NATCHITOCHES -- Northwestern State is beginning a national search for a women's soccer head coach after George Van Linder resigned after six seasons, athletics director Greg Burke announced Thursday.
 
Since taking over in 2012, Van Linder posted a 40-64-8 overall record at NSU, highlighted by the Lady Demons making the 2016 Southland Conference Tournament. He compiled an overall 20-37-7 SLC record.
 
Despite being competitive against the conference's elite this season, the 2017 Lady Demons were 6-12 overall and 2-9 in league play, missing the newly expanded tournament (eight teams) in a 12-team league.
 
NSU missed the postseason in five of the last six seasons.
 
"Coach Van Linder is appreciated for his dedication to the NSU soccer program and, in particular, to the student-athletes," Burke said. "From the perspective of an administrator, George has been a good coach with whom to work and has represented the university well.
 
"This decision is based on a desire to have a more consistent level of on-field success from our women's soccer program."
 
Van Linder's best season came in 2016 when he snapped the program's seven-year postseason drought by earning the No. 3 seed in the Southland Conference Tournament with a 10-8-1 overall mark and 7-3-1 conference record. NSU lost in the first round to McNeese in overtime.
 
He won Louisiana Co-Coach of the Year honors that season from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.
 
"I really enjoyed my time here," Van Linder said. "Natchitoches and NSU are both wonderful places, and the people are the part I'll miss the most."
 
Van Linder coached five players to six all-conference honors and six All-Louisiana honors in his final three seasons.
 
Prior to 2015, NSU hadn't had an all-conference member since 2009 or an all-state member since 2008.
 
Van Linder tutored two first-team all-conference honorees, including Alex Latham, who was the Southland Conference and Louisiana Goalkeeper of the Year in 2016.
 
Van Linder's 2015 squad chalked up NSU's first-ever positive result against a Power Five member, tying LSU.
 
In the classroom, Van Linder's teams' GPAs hovered around 3.5. He and his staff produced eight all-conference academic honorees, seven on the first team. Two players earned all-district academic status.
 
The Galesburg, Mich., native's 59 career wins at Southland Conference schools (including 19 wins in two seasons at Stephen F. Austin) ranks seventh all-time in league history.
 
Van Linder has also been a head coach at Baylor, SMU and Butler. He led the Mustangs to four straight Western Athletic Conference regular season titles, three NCAA Tournament appearances and one Sweet 16 appearance.
 
The NSU program leads current Southland Conference members with four league tournament championships, the last in 2005. NSU was the first college program in Louisiana to appear in the NCAA Tournament (2000) and has three national postseason appearances.