GCAA mourns the passing of Ken Veilands; longtime former Darton State Women's Soccer Coach

ALBANY —The GCAA has learned of the recent passing of longtime former Darton State College soccer coach Ken Veilands.

Veilands, who started both the men's and women's programs in 2000, was the only girls' soccer coach the program has ever had.

Under Veilands' guidance, the Darton women's program ranked as one of the best in the nation. His teams compiled a 267-44-15 record with eight region championships and seven region runner-up finishes. Three of his teams played in the national championship game only to finish as runner-up.

From 2005 to 2016, the Lady Cavaliers lost just nine regular-season games. Veilands has the second-highest win total among active coaches in NJCAA Women's Division I soccer.

The 2015 squad finished with a 16-3 record and a No. 5 national ranking.

Veilands was the Darton State College women's soccer coach from 2000-2016. He was elected to the National Junior College Women's Soccer Coaches Association Hall of Fame this year. 

Veilands also coached the men's program from 2000-06, where he was Region Coach of the Year twice.