Andy German enters his fifth season as the head coach and has been part of the Vikings program since its inaugural season in 2017.

The 2023 season saw Cleveland State have their most successful season thus far under German’s guidance, as the Green and White won six games in addition to their first-ever ASUN victory, which came at home against Lindenwood, 14-12, on March 18.

Gannon Matthews brought in his second major award after receiving ASUN Midfielder of the Year honors and was a repeat member of the ASUN First Team. Xander Johnson became the third Viking to be named to the ASUN All-Freshman Team. During the year, the Vikings had two seniors set career program records: Ryan Haigh in scoring (71) and Cameron Logan (328).

In 2022, Cleveland State competed in a conference for the first time in program history, playing as members of the ASUN Conference. In their first year eligible for postseason awards, the Vikings received five ASUN honors, highlighted by Gannon Matthews being named ASUN Freshman of the Year. In addition, Matthews was named First Team All-Conference and was joined on the All-Freshman team by Amiri Austin.

Off the field, Matt Manfredi was selected to the ASUN All-Academic Team and was named a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award. The Green and White concluded the year with a 3-10 overall record.

During the 2021 season, German led the Vikings to a 3-7 overall record. The Green and White went 1-1 on their home field. Off the field, three players were named to the USILA Scholar All-American team. In August, Tristan Hanna was selected by the New York Riptide of the National Lacrosse League, becoming the first player under German to be drafted. 

While German’s debut 2020 season was much shorter than anticipated, he still helped the Vikings check off another milestone in their development. German guided Cleveland State to a 12-11 win against Air Force in late February, the first victory over a nationally ranked opponent in program history. The game against Air Force was part of a stretch of three consecutive games against nationally ranked opponents, the first such occurrence in program history.

German also ensured that the Vikings’ high level of academic success continued. The program posted a 3.38 team grade point average in his first semester at the helm. Thirty-four of the 49 Vikings earned a spot on the Dean’s List. Additionally, captain Isaac Atencio was honored with the College Champion Award at the Our Lady of the Wayside Champions in the Community banquet.

German also ensured that the Vikings’ high level of academic success continued. The program posted a 3.38 team grade point average in his first semester at the helm. Thirty four of the 49 Vikings earned a spot on the Dean’s List. Additionally, captain Isaac Atencio was honored with the College Champion Award at the Our Lady of the Wayside Champions in the Community banquet.

German served as the Vikings' top assistant coach for the preceding four years, playing an integral role in developing the burgeoning CSU program. He had helped steadily build the program from the ground up, with the Vikings showcasing noticeable improvement from one season to the next.

Cleveland State had its finest season to date in 2019 with German’s assistance. The Vikings won seven of their final 10 games to close the year, doubling their win total from the prior season in the process. In doing so, CSU posted a winning record in just its third season of existence despite facing six teams among the top 25 in the NCAA’s RPI.

Serving as defensive coordinator, German’s defense finished among the top 20 nationally in scoring defense while also sitting among the top 25 in caused turnovers. German’s defense also factored significantly into the Vikings’ ride, leading the nation in opponent clearing percentage (.707) and edging out national champion Virginia. Only one CSU opponent cleared at a rate better than the national average in 2019.

During the program’s second season, German helped increase the Vikings’ DI win total to four while facing six teams among the top 25 in the NCAA’s RPI. Included among those four victories was Cleveland State’s first road win over a Division I foe—an 8-7 victory at defending Southern Conference champion Air Force.

The Vikings also put forth some notable efforts against some of the top teams in the nation in 2018 with German’s assistance. Cleveland State was one of only three teams to hold national finalist Duke to a single-digit goal total. The Vikings held Duke to a season-low .231 shooting percentage while hosting a former national champion for the first time. CSU also forced No. 4 Denver into a season-high 21 turnovers and a season-worst mark in clearing percentage.

Utilizing a roster composed almost entirely of true freshmen, German, serving as the defensive coordinator, helped the Vikings to five wins in their inaugural 2017 season. CSU faced one of the toughest schedules in the nation despite being a first-year program, as the Viking faced five teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament, three that advanced to the quarterfinals, two that made the semifinals, and a national finalist.

Cleveland State showed marked improvement as the season progressed, culminating in the program’s first win over a Division I opponent, a wire-to-wire, seven-goal win over a team that advanced to its conference postseason tournament. Growth could be seen in many areas throughout the course of the campaign, ranging from the man-up unit to the clearing percentage. CSU cleared at 75.2% through the first half of its season, but the Vikings improved that to 87% over the second half of the campaign.

German spent the 2015 season as the head coach at St. Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia where he led the squad to a berth in the Pennsylvania Division I state championship game along with the program’s first Catholic League championship in four years. After going 8-5 in his first 13 games, German led the squad to 11 consecutive wins to reach the state final. He mentored 11 players to the All-Catholic team, including seven who earned first-team accolades.

German was an assistant coach at Villanova for four seasons (2011-14), serving as an offensive assistant coach and recruiting coordinator before being promoted to defensive coordinator for the final two years.

In 2011, German helped the Wildcats to a No. 7 national ranking as Villanova earned its first-ever at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament. The following season, he helped Villanova to new heights after the team was ranked well inside the top-20 for all 16 weeks of the regular season.

In 2013, German helped lead the Wildcats to the Big East regular season title and No. 1 overall seed for the Big East Tournament where the Wildcats fell to eventual NCAA runner-up Syracuse in the title game. Villanova advanced to the Big East Tournament final again during the 2014 season, as German’s defense finished among the top five nationally in caused turnovers per game.

German helped coach standouts such as defenseman John LoCascio, a two-time USILA All-American and back-to-back BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year winner, and Kevin Cunningham, an All-American and the 2012 BIG EAST Attack Player of the Year.

Prior to his stint at Villanova, German was the offensive and recruiting coordinator at Susquehanna for two seasons. He helped the program to a five-win improvement during his time with the River Hawks. German also served as the assistant coach of the Thailand National Team, coaching the squad to four wins at the 2014 World Championships outside Denver.

German played at Alfred University for two years, including earning Empire 8 Rookie of the Year honors, before transferring to Villanova before the 2006 season. At Villanova, he was named a captain and was a two-year starter as a midfielder. German posted 139 career points as a collegian on 78 goals and 61 assists over 53 games played. He was selected to play in the prestigious USILA Division I-II North/South Senior All-Star game in 2007.

A native of Wayne, Pa., German graduated from Villanova in 2008 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science. He and his wife, Sarah, have two children and live in Cleveland’s eastern suburbs.