SPOKANE, Wash. -- Gonzaga women's soccer head coach Amy Edwards announced the hiring of Mike Davis as a new assistant coach for the 2016 season.

"I am very appreciative for the chance to work at such a prestigious university as Gonzaga," Davis said. "With the West Coast Conference being such a competitive and highly talented women's soccer league, it will be a wonderful challenge to compete against some of the best teams in the country. The opportunity of working alongside Amy (Edwards) and Edgar (Anzaldo) is something that extremely excites me and I can't wait to get started!"

Davis spent two seasons as a member of the University of Evansville women's soccer coaching staff. The Purple Aces won the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in 2015 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. During his first season at Evansville, the Purple Aces won 11 games before ending their season in the MVC Tournament Championship.

"Our needs for this assistant position were very specific and after a thorough search, we felt Mike is a perfect fit for our staff and our student-athletes," Edwards said. "Mike brings knowledge and experience but most importantly, a passion to mentor our players on and off the field. Mike exudes professionalism and enthusiasm along with a desire to learn and grow every day."

Davis went to Evansville after spending one season as the assistant coach at Wisconsin-Green Bay. During the 2013 season, the Phoenix held opponents to a 1.12 goals against average and posted five shutouts.

Before arriving in Green Bay, Davis was the graduate assistant coach at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, guiding the Fighting Bees to the 2011 NAIA National Tournament. He also served as the assistant coach for the Women's Premier Soccer League's (WPSL) Quad City Eagles in 2013.

As a student-athlete, Davis played for four years at Berry College in Rome, Ga., where he was a central defender. During his career, Berry went 54-13-6, including a 15-1-1 mark in 2010. As a senior, Davis served as team captain and helped the defense post 13 shutouts, including a 15-match unbeaten streak to end the season. At one point, the Vikings reeled off 10-consecutive shutouts and went over 950 minutes without allowing a goal.

Prior to coming to coming to the United States, Davis played at English Professional League 2 Club Macclesfield Town at U16, before playing for Manchester County FA and Manchester Colleges, competing in national cup competitions followed by semi-professional soccer. In 2010, he played semi-professionally in Australia's Brisbane Region Leagues helping win promotion and cup winners double. In the summer of 2011, he played for the USL Premier Development League's London, Ontario team Forest City London and played for the NPSL's Quad City Eagles in the summer of 2012 and 2013.

Davis has earned the Football Association Level 1 and Level 2 coaching awards, as well as the NVQ Level 2 in teaching soccer. In 2014, Davis achieved the NSCAA Premier Diploma in Bexley, Ohio, the USSF B License in Lake Forest, Ill. He earned the NSCAA Advanced National Goalkeeping award in Fort Lauderdale in January 2016.

Davis earned a Bachelor's degree in business management at Berry College and a Master's in business administration (MBA) at St. Ambrose. He received another Master's in Public Service Administration from Evansville in May 2016.