Joao Freire joined the men’s and women’s soccer staffs in the fall of 2023 after graduating from Knox the previous spring. He serves as the goalkeepers coach for both squads after a successful four-year stint as a goalie for the Prairie Fire men's team.
In his first year coaching the men, the three Knox goalkeepers combined for a .677 save percentage and 1.76 goals against average as the Prairie Fire finished the season 6-6-5. On the women’s side, the save percentage was .738 from a total of 183 saves.
The Brazilian native burst onto the scene in his rookie campaign, playing in 20 of the 27 matches and posting a 14-4-1 record with three shutouts while recording a stellar 0.96 GAA with a save percentage of .733 in over 1,800 minutes in net. In the spring of his junior year, he secured shutouts in both games played in the spring following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Freire finished his Knox career with 96 saves, a 1.39 GAA and a .716 save percentage.
