Ben Jones was named assistant coach with the Minnesota State women's soccer program in the spring of 2013 and was named associate head coach in 2021.
The Mavericks own an all-time record of 147-21-14 record during Jones' time with the program, as well as a 104-9-7 mark in 120 league games in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
During that time, Jones has helped lead the Mavericks to four NSIC Championships and seven NSIC Tournament Championships, which includes a streak of five straight postseason conference crowns dating back to 2016. Minnesota State has advanced to the NCAA Tournament during all eight of his seasons with the Purple and Gold as the Mavericks have tallied no fewer than 16 wins a season during that time. MSU advanced to the "Sweet 16" during the 2014 and 2015 seasons, and most notably, to the "Elite 8" in 2019.
In his first season on the MSU bench, the Mavericks finished 17-3-2 overall and 13-1-1 in the league to claim the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference regular-season and tournament titles along with a berth in the NCAA Tournament as the region's top seed. Six Mavericks were selected All-NSIC, seven were named All-Central Region, and three captured All-American accolades.
During the 2014 season, Jones oversaw a Mavericks squad that went 22-1, including an unblemished mark of 15-0 in NSIC competition, as the Mavericks claimed NSIC regular season and tournament championships for the second straight season. The Mavericks also made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament as they advanced to the "Sweet 16". Seven Mavericks received All-NSIC honors, four received all-region accolades and four claimed a total of nine All-American awards.
The 2015 season saw the Mavericks once again go undefeated in conference play with a 14-0-1 record and claim yet another regular season conference championship. The Mavericks advanced to the “Sweet 16” in the NCAA Tournament and finished with a record of 18-2-2. All-American accolades also rolled in again in 2015. Korey Kronforst was named NSCAA 1st Team All-American, CCA/Daktronics 2nd Team All-American, NSCAA Scholar All-American, and CoSIDA Academic All-American. Kiana Nickel was named NSCAA 2nd Team All-American, CCA/Daktronics 3rd Team All-American and NSCAA Scholar All-American.
In 2016, the Mavericks fielded one of the youngest teams in the nation and capped the season off by winning another NSIC Tournament Championship and earned a trip to the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament. The Mavericks finished with a record of 16-3-3.
In 2017, the Mavericks once again claimed both the NSIC regular season and tournament championships. The Mavericks were selected as a #2 seed in the NCAA tournament and concluded the season with a 17-2-3 record.
The 2018 season saw the Mavericks collect the second most wins in program history after boasting a record of 19-3-1 record, including a 13-1-1 finish in the NSIC. After the second place finish in the regular season, the Mavericks went on to win their third straight NSIC Tournament Championship. Minnesota State advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament after being selected as a #4 seed. All-American accolades returned for the 2018 season as Dakota Wendell earned multiple including 1st Team CoSIDA Academic All-America, 1st Team D2CCA All-American and 3rd Team USC Scholar All-American.
In 2019, The Mavericks had 19 wins for the second straight season, which is tied for second most in program history. The final record for the year was 19-4-1 with a 12-3 conference record, good for second in the regular season. MSU started the season out with five consecutive shutouts, including wins over then-No. 4 Central Missouri and then-No. 1 Grand Valley State in the same weekend at The Pitch. The Mavericks moved on to win their fourth consecutive NSIC Tournament Championship, earning the top seed for the central region. Minnesota State advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the second time in school history with the first coming in the 2012 season.
The 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In one official game during the spring of 2021, hosting Minot State at Scheels Field in the Maverick All-Sports Dome, the Mavericks knocked off the Beavers 3-0.
In 2021, after a rocky 3-2-1 start, the Mavericks rallied the remainder of the season while putting together a 17-game unbeaten streak, which saw MSU finish the campaign 18-3-2 with a 12-1-2 record in NSIC action for third in the conference standings. The season also featured a fifth consecutive NSIC Tournament Championship for the Mavericks, resulting in an automatic qualifier for the NCAAs, marking MSU's 10th consecutive and 15th overall trip to the NCAA Tournament. At the tournament, MSU won its first-round matchup against Oklahoma Baptist, 3-0, before a losing in the second round to then-#11 Central Missouri, 4-3, to conclude the season.
In his eight seasons, over 50 Mavericks have claimed All-NSIC honors, including Korey Kronforst (twice) and Jenny Vetter, who was named NSIC Offensive Player of the Year twice (2019 & 2021), Breanna Steel and Emily Erickson, who were both named NSIC Defensive Player of the Year, and Molly McGough, who was named the NSIC Goalkeeper of the Year. The Mavericks have also claimed 34 NSCAA/USC All-Central Region honors and 24 Daktronics/D2CCA All-Central Region honors during Jones' time at Minnesota State, which goes along with multiple All-American accolades.
All in all, during his tenure at Minnesota State, the Mavericks have garnered a total of 33 All-Americans over the past eight seasons, which includes eight NSCAA/USC All-Americans, nine NSCAA/USC Scholar All-Americans, seven D2CCA All-Americans and nine CoSIDA Academic All-Americans.
As a team since Jones joined the staff back in 2013, the Mavericks have excelled in the classroom as 142 student-athletes have been named to the NSIC All-Academic Team during the last eight seasons. Eleven Mavericks have also received the NSIC Myles Brand Award, which is bestowed to senior NSIC student-athletes boasting a 3.75 GPA. Additionally, the Mavericks have garnered five NSCAA/USC National Team Academic Awards over the past eight seasons.
A native of Waterloo, Iowa, Jones spent six seasons at Upper Iowa prior to joining Minnesota State, serving as the associate head coach of the Peacock women's soccer team. He was also named the head coach of the men's soccer team in the spring of 2013.
While serving under head coach Brian Bahl at Upper Iowa, Jones helped lead the Peacock women's soccer team to its most successful season in 2012 as it finished the year with a 15-3-2 record, including a mark of 11-2-2 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play.
Prior to joining Upper Iowa, Jones served as an assistant coach for two years (2004 and 2006) and as a co-head coach (2005) for Mount Mercy. During his season as a co-head coach, Jones led the Mustangs to the most wins in a season in the program's history.
Jones also spent three seasons with Bahl as an assistant coach for Waterloo West High School.
Jones received his Bachelors Degree from Northern Iowa in Leisure, Youth and Human Services with an emphasis in Non-Profit Youth Administration in 2005.
