JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville University men's soccer head coach Ali Simmons announced the addition of Ivan Barriga to the Dolphins' staff as an assistant coach.
"I am beyond excited that Ivan Barriga is joining the program," Simmons said. "I had the pleasure of coaching Ivan in 2018. He was part of the team that won Barry University's first national championship in men's soccer and scored a crucial penalty in the national semifinal. Since then, he has continued to grow and build an outstanding reputation on and off the field, helping Barry return to the national stage alongside Jacksonville University alumnus Petsa Ivanovic."
Barriga comes to Jacksonville after spending seven years on the Barry men's soccer staff, most recently serving as associate head coach. He began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant with the Buccaneers in 2019 before being promoted to a full-time assistant coaching position in the fall of 2020. Barry elevated Barriga to associate head coach ahead of the 2024 season. His responsibilities included assisting with training sessions, recruiting, scouting and video analysis.
During Barriga's tenure, Barry won consecutive Sunshine State Conference regular-season championships in 2022 and 2023, the first back-to-back regular-season titles in program history. The Buccaneers also captured the 2023 SSC Tournament championship, marking the first time the program won the conference's regular-season and tournament titles in the same year.
Barry returned to the national stage in 2022, advancing to the NCAA Division II national semifinals after defeating Rollins in a penalty shootout in the national quarterfinals. The Buccaneers returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2023 and advanced to the Round of 16, finishing the season with a 13-5-1 record and a No. 11 national ranking.
Barriga was part of Barry's SSC Coaching Staff of the Year in both 2022 and 2023. During the Buccaneers' 2023 championship season, David Polanco was named the SSC Player of the Year, Iker Berruezo earned Defensive Player of the Year and Rafael Furlani was selected as Goalkeeper of the Year. Barry also produced consecutive SSC Freshmen of the Year in Juan Caffaro in 2021 and Nicolas Villalobos in 2022.
Before entering the coaching ranks, Barriga played for Barry during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. He appeared in 20 matches, made six starts and contributed to seven shutouts during his Buccaneer career. Barriga helped Barry capture the 2018 NCAA Division II national championship, converting the Buccaneers' fifth penalty during their shootout victory over Fort Hays State in the national semifinal. Barry went on to defeat West Chester, 2-1, to secure the first men's soccer national championship in program history.
Prior to Barry, Barriga played two seasons at Florida National University and helped the Conquistadors advance to the USCAA National Championship match. He also spent a year and a half playing at the U-20 level in Argentina in national and local competitions.
Barriga's coaching experience also includes serving as the head coach of the Miami Shores Soccer Club U17 girls and working with the Hollywood Cyclones' boys teams from the U8 through U18 levels. He helped lead Cyclones teams to more than 20 trophies across multiple age groups.
A Miami native, Barriga graduated from Barry in 2019 with a degree in sport management and business administration.
