Syracuse head women's soccer coach [Nicky Adams](https://cuse.com/staff.aspxstaff=2740) has announced that [Kelly Madsen](https://cuse.com/staff.aspxstaff=2742), who was on Adams' staff at Rice, is joining the program as an assistant coach.   "I am so excited to have Kelly join us," Adams said. "I have had the absolute pleasure of working with Kelly at Rice, and I am thrilled to continue to coach with her at Syracuse. Kelly is a great coach and an incredible person. She will immediately make Syracuse women's soccer better!" Madsen comes to the Orange from Rice, where she was an assistant coach under Adams for the past year. Madsen started at Rice in February 2018, assisting in all areas of the program and serving as the recruiting coordinator.   "I am incredibly grateful and thankful for the opportunity to join the Syracuse women's soccer program and the Syracuse family," Madsen said. "Nicky is an incredible coach and mentor. I couldn't be more excited to be working alongside her at Syracuse." Prior to working with Adams at Rice, she spent seven seasons as an assistant coach at Stephen F. Austin. In her time with the Ladyjacks, the team compiled a 99-34-7 record, winning five regular-season conference titles and playing in the Southland Conference Tournament final six times. Madsen was part of the 2012 coaching staff that saw SFA advance to the NCAA Tournament. Off the field, she organized the team travel and equipment, served as the program's academic coordinator and was the director of camp operations. Before her time at SFA, Madsen served two years as an assistant coach at Dubuque (Iowa). She helped lead the Spartans to their first-ever Iowa Conference Tournament title and first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2009. Madsen assisted in all areas of the program, including recruiting, scouting of opponents and daily training. A native of Pensacola, Fla., Madsen starred as a midfielder for South Alabama from 2004-08. She was a first-team All-Sun Belt Conference honoree and was selected to the Sun Belt All-Tournament Team. Madsen scored 22 goals and added 20 assists in her collegiate career. After graduation, she played professionally in England for Portsmouth Women's Football Club and in the W-League for the London Gryphons (London, Ontario). Madsen currently holds her NSCAA National Diploma and NSCAA Level III GK Diploma. She obtained her bachelor's degree in communications in 2008 from USA and her master's degree in communications in 2011 from Dubuque (Iowa).