Vernon Croft was named head coach of the Akron women’s soccer program on November 7, 2012 after serving as the program’s interim head coach for the 2012 season.
Croft, who was hired as one of the program’s assistant coaches in February 2012, has 10 seasons of collegiate head coaching experience. He guided the Zips to 6-11-1 overall record during the 2012 campaign as UA tied the school record for most points in a single season and set the program mark for most assists. Following the season, five student-athletes earned All-Mid-American Conference postseason honors, which represented the most All-MAC selections in a season in the program’s history.
Croft came to Northeast Ohio after spending two seasons as an assistant women’s coach at Miami (Fla.), where he was in charge of the goalkeepers and attacking players and acted as the recruiting coordinator. Eight of the Hurricane’s 11 starters in 2011 were a part of the two recruiting classes coordinated by Croft.
Prior to his stint at Miami, Croft spent nine seasons as the head coach at Indiana State after starting the women’s soccer program in 1999. He is the Sycamores all-time winningest coach, and led ISU to the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Championship Game in 2008. Croft was also named the MVC Coach of the Year in 2004.
Croft coached 15 all-conference performers, one MVC Freshman of the Year and eight MVC All-Tournament honorees while in Terre Haute. His teams were honored nine-consecutive times with NSCAA Team Academic Awards, including a No. 1 team academic ranking in 2004.