Strikers name Baranski new assistant director of coaching

SANDPOINT — Former Striker, SHS and Gonzaga standout and current Sandpoint girls head coach Conor Baranski was named the new assistant director of coaching recently.

Baranski will assist Adam Tajan, Strikers FC director of coaching and current Bulldog boys head coach, in all areas of the club soccer program.

Baranski began playing for Sandpoint Strikers when he was 8-years-old. His Strikers team is considered one of the best in the town’s rich history, with many tournament wins in Canada, showcase tournaments in Seattle, and trips to San Diego for the Nomads tournament. The team also won one state championship as U15s. 

Baranski also won a state championship as a junior in high school, going to state his senior year only to lose in the final. 

Hard work and persistence paid off, and Baranski was able to take his game to the next level and join the Gonzaga Bulldogs to play Division 1 soccer. He played all four years there, with the highlight being his junior year, when the team climbed as high as No. 14 in the nation, earning a trip to the NCAA national tournament. 

Baranski continued with the game after college by coaching in Vietnam, and later in Portland, Ore. He received his D License, coached for Tualatin Hills United Soccer Club, and also coached the varsity girls soccer team at a Portland area high school. 

He returned to Sandpoint last summer, and coached the Bulldog girls to a painful loss in the district championship after a successful 10-4-2 season. 

Baranski will coach the U16B Strikers team this spring.