Corban announced in December of 2018 that Aaron Lewis has been named the Warrior women's soccer coach. Prior to that, Lewis became the head coach of the Warrior men's soccer program in March of 2013 and has since led Corban to six-straight appearances in the NAIA National Championships, three CCC Tournament Titles, and two CCC Regular-Season Championships. In both 2016 and 2018, Corban won its National Tournament Opening Round match and advanced to the NAIA National Championship Final Site.
During the 2018 season, it marked yet another year in which the Warrior men's soccer team reached the NAIA National Tournament, becoming the only team in the west region to reach the NAIA Opening Round in each of the last six seasons. The Warriors won in dramatic fashion in overtime in the NAIA Opening Round against Arizona Christian, advancing to the NAIA Final 16 at the NAIA Final Site, tying the furthest the program had ever advanced in the national tournament.
In the record-setting 2016 campaign, Lewis led Corban to its best-ever season with a program record 20 wins at 20-3 overall, capturing the CCC regular season championship and the CCC tournament championship. The Warriors then won their first-ever NAIA Opening Round match vs. Menlo, booking their ticket to the NAIA Championship Final Site for the first time in program history, finishing as one of the top-16 teams in the NAIA. Following the conclusion of the season, Lewis was named the NSCAA West Region Coach of the Year.
In his first season as the head coach in 2013, Lewis led the nationally-ranked Warriors to their first Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) regular season title since 1998 with a regular season record of 16-2-2 overall, that included an 11-1-2 mark in league play. Lewis then helped the Warriors capture the CCC Tournament crown for the first time since 1997, which qualified the program to its first ever NAIA National Tournament berth. For his efforts on the sideline, Lewis was named the CCC Coach of the Year.
In 2013 the Warriors put together a school-record 12-game unbeaten streak going 10-0-2 en route to earning a top 20 ranking in the NAIA National poll. The Warriors put together a defense that led the NAIA in shutouts per game with an average of 0.63, while the Warriors' back line also ranked in the Top-5 in the country in total shutouts (t-2nd - 12) and Goals Against Average (t-4th - 0.74).
In 2014 the Warriors followed the record-breaking year by winning the CCC Tournament Title yet again, defeating Northwest University in an overtime thriller. The CCC Tournament championship qualified the Warriors for their second-straight NAIA National Tournament in as many years, and has helped establish the program on the national scene.
In 2015, Lewis led the Warriors to one of the best years in program history, registering a 17-3-1 overall record on the year. The Warriors rose to as high as No. 7 in the NAIA Top-25 poll, marking the highest the Warriors had ever been in the rankings. While boasting the CCC Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, the Warriors ended up hosting an NAIA Opening Round contest for the first time in school history.
On top of his work at Corban, Lewis is the head coach of the PDL's Timbers U23 team, based in Salem. The Premier Development team that boasts many of the top collegiate players from around the country, competes in the Northwest Division of the PDL. In his first year as head coach of the Timbers U23s in 2017, he led the squad to the Northwest Division Championship and a trip to the Western Conference Final Four.
Prior to coaching at Corban, Lewis worked for the Portland Timbers organization from 2010-2013. Lewis’ main role was directing the Timbers U-23s program, helping it become one of the elite PDL programs in the country. Seven players from the Timbers U-23s program entered Major League Soccer camps during the 2013 offseason alone. He remains with the organization currently, as the director of the Salem regional training center.
Prior to working with the Timbers Organization, Lewis was the Athletic Director at Portland Christian High school and coached the head boys' team there for several years. Under his leadership, the Royals won the school’s first-ever state soccer title in 2008. Lewis was named Oregon Athletic Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 2008, and Columbia River League Coach of the Year in both 2007 and 2009. During the final three years of Lewis’ leadership at Portland Christian, the team won consecutive league championships that included 30-straight matches without a loss.
Lewis was inducted as part of the first-ever Warrior Hall of Fame Class in 2010. During his time at Corban (Western Baptist), he helped the program secure four-straight CCC Titles in 1995-1998 and was named the CCC Player of the Year in both 1996 and 1998. Lewis also earned three All-CCC 1st Team honors (1995, 1996, & 1998), while helping lead the Warriors to the 1996 National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association (NCCAA) National Championship.
Lewis was the first player in program, and NAIA history, to be drafted into Major League Soccer when the Dallas Burn (FC Dallas) selected him with the 35th overall selection in the 1999 College Draft. After his time in Dallas, Lewis played professionally indoors for the Portland Pythons of the World Indoor Soccer League.
Lewis currently resides in Salem with his wife, Anna, and six children (Emilie, Eli, Grace, Anderson, Austin, and Joy). The family currently attends Salem Heights Church.
