Peter Rivard is in his first season as a volunteer assistant on head coach Brock Thompson's staff. Rivard is familiar with the Fighting Sioux soccer program, however, having served as an assistant coach for UND in 2002-03.
Rivard, who is married to UND head women's hockey coach Shantel Rivard, spent the last two years as the head men's and women's soccer coach at Mayville (N.D.) State University. He also served as the director of Mayville State's new Sports and Fitness Center.
Rivard was an assistant coach for the University of Maine men's soccer team from 2000 to 2002 and in 2003. In 2003, the Black Bears qualified for the NCAA playoffs this past fall for the first time in nearly 10 years.
At both UND Maine, Rivard was the goalkeeper coach and worked with field players.
Rivard joined Maine in 2000 from Cheverus High School in Portland, Maine, where he was head varsity coach at the all-male school in 1998 and 1999. Rivard posted a 20-5-5 record in his two years at Cheverus, including taking the school to its first playoff victory in 10 years and a second-place finish in Western Maine in 1999.
Rivard has also worked with the Olympic Development Program in Maine and North Dakota.
Rivard graduated from Maine in 1995 with a bachelor's degree in history and is currently working on a master's degree in educational leadership at UND. He has a "B" license and a "Y" license from the United States Soccer Federation.
The Rivards have an infant son, Drake, and reside in Grand Forks.
