Nevada assistant soccer coaches Casey Tate and Erin Otagaki will take over the program on an interim co-head coaching basis following the departure of former head coach Dr. Melissa Price.

Price has accepted a coaching and teaching position at Wellesley (Mass.) College and will leave the Wolf Pack program in the coming weeks. Tate and Otagaki will guide Nevada’s program through the 2016 season this fall. A national search will begin following the season to identify a permanent replacement.

“We thank Missy for her leadership both on and off the field,” said athletics director Doug Knuth. “She was a great addition to our department not only as a coach, but also as a mentor and friend to many of us. We wish her well in the next step of her career and are grateful for all she’s done and the contributions she has made to our soccer program.”

Tate has been a part of the Wolf Pack soccer program for seven seasons, three of which have been on a full-time basis. His focus while at Nevada has been involved in many areas including team training plans, video breakdown, scouting reports, team travel, and equipment, among others.

He played at the collegiate level at Chandler-Gilbert Community College, Indiana Institute of Technology, and Arizona State University. He received his degree from Ottawa University in History. Tate holds his USSF A license.

The 2015 season was the first at Nevada for Otagaki but she is armed with a wealth of coaching experience after spending 11 years as an assistant between Purdue and Washington State. Her focus at Nevada has been on Wolf Pack recruiting operations.

Otagaki’s playing career spanned four seasons at the University of Washington and included three trips to the NCAA Tournament. She was a member of the 2000 Pac-10 championship team.

Price, who earned her Ph.D from Virginia in 2010, guided the Nevada program for six seasons. Last year, the Pack had went 6-11-2 and notched its best win total since 2012. The Pack also swept its final home weekend of play and ended the year with a winning home record.