He had record of 33-21-11 heading into the fall season of 2025.
Ward has developed all-state and all-Orange Empire Conference players in his time at IVC with a conference MVP in two of his first three years with the program.
Ward grew up in Scotland and played for two successful youth clubs – Hutchison Vale FC and then Murieston United CFC.
He represented West of Scotland and County teams at all age groups.
After being a part-time coach for the Lasers, Ward was named full-time at Irvine Valley last month and will oversee the men's program and the women's program under the guidance of coach Tom Lancaster
And the team had two big wins last week, including a 6-0 shutout over San Diego Mesa on Sept. 12 at home.
Ward did a question and answer session for ivclasers.com recently.
What do you look for most in a player?
I look for mentality above all—players who are competitive, coachable, and resilient. Talent matters, but what separates the best is their consistency, drive, and willingness to do the hard work every day.
We want players who lead by example, take pride in the details and are fully invested in the team's success. We enjoy working with and developing dynamic, forward thinking players both sides off the ball.
What experience should IVC student-athletes expect with/in the soccer program?
Student-athletes at IVC can expect a structured, year round high-performance environment built on accountability, development and opportunity. We push players to be their best on the field, in the classroom and in life.
The culture is demanding but supportive and we build around the full student-athlete experience: training, education and progression.
How important is training?
Training is everything. It's where culture is built, habits are formed and players are developed. We approach every session with intent, technically, tactically and physically. We expect players to show up every day ready to compete and improve.
That's how standards are raised and sustained over times. Our summer and sall are typically preparation for the busy 3C2A season of competition, however the spring we have a lot of fun with the players and we use the spring as our main development window as we play between six and 10 games only across our four non-traditional dates.
You had nine players move on from the 2024-25 squad. What does that about how the program is moving forward?
It shows that the program is doing exactly what it's designed to do, developing players and preparing them for the next level. Helping nine players move on is a reflection of the hard work they put in and the structure we've built.
We are fortunate to be the No. 1 community college in California and No. 6 in the nation for academics. That is reflected with the transcripts and overall team GPA each year which makes finding a home for the players a little easier. We're proud of that success and motivated to keep raising the bar.
In my new role, it is my goal that together with Tom Lancaster we can mirror the same processes with our women's program in terms of student-athlete progression to the next level.
What are you looking forward to most about the upcoming season?
Every year at this time of the year you get the excitement with the new group and the feeling that this is going to be our year.
That will never change and it brings a really positive fresh energy to the preseason. I'm excited about the hunger in this new group. There's real quality, and we've recruited players who want to compete and grow.
I'm looking forward to watching them gel as a unit, develop over time and represent IVC with intensity, identity and pride.
Let us know about your coaching staff and the people around you that will get this squad ready?
Adam Rider has been with me since I took the head coaching role in 2022. Adam is a leader in the community and works for Socal Reds here in Irvine coaching their elite level MLS Next team.
Marco Pecolo is running into his second season as a coach here at IVC following a playing career in Italy, that brought him to play at IVC and at the four-year level post IVC. Marco has been through the process at Irvine Valley and we are happy that we have an alumni on staff who has had the benefit of using IVC to reach his educational and life goals.
In addition to this, we have Sam Hunt goalkeeper coach who is entering into his second season with IVC and long term assistant to the program and Laurie Abrahams remains as a mentor to the players and coaches after 20-plus years of service to the college.
Finally, Claudio Trabatoni is our head of strength and conditioning who has done a remarkable job in preparing our athletes year on year. Claudio has international experience in soccer coming from Argentina and previously spent several years at Orange County SC in the USL Championship.
We have a strong team behind the scenes. Our staff brings a mix of professional playing experience, coaching expertise and passion for development. They understand the college level here and the demands of pushing players forward.
Everyone is aligned in our mission, preparing players to perform now and progress beyond IVC.
Anything else you would like to add?
I would also like to mention that we are very happy with the work Tom Lancaster has been doing with the IVC women's program and the strong staff that he's built with that squad.
We've seen a larger interest in the women's program and that's been down to the hard work Tom has put in.
I'm very confident with the hard work and teamwork of the players and staff together that the women's program will continue to hit new heights in a challenging conference. Ultimately, we want both teams to be challenging in the OEC and at state level.
