Victor Dantas, a Carl Sandburg College men’s soccer assistant for the past three seasons, has been promoted to the team’s head coach.
A 2018 Sandburg graduate who played for the Chargers, Dantas takes over for Kevwe Akpore, who stepped down following the team’s historic 2021 season. Dantas joined the Chargers coaching staff in 2019, and he and Akpore quickly developed Sandburg into one of the top NJCAA programs in the country.
“Being part of Sandburg as a player, as a student and as an assistant has been instrumental in my life, and now as head coach I can’t wait to help others have a similar experience of their own,” Dantas said. “I’m excited to take on this challenge, help us keep winning games and continue building this program.”
With Dantas on the bench this past season, Sandburg won a school-record 16 games (going 16-5 overall), ended the season ranked No. 12 in the country, appeared in the national rankings each week, was ranked as high as No. 7 on a pair of occasions, won the first region title in program history, won the first-ever Arrowhead Conference men’s soccer championship and made its first appearance at the NJCAA Division II Men’s Soccer Championship.
During the abbreviated 2021 spring campaign, the Chargers posted the first unbeaten regular season in program history at 4-0-1, were nationally ranked for the first time ever, advanced to the Region IV semifinals for only the second time in program history and finished the season ranked No. 20 in the country with a 5-1-1 record.
A native of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Dantas played for Sandburg from 2016-17, with Akpore serving as the team’s interim coach during the latter part of his career. As a sophomore, Dantas led the Chargers with seven assists, finished second on the team with 10 goals and was second among Chargers with 27 points.
Dantas graduated from Sandburg in 2018 with his associate in arts. He then transferred to Western Illinois University and graduated in 2020 with a bachelor’s in supply chain management.
“As a former Charger and Sandburg alum, Victor knows firsthand what it takes for our players to be successful on and off the pitch,” Sandburg athletic director Jerry Thor said. “As an assistant with the team, he possesses an in-depth understanding of the program and the expectations within it. He’s an ideal fit to take over as head coach, and we look forward to seeing him help our program continue to take great strides forward.”
***Report Courtesy of Carl Sandburg College***
