Sid van Druenen was named the seventh head coach in the history of the IUPUI men's soccer program in February 2022. In his first season as head coach, van Druenen led the program to its most successful season in 12 years, culminating in a third-place finish in the Horizon League regular season – the program’s highest since joining the conference in 2017 – and the program’s first ever appearance in the Horizon League Tournament Championship game. The 2022 squad saw van Druenen spearhead the most potent attack in IUPUI’s 25-year Division I history, scoring 31 goals in the fall, all while directing the defense to the most clean sheets in over 10 years.
The 2022 season also showcased van Druenen’s player development capabilities, with a program record 13 individual awards, including 2 Horizon League First Team members, 1 Second Team member, and the program’s first ever Freshman of the Year honoree.
In year two, van Druenen continued the success yet again with a very young team. With 19 out of his 28 players being an underclassman, he was able to take the team to another third-place regular season finish tying their highest-ever Horizon League finish. The Jaguars also returned to the Horizon League Tournament where they would tack on another quarterfinal win before falling short in the semis to eventual champion Green Bay.
Just like in his first season, van Druenen displayed his player development capabilities with 11 individual awards, including 2 Horizon League First Team members, 2 Horizon League Second Team members, and the 2023 Horizon League Player of the Year.
van Druenen came to IUPUI after serving in various capacities at Wright State, ultimately elevating to the program's top assistant in 2018.
He originally joined the WSU program as Director of Operations in July 2017. He helped the 2018 squad to a 13-3-3 mark and a Horizon League championship while the Raiders were ranked as high as No. 11 in the country by Top Drawer Soccer. The following season, he helped Wright State to a historic season as the Raiders won the Horizon League title and earned the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. The Raiders proceeded to knock off Notre Dame in the opening round and played No. 13 Michigan to a scoreless draw before falling in penalty kicks, 5-4. WSU standout Deri Corfe was later drafted 41st overall in the 2020 MLS Super Draft by the New York Red Bulls.
van Druenen's winning background and knowledge of the Horizon League made IUPUI an attractive position.
van Druenen brings a professional background to the IUPUI program as well as he was general manager and PDL head coach for the Cincinnati Dutch Lions FC. In 2017, the Cincinnati Dutch Lions enjoyed their best defensive season in club history, yielding just 16 goals in 14 games while recording six shutouts.
He was head coach for the Dayton Dutch Lions FC in the USL PRO in 2014, which is the second highest division in the USA's professional pyramid. At the time, he was the league's youngest head coach. He began his coaching career as manager of the Dayton Dutch Lions W-League women's team.
His playing experience took him to the Netherlands and Portugal, among other stops. He played for EVV in the Netherlands and CD Boliqueime in Portugal. He holds a UEFA B license and a USSF B license, with a degree in Sports Management.
He and his wife Alexa reside in Indianapolis and have one daughter, Lily (3).
Player Accolades under van Druenen
- Horizon League Fall Scholar Athlete (1): 2023: Lukas Hackaa
- Horizon League Player of the Year (1): 2023: Lukas Hackaa
- Horizon League First Team (4): 2023: Josemir Gomez, Lukas Hackaa; 2022: Josemir Gomez, Lukas Hackaa
- Horizon League Second Team (3): 2023: Lucas Morefield, Logan Finnegan; 2022: Edgar Correia
- Horizon League Freshman of the Year (1): 2022: Josemir Gomez
- Horizon League All-Freshman Team (5): 2023: Jago Thompson-Roberts, Gijs Velings; 2022: Josemir Gomez, Edgar Correia, Kade Tepe
- Horizon League All-Tournament Team (5):2023: Josemir Gomez, Lukas Hackaa; 2022: Lukas Hackaa, Logan Finnegan, Lucas Morefield
- Horizon League All-Academic Team (6):2023: Lukas Hacka, Luca Morefield, Dominic Breidenbach, Logan Finnegan; 2022: Caleb Hussain, Lucas Morefield
- United Soccer Coaches All-North Region Teams (3): 2023: Josemir Gomez, Lukas Hackaa; 2022: Josemir Gomez
| van Druenen's Head Coaching Record |
| Season |
Overall |
Pct. |
Conf. |
Pct. |
Regular Season |
Conference Tournament |
Postseason Tournament |
| 2022 |
7-7-6 |
.500 |
4-2-3 |
.611 |
3rd |
Runner Up |
– |
| 2023 |
7-7-5 |
.500 |
4-2-3 |
.611 |
3rd |
Semi-Finalist |
– |
| Totals |
14-14-11 |
.500 |
8-4-6 |
.611 |
|
|
|
