Nathan Van Ryn was named women's soccer assistant coach in July 2022 by Lewis Robinson.
Van Ryn's third season with the program (2024) was even better that the second, as the Broncos won the MAC regular season and tournament championships. That led to the Brown and Gold's first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2015. He helped the Broncos collect a 13-2-6 overall record, and Western Michigan became the first team in MAC history to record back-to-back undefeated seasons in conference play. The team also broke the record for the longest unbeaten streak in program history, going 16 consecutive matches without a loss.
The 2024 squad had four All-MAC selections, and Jen Blitchok became the first All-American in program history. She led the nation in points and was named a First Team Academic All-American as well. Blitchok was joined by Madi Canada, Heidi Thomasma and Abby Werthman on both the All-MAC and All-Region Teams. In net, WMU's goalkeepers were able to post 11 shutouts. The team allowed just 17 goals all season.
Van Ryn was key in helping the Broncos to their first ever MAC regular season championship in 2023. WMU was just the fifth team in MAC history to have an undefeated regular season. With that, the team broke the record for longest unbeaten streak in program history (11 games).
Outside of the team’s success, Van Ryn played a big role in helping Lauren Boafo become the MAC Goalkeeper of the Year in 2023. He also helped with the development of Mira Pierre-Webster, who was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year. Along with Boafo and Pierre-Webster, Van Ryn coached four other All-MAC selections in Jen Blitchok, Abby Werthman, Jenna Blackburn and Brielle Gomez.
In 2022, Van Ryn helped WMU’s new coaching staff pick up its first win of the season in a 2-0 victory over Northern Illinois on Sept. 22, 2022. The Broncos would go on to make the MAC Tournament for the first time since 2019. Along with that, WMU had two All-MAC selections and an All-Freshman Team honoree.
Van Ryn was an assistant coach and goalkeeper coach under Robinson at Aquinas College for three seasons spanning 2019-21. He helped lead the team to the NAIA National Tournament three times, was a member of the 2021 Regional Coaching Staff of the Year and helped Aquinas to a top-10 goals against average in 2012. He also spent time as the goalkeeping director at Midwest United FC.
He played four seasons at Calvin University, where he was a First Team All-American as a senior in 2017. That year he was also named the Hero Sports DIII Men's Soccer Goalkeeper of the Year and the Player of the Year. He helped Calvin to the DIII National Championship game in 2016 and the National Semifinals in 2015. Van Ryn graduated ranked 19th all-time in career goals against average across all NCAA Divisions.
