Flagler College Athletics

Coaching Experience
• Head Coach, Flagler College (2018-present)
• Head Coach, The University of Alabama Huntsville (2016-17)
• Head Coach, Hastings College (1999-2015)

Education
B.S., Physical Education, Bellevue University, 1998
M.S., Teaching, Bellevue University, 2000
M.S., Sport Management, California University of Pennsylvania, 2009, 
 

Coaching at Flagler
Chris Kranjc was hired as the 10th head men's soccer coach at Flagler on June 11, 2018.

In four years at the helm of the program, Kranjc has guided the Saints to a 23-32-5 overall record and a 17-14-2 mark in the Peach Belt Conference, His teams qualified for the conference tournament in each of his four seasons and won the PBC Tournament title in 2020.

The 2021 Flagler team posted a 10-8 overall record and finished third in the PBC with a 7-5 record. The 10 wins were the most recorded in a season by a Flagler team since 2012 when that team also won 10 matches. Matteo Costa and Marc Birkelund each earned All-PBC first team honors. Costa became the first Flagler player to receive the Select Sport Gold Ball, which goes to the player who scored the most goals scored in conference play. Costa was the first player in five years to earn United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region honors.

The 2020 season saw the Saints win their first PBC title since 2011. Flagler won the league's championship match on penalty kicks and tournament MVP Andrea Lubbia came up big in goal. The Saints put four players on the all-conference team and six on the academic all-conference team.

In 2019, the Saints finished with a 4-12-1 overall record and went 3-4-0 in the Peach Belt Conference. Dan McGuire earned first-team all-conference honors as well as earning a spot on the D2CCA all-region second-team.

The Saints posted a 3-3-1 record in the Peach Belt Conference in his first season. Kranjc coached the Saints to its 10th consecutive PBC Tournament appearance.
 

Prior to Flagler
Kranjc boasts an impressive resume, which includes a 312-83-25 record that spans 19 years. He served as the head coach at Hastings (Neb.) College for 17 years (1999-2015) and led the Broncos to an NAIA national title in 2010 and a national runner-up finish in 2011. Kranjc’s record at Hastings was 297-67-21 and his .799 winning percentage ranks 20^th all-time at the NAIA level. He was named the NAIA/NSCAA Coach of the Year in 2010.
 
A 15-time Great Plains Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, Kranjc guided the Broncos to 16 consecutive league titles (2000-15), 11 NAIA national tournament berths and four final four appearances. In 12 seasons, the Broncos were ranked no worse than No. 23 in the final NAIA poll and were ranked as high as No. 2 (2011). His teams featured 95 all-conference players including 17 GPAC Players of the Year. Kranjc also coached seven first-team All-Americans and 20 All-Americans overall, including the 2011 NAIA Player of the Year. His teams excelled off the field as well earning 11 team academic awards.     

Kranjc comes to Flagler after two seasons as the head coach at The University of Alabama Huntsville. Last year he coached the team to its first Gulf South Conference Tournament final appearance since 2009. Kranjc coached six players to all-conference honors and four all-region selections. Two players were recognized for their academic success as they earned Google Cloud Academic All-District® honors last fall.
 

Personal
The Omaha, Nebraska native was a two-time all-conference goalkeeper for Bellevue (Neb.) University. He graduated from Bellevue with a bachelor’s degree in physical education in 1998, and earned two master’s degrees. Kranjc earned one master’s in teaching from Hastings in 2000, and the other, a Master of Science with an emphasis on sports management, from California University of Pennsylvania. He currently holds a USSF “A” license as well as Premier Coaching Diploma from the National Soccer Coaches’ Association of America (NSCAA). Since 2016, Kranjc has served as a scout for United States Soccer Federation.