Rachel Pitman

Associate Head Coach

rpitman@depaul.edu

DePaul

Division 1

Rachel Pitman enters her third year as the assistant coach with the Blue Demons women's soccer program
The former All-BIG EAST and All-Northeast Region defender returned to Lincoln Park in August 2018 to coach her alma mater. 

Pitman began her stellar Wish Field playing career in 2011, coming to Chicago from England. She helped lead DePaul to consecutive NCAA tournament appearances in 2013 and 2014.

In 2014, Pitman & Co. set a program record going 16-1-4, and the team's 20-match unbeaten streak was the longest in the nation along with UCLA.

That season, head coach Erin Chastain's team won both the BIG EAST regular-season and tournament titles.

Pitman was selected to the All-BIG EAST First Team as a senior and was NSCAA All-Northeast Region Second Team. She was also named to the Capital One Academic All-America First Team and was a four-time BIG EAST All-Academic Team selection.

Competing on England's U-17 and U-23 national teams, Pitman scored five goals and helped lead the English to the U-17 World Cup Semifinals. She has also played with England's U-15 and U-17 teams.

The talented and scrappy Blue Demon has played professionally for three years (2015-18) with the Sunderland Ladies AFC club in Sunderland, England, and made four appearances in the Champions League.

Pitman is a UEFA B qualified soccer coach.

Jeff Freeman

Assistant Coach

jfreemn@illinois.edu

Illinois

Division 1

Freeman just finished his thirteenth season overall with the Fighting Illini and sixth as the soccer programs Associate Head Coach in 2023.  In 2019 Freeman was also named the program's recruiting coordinator.  Illinois has reached at least the second round of the NCAA Tournament in three of the years he has been on staff, highlighted by a Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2013. Freeman helped to coach standout Vanessa DiBernardo earn a pair of All-America honors and saw Jannelle Flaws lead the country and break the school record for goals scored.
The Illini have turned in two of the top four single-season goal totals in school history during Freemans tenure in Champaign. The Orange and Blue netted 54 goals in 2013 and 53 goals in 2011, which rank third and fourth, respectively, on the all-time list. UI boasts an overall record of 71-23-9 over the past six seasons with four NCAA Tournament appearances, a Big Ten Tournament title in 2011 and a Big Ten Tournament runner-up finish in 2012.
In 2014, Illinois finished with a 10-8-2 record on the season. With Freemans assistance, Illini redshirt senior Jannelle Flaws was named Disney Soccer/NSCAA National Player of the Week, the first Illini to ever earn the recognition. Flaws continued on to be named the unanimous Big Ten Forward of the year for the second-straight season. She led the Big Ten and tied for 12th in the NCAA with 17 goals, also being tabbed a third-team NSCAA All-American.
In 2013, Freeman helped guide the Illini to their fourth trip to the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen in school history, as they finished 11-9-3 overall. He coached Big Ten Forward of the Year Jannelle Flaws to a school-record 23 goals, which was tied for the most in the NCAA. Vanessa DiBernardo, who became Illinois highest drafted player in school history following the season, completed her decorated career No. 3 on the all-time list with 43 goals, with Freeman coaching her during three of four seasons.
In 2012, Freeman served as the interim head coach for the non-conference portion of the schedule while Rayfield was coaching with U.S. Soccers U-20 National Team at the World Cup. Freeman helped coach the Illini to the NCAA Tournament where they advanced to the second round after knocking off neighbor-state rival Missouri. Freeman also helped guide the Illini to their fifth Big Ten Tournament title game. In addition, Freeman took the reigns of the Illini program for the first seven games of the season against one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country. Illinois finished 10-9-4 on the year.
In 2011, Freeman was integral in the process of implementing the formation changes that led the Orange and Blue to a 17-5-2 overall record, the most wins in a single season in school history and a Big Ten Tournament title victory over No. 11 Penn State. Freeman worked with both the offensive and defensive units throughout the season, also serving as a key contributor to the Illinois recruiting efforts while performing additional administrative and travel-related duties.
Freeman brought a wealth of experience and tactical expertise to Champaign, Illinois, after serving as a member of the University of Miami (Fla.) womens soccer staff from 2004-10, including the final three years as the associate head coach. He played a prominent role in Miami earning conference and national recognition with top-25 rankings and back-to-back appearances in the 2007-08 NCAA Tournaments.
Freeman joined the Hurricanes staff after serving as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Missouri State, for four years. The Bears goalkeeping units earned Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Defensive Player of the Year and conference tournament MVP honors in addition to weekly MVC defensive accolades under Freemans tutelage, while Missouri State won the MVC crown and earned its first NCAA Tournament appearance with Freemans guidance.
As a student-athlete at Missouri State, Freeman earned academic all-conference recognition as a goalkeeper with the Bears and was a member of the 1997 squad that made the programs first NCAA Tournament appearance after earning a top-10 national ranking and the MVC regular season title.
Freeman, who earned a bachelors and masters in education from Missouri State, is accredited as a United States Soccer Federation (USSF) `A Licensed Coach and holds a NSCAA Advanced National Diploma. He has served as a clinician at the USC (NSCAA) Conventions from 2014-2019.

Drago Ceranic

Volunteer Assistant Coach

drago-ceranic@uiowa.edu

Iowa

Division 1

Drago Ceranic is in his fourth season as a volunteer assistant coach with the University of Iowa soccer program.

In three seasons, Ceranic has helped the program to 30 victories, two NCAA Tournament appearances and the first Big Ten title in school history.

During the 2020 season, Ceranic helped the team to its second straight NCAA Tournament berth.  After starting the season slowly, the Hawkeyes were playing their best soccer when matter most in the postseason.

With an expanded Big Ten postseason schedule due to league-only scheduling because of COVID, the Hawkeyes posted wins over second-seeded Illinois and third-seeded Minnesota in the Big Ten Regional weekend.  The team followed with a road win at top-seeded Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals before downing third-seeded Wisconsin to claim the programs first-ever Big Ten title.

The win in Happy Valley was the first for the program in school history and the fourth-ranked Nittany Lions were the highest ranked opponent Iowa defeated all-time.  Two freshmen forward Meike Ingles and goalkeeper Macy Enneking were named the Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Offensive and Defensive Players, respectively.  Ingles scored three-game winners in the tournament, while Enneking posted two shutouts and made 14 saves.

As a result, the Hawkeyes earned their second straight NCAA Tournament berth, and they continued to make history.  Shipped to North Carolina, Iowa tallied a 1-0 victory over Campbell on the Camels home turf to notch the first NCAA Tournament win in the record books.  Iowa had third-seeded UCLA on the ropes in the Round of 32 before surrendering two goals late in a 2-1 defeat.

Iowa finished the season with a 7-9-1 record, but all seven of the victories came in the teams final 10 games.  Enneking was a unanimous Big Ten All-Freshman team honoree. Academically, Iowa matched a school record with 19 Academic All-Big Ten selections, eight Hawkeyes were Big Ten Distinguished Scholars, the program had 31 Deans List honorees (in fall and spring semesters), and the program earned the United Soccer Team Academic Award, posting a 3.49 team grade point average.

In 2019, Ceranic helped guide Iowa to one of the best seasons in program history.  The Hawkeyes opened the season with nine straight wins en route to a No. 17 national ranking, the highest in program history.  Iowa tied a school record, winning 15 games, including seven in Big Ten play, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history.

The Hawkeyes tied a school record with three All-Big Ten selections and senior Natalie Winters became the first player in program history to earn postseason recognition in all four seasons.  Winters was also an all-region honoree for a second straight season.

Iowa was one of the Big Tens most potent offenses, ranking second in the league and 26th nationally, with 46 goals.  The Hawkeyes had an NCAA-best 16 different goal scorers in 2019.  Defensively, Iowa posted eight shutouts and limited opponents to seven or fewer shots in 13 games.

The Hawkeyes shined academically as Iowa was the only school in the country to have two first-team Academic All-Americans.  Iowa also had three United Soccer Academic All-Region and a school-record 19 Academic All-Big Ten selections.

During his first season as a Hawkeye, Ceranic helped the Hawkeyes to an 8-7-3 overall record and a 4-5-2 mark in Big Ten play.  Iowa was in Big Ten Tournament contention until the final game, but fell short after battling Northwestern to a 1-1 draw.  Junior Natalie Winters was a third-team all-region and third-team All-Big Ten selection Iowas first all-region honoree since 2014.

In the classroom, Iowa earned the United Soccer Team Academic Award for a 12th straight season and the Hawkeyes had two Google Cloud Academic All-Americans the first two in program history.  Kaleigh Haus was a first-team selection; Hannah Drkulec earned second-team honors.  Iowa also had 10 players earn Academic All-Big Ten honors, 25 players with a 3.0 GPA or better, 14 Deans List, and 4 Presidents List honorees during the spring semester.

Ceranic has coached with the Cedar River Soccer Association since 2009 and he has been a part of Iowas Olympic Development Program since 2016.  With the CRSA, Ceranic helped the team to three Iowa State Cup titles (2013 U16 boys, 2014 U15 girls, and 2014 U17 boys).  He also coaches three state runner-up teams.

Ceranic also coached with with Vermont Voltage of the Premier Developmental League (PDL) from 2008-11, he was junior varsity head coach at Linn-Mar (Iowa) High School from 2010-11, and was the junior varsity head coach at Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Xavier High School in 2009.

As a player, Ceranic played collegiately at Mount Mercy (Iowa) University, where he was a four-time All-Midwest Collegiate Conference selection. He was the Mustangs Newcomer of the Year in 2006, was team MVP in 2007 and 2008, and was a three-year team captain.  Ceranic also was a three-time all-academic selection and was named to the NAIA Champion of Character Team in 2009.

Ceranic played professional soccer for the Voltage from 2008-11, where he was team captain in 2010-11.

The Serbia native graduated from Mount Mercy in 2010 with a degree in multi-media design and communications.  He holds his USSF C coaching license.

Tyler Smaha

Assistant Coach

smahat@xavier.edu

Xavier (OH)

Division 1

Assistant Women's Soccer Coach at Xavier University. 

USSF C License, USC Advanced National Diploma, National Strength and Conditioning Association CSCS.

Sade Ayinde

Assistant Coach, Recruiting Coordinator

rashidat.thomas-ayinde@yale.edu

Yale

Division 1

Sade Ayinde was named an assistant coach at Yale in January of 2019 after spending three seasons at Stony Brook.
 
Ayinde was a part of the Bulldogs successful 2019 season which saw several players earn postseason honors, including Aerial Chavarin, who was named the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year and was an All-America selection. Chavarin also was drafted by the Chicago Red Stars of the NWSL.
 
In addition, the Bulldogs posted the most overall wins (11) since 2005 and finished with a 4-2-1 Ivy League mark in Ayindes first season.
 
While at Stony Brook, Ayinde was recognized as part of the America East Coaching Staff of the Year in 2016 and 2018. In her three seasons at Stony Brook, the Seawolves posted three straight winning seasons and conference tournament appearances, won a regular season championship, a conference tournament championship and earned a berth in the 2017 NCAA Tournament, the school's first NCAA appearance since 2012. In addition to assisting with the field players, she also worked with the goalkeepers and helped Cara Gallagher post eight shutouts and a program best single season goals against mark (0.70) in 2016, and Sofia Manner honored as America East Rookie of the Year (2017) and America East Goalkeeper of the Year (2018).
 
In addition to her work with the Seawolves, Ayindes past coaching experience include six years as a head coach of numerous girls teams with the East Meadow Soccer Club, an assistant coach with ENYYSA ODP for several years, and player identification with Region I ODP. She also continues to serve as a scout for talent identification for US Soccer in the Northeast region.
 
Ayinde played at the University of Maryland, where she led the Terrapins to three NCAA Tournament appearances. In her career, she scored 16 goals and added 19 assists. She was named to the Soccer Buzz All-Mid Atlantic Freshman Team in 2008 and was voted the NSCAA National Player of the Week and ACC Player of the Week in 2010. She also was invited to several U-20 US Youth National Team camps in 2010.
 
Following her collegiate years, Ayinde went on to play professionally in the Damallsvensken and Elitettan leagues in Sweden for Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC and IF Brommapojkarna.
 
She holds a USSF B Coaching License, United Soccer Coaches Advanced National Diploma, and Goalkeeper I Diploma. Ayinde was one of 15 female coaches selected by United Soccer Coaches for the 2016-17 cohort of the 30-Under-30 program. 

Ayinde graduated from the University of Maryland in 2012, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Criminal Justice. She later completed a Master of Science in Human Resource Management at Stony Brook University in 2019.

Diana Trahanas

Assistant Coach

dtrahana@csu.edu

Chicago State

Division 1

Trahanas enters her second year as the assistant women's soccer coach at Chicago State serving on head coach Cristiano Costa's staff.
 
In addition to her coaching responsibilities she is the team's data scientist spearheading the university's  use of sports analytics.  Her expertise comes from Trahanas serving as a clinic research scientist at Lutheran General Hospitals Center of Brain and Spine Surgery.
 
Diane graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago with a B.S. in Biology, and B.A. in Psychology. She earned a M.S. in Biotechnology, graduating summa cum laude from Rush University. She is a research scientist and has scientific journal publications on traumatic brain injuries, neuroscience and cardiovascular topics.
 
Trahanas attended Amos Alonzo Stagg High School in Palos Hills, IL where she lettered in basketball and soccer. She played four years of varsity Soccer as a midfielder/forward and served as team captain. She led her team to regional and sectional championships.
 
Trahanas continued her soccer career at the Division I Level for the University of Illinois-Chicago as a four-year starter and team captain while leading her team in goals and assists.

Marisa Kresge

Head Coach

mnkresg@ilstu.edu

Illinois State

Division 1

On May 23, 2022, Marisa Kresge was announced as Illinois State's head soccer coach, the sixth in program history and second female head coach. She is entering her first season as a collegiate head coach. 

Illinois State Athletics Director Kyle Brennan at the time of the hire: "We are extremely excited to have Marisa Kresge lead our soccer program at Illinois State and welcome her back to campus. Marisa has been a proven winner at every stop of her career, as a player at Maryland and Wisconsin and as a coach here at Illinois State and Wisconsin. She is extremely competitive and structured in her approach as a coach and a recruiter, which we believe will translate into success for our soccer program. Her tough, blue-collar mentality as a leader fits well with the culture of our department and we look forward to watching her get this program to the top of the Missouri Valley Conference."

Kresge at the time of the hire: "I could not be more excited or honored to be named the next head coach of Illinois State Soccer. I want to thank Director of Athletics [Kyle Brennan](https://goredbirds.com/staff.aspxstaff=3549), Executive Associate AD [Nona Richardson](https://goredbirds.com/staff.aspxstaff=3610) and everyone involved in the hiring process. The energy of the administration, their investment into the program and their drive to be successful was something I was immediately drawn to. Illinois State has a rich history of success, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with our student-athletes and lead this program into the next chapter."

Kresge was an assistant coach for the Redbirds in 2016.

A former team captain and standout for the Wisconsin women's soccer program, Kresge spent 2017-2021 as an assistant coach for the Badgers.

In 2020, UW reached the Big Ten Tournament final while Jordyn Bloomer earned second-team All-America honors and was named the Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year for a second-straight year. 

In 2019, the Badgers won the regular-season Big Ten title thanks to an undefeated record in league play and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the second-straight year. Three Badgers (Jordyn Bloomer, Camryn Biegalski and Dani Rhodes) all earned All-America honors to set a school record for most All-Americans in a single season. 

In 2018, Kresge helped lead Wisconsin to a 14-4-4 record, the No. 4 seed in the Big Ten tournament and the second Sweet 16 NCAA appearance in program history.

In Kresge's first year she was able to assist Wisconsin on a 14-6-2 record, advance to the second round of the Big Ten Tournament and advance to the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament.

After graduating from UW in 2016, Kresge spent one season with Illinois State, helping the Redbirds to a 14-6-3 record. With Kresges assistance on the sidelines, ISU won the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title and earning a trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Additional coaching experience for Kresge includes time with the Verona Soccer Club, where she served as the head bench boss for the U-11 and U-12 girls' teams, was the assistant coach for the U-11 girls' team and the U-12 boys' team, while also coaching a skills clinic ranging from U-6 to U-15.

Kresge earned a bachelor's degree in kinesiology, physical education and adapted physical education during her time as a student-athlete at Wisconsin, where she competed three years for the Badgers. She spent two seasons at Maryland prior to transferring to Wisconsin

The Severna Park, Maryland, native started 19 of the 20 matches during her senior season and was the team captain while earning Academic All-Big Ten honors for the second year in a row.

Off the field, Kresge was named to the UW-Madison School of Education Dean's List in 2014 and to the ACC Academic Honor Roll in 2011. She was also the recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award in 2013 and a member of the Leadership Group at Wisconsin in 2015.

With Kresge on the squad, that Badgers had two of the most successful seasons in program history, claiming the Big Ten tournament title in 2014 and the league's regular season crown in 2015. Kresge finished her career with seven goals, including one game-winning goal and a pair of assists.

Adam Kleman

Assistant Coach

adam.kleman@indstate.edu

Indiana State

Division 1

Going into his fifth season as an assistant coach with Indiana State soccer is Adam Kleman.
 
Kleman comes to Indiana State after spending the 2018 campaign at Eastern Kentucky. During the fall, the Colonels earned the program's first-ever win over neighboring Kentucky in September, before finishing the regular season 8-8-4 (4-4-3 OVC). EKU advanced to the OVC semifinals for the third consecutive season, before falling to the No. 1 seed UT Martin, 3-2, on November 2.
 
"I am excited to welcome Adam Kleman to the Indiana State women's soccer family," coach Hanley said. "Adam has worked at a pair of highly successful mid-major programs and that experience will be instrumental as we look to build a championship culture here. Adam comes highly regarded from Nick Flore (former EKU head coach) who I worked with while I was at Iowa. His ties to the Midwest will provide additional avenues for recruiting future Sycamores. While his ability to influence training and positively impact our current student-athletes as they continue to grow as players will be invaluable. "

Kleman arrived at Eastern Kentucky following four seasons as an assistant coach at Ohio Valley Conference rival Southeast Missouri (2014 to 2017). Before arriving in Cape Girardeau, Kleman was a graduate assistant on EKU's staff for the 2012 and 2013 seasons.
 
He served as Southeast Missouri's goalkeepers coach, and he handled administrative tasks, team travel, meals, compliance, and recruiting while assisting in overall player development.
 
"My family and I are tremendously excited to join Indiana State University and the Soccer Program that Coach Hanley has built," coach Kleman said. "We would like to thank Mr. Clinkscales, Ms. Lansing and Coach Hanley for their thoroughness and support throughout the interview process. It was very clear the passion that exists for Sycamore Athletics as well as the resources that are in place to allow the student-athletes to thrive at every level. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity that Coach Hanley has provided me & I'm looking forward to building future successes with both the players and staff here at Indiana State!"
 
In his first season at SEMO, Kleman helped guide the Redhawks to their fifth OVC title. Kleman mentored freshman goalkeeper Kindra Lierz that season. Lierz went on to be the first player in league history to earn both OVC Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors. Lierz also earned first team All-OVC and All-Newcomer accolades. The Redhawks led the OVC in goals allowed (0.71), goals against average (0.70), and shutouts (8) in 2014. 
 
Kleman's work with the goalkeepers lent to Southeast recording 11 shutouts in 2015, his second season with the program. The Redhawks finished the 2015 campaign with an 0.93 goals against average and an 80.7% save percentage. SEMO's 0.93 goals against average and 1.00 goals allowed per game each ranked third in the league while its 11 shutouts ranked first.
 
The 2016 season featured seven shutouts of the Redhawks' opponents. The campaign was highlighted by a season-opening 1-0 shutout of Southeastern Conference opponent Tennessee. The Redhawks began the season 6-0-1, five coming by way of shutout. The Redhawks' 18 goals allowed ranked third-best in the OVC as did their 0.95 goals against average.
 
SEMO continued to be one of the top defensive teams in the OVC in 2017, ranking third in the league in goals-against average (0.91) and shutouts (7).
   
During his tenure at EKU, Kleman was responsible for on-field coaching, off-campus recruiting, travel arrangements and video editing. He was part of the memorable 2012 season, in which the Colonels set then-program records for wins (10), conference victories (6), goals (22), assists (18), points (62) and shots (253). EKU posted an undefeated home record (8-0-1) for the first time in school history that season, and had three players selected first-team All-Ohio Valley Conference, the most in program history.
 
A native of Elida, Ohio, Kleman competed collegiately as a defender at Transylvania University (2004-07). The Pioneers posted a 56-10-13 record during his career, won four consecutive Heartland Conference titles and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2007.
 
Kleman earned a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Transylvania in 2008 and a master's degree in Sports Administration from Eastern Kentucky in 2013.

Dirk Bennett

Head Coach

debennett@eiu.edu

Eastern Illinois

Division 1

Dirk Bennett was hired as the seventh head coach in Eastern Illinois women's soccer history on Feb. 10, 2023.  Bennett, a two-time EIU graduate, previously served as the Panthers assistant women's soccer coach since July of 2019.   

[Dirk Bennett Hire Release](https://eiupanthers.com/news/2023/2/10/bennett-hired-as-eiu-womens-soccer-head-coach.aspx)

Eastern Illinois 
* Hired as seventh head coach in program history on Feb. 10, 2023
* Hired as assistant women's soccer coach in July of 2019
* Coached sixth season on EIU women's soccer staff in 2022-23
* Served as a volunteer assistant coach for EIU women's soccer from 2016-18
* Helped coach team to a 0.81 Goals Against Average in 2022, third best single season mark in school history
* Helped coach team to a school record four shutouts to open the season in 2022
* Helped coach team to a school record eight ties in 2022 which ranked in the top five in the NCAA
* Helped coach EIU women's program to third place finish in OVC in 2018 & OVC Tournament semifinal appearance
* Helped coach women's program to second straight OVC Tournament appearance in 2019
* Helped coach three All-Ohio Valley Conference selections (first team Sara Teteak)
* Helped coach OVC Defensive Player of the Year Sara Teteak in 2019
* Helped coach eight second team All-OVC selections 
* Helped coach EIU to OVC Tournament appearances in 2018, 2019 and 2021
* Volunteer assistant coach for men's soccer program from 2015-18
* Helped coach men's team to three straight Summit League Tournament appearances
* Helped coach men's team to 2-2-1 Summit League record in 2017, first .500 or better conference mark since 2000 
* Helped coach men's team to Regional ranking during 2017 season
* Helped coach Summit League Goalkeeper of the Year, Mke Novotny in 2018
* Helped coach two first team All-Summit League performers (Mike Novotny & Edgar Mesa)
* Helped coach two second team All-Summit League performers
* Helped coach seven All-Summit League Newcomer Team selections
* Helped coach four Summit League All-Tournament selections

Prior to Eastern Illinois 
* Athletic Supervisor for City of Charleston
* Executive Director of Eastern Illinois FC

Personal
* Bachelor's Degree from Eastern Illinois University in 2010
* Masters Degree from Eastern Illinois University in 2012
* USSF "C" License
* NSCAA Premier Diploma
* NSCAA Goalkeeping Level I
* NSCAA LGBT Diversity & Inclusion Diploma
* Board Member Central Illinois Youth Soccer League
* Inspire! UK "Top 10 Coaches Under 30" London Conference Invitee in 2014
* NCCAA Bob Seddon Fund Scholarship

Travis Sobers

Head Coach

travis.sobers@wright.edu

Wright State

Division 1

Sobers is a name some remember from his playing days on the WSU men's soccer team and joined the women's program in the fall of 2013.
Sobers, who starred for the WSU mens team 1998-2001, has had numerous coaching and playing experiences on the club and high school levels.  Among those recent coaching positions have been the North Warren County Alliance Academy Director and coach of the U-13 Club as well as Ohio Galaxies Premier Soccer U-17 Club.  He also coached at Bellbrook High School and played professionally for the Cincinnati Kings.  While playing at WSU, he was named First Team All Ohio.  He has a bachelors degree in organizational leadership in 2003 and recently completed work for an NSCAA National diploma.

Jeremy Groves

Head Coach

grove1j@cmich.edu

Central Michigan

Division 1

Jeremy Groves was named to lead the Central Michigan soccer program in December, 2018, becoming the sixth head coach in program history.
 
In his first season at the helm, Groves led the Chippewas to a 7-6-4 finish including 4-5-2 in the Mid-American Conference. It was CMUs first winning season and its first league-tournament berth since 2018.
 
Two Chippewas, Lauren DeBeau and Cami Taylor, were named to the 13-member MAC All-Freshman Team. It marked the first time since 2015 that the Chippewas have placed multiple players on the leagues all-freshman squad.
 
Groves, who hails from Leeds, England, served as volunteer assistant coach during the 2018 season at Kentucky after leading Murray State to unprecedented success, building the Racer program into a dominant force in the Ohio Valley Conference.
 
In four seasons under Groves, Murray State posted a sterling 50-21-6 record including 32-3-5 in the OVC. From 2015-17, Murray State went unbeaten (25-0-5) in OVC play, including a spotless 10-0-0 mark in 2015, becoming the first team in conference history to go undefeated in league play.
 
Groves was named the OVC Coach of the Year in 2015 and in 2017, and led the Racers to three consecutive OVC regular-season championships and two conference tournament titles.
 
At Murray State, Groves recruited and coached the first and only three-time OVC Offensive Player of the Year, Harriet Withers. During his four years as head coach, Groves' teams featured 14 players who received All-OVC recognition.
 
Groves 2017 team posted a program-best 15-2-2 record, which included an 11-game unbeaten streak. MSU attained a program- and conference-record RPI of 21 and received votes in the United Soccer Coaches and TopDrawerSoccer.com national polls for four-consecutive weeks.
 
From 2010-13, Groves served as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Morehead State, where he helped the Eagles to the OVC regular-season championship in 2010, and league tournament titles in 2010 and in 2013.
 
Prior to Morehead State, Groves coached at his alma mater, Kentucky. From 2006-07, he was an assistant coach with the women's program, and then assisted with the men's program from 2007-10.

Groves initially played collegiately at Virginia Intermont, earning NAIA All-America honors in 2001, before transferring to Kentucky. In Lexington, Groves was a member of two Mid-American Conference championship squads and the 2003 team which advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Groves earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in kinesiology and business from Kentucky and is working toward his masters degree in teaching, coaching and sports leadership.
 
Before his collegiate career, Groves played for his hometown club, Leeds United, in addition to Rotherham United and York City.
 
Groves and his wife, Melissa, have two sons, Aidan and Jaxson.
 

Joe Malachino

Associate Head Coach

jmalachi@emich.edu

Eastern Michigan

Division 1

Malachino helped the Eagles to their best finish since the 2004 season. The Eagles hit double-digit wins for the highest win total since the 2001 team won 15 games. The Eagles had four players earn All-MAC honors while leading the conference in goals while ranking third in goals allowed.    Malachino brings 21 years of coaching experience to EMU ranging from U-6, semi-professional and the college ranks. In the past, Malachino has been the Director of Coaching for the Novi Jaguars and a member of the Region II Olympic Development Program (ODP) staff. He is a United States Soccer Federation (USSF) A licensed coach, the highest level of coaching license for US soccer. He also played professionally for seven years with the Detroit Rockers in the National Professional Soccer League. In 2000, Malachino was named the Professional Development League (PDL) Coach of the Year for the Michigan Bucks semi-professional team. During that season, the Bucks made the championship game before losing to Chicago, 1-0. In U.S. Open Cup action, the team also defeated the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer (MLS), 1-0, at Foxboro Stadium in Foxboro, Mass., before losing 6-5 in a penalty shootout to the Miami Fusion (MLS) in the next round.    Malachino earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education from Texas Christian University in 1993. He also has a Michigan Teaching certificate and is currently working towards a Masters of Arts degree in teaching from Wayne State University.    Malachino and his wife, Miriam, reside in Howell, Mich.  They have a son, Kiernan (13) and two daughters, Kaia (9) and Kate (5).

Kim McGowan

Associate Head Coach

mcgowake@miamioh.edu

Miami of Ohio

Division 1

Miami University head soccer coach Courtney Sirmans rounded out her coaching staff by adding Kim McGowan in May, 2018.

McGowan, a native of Cincinnati, serves as the RedHawks recruiting coordinator and academic liaison. She also assists in film breakdown and scouting the RedHawks' opponents. In her first season with the Red & White, she helped the team nearly double their scoring output to 17 goals as a team after they netted just nine the year before.

McGowan brings three years of head coaching experience between stints at Thomas More College and Olivet College. In her lone season at Thomas More in 2017, McGowan guided the Saints to a 15-5-1 record and Presidents Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles with an accompanying berth in the NCAA Tournament. TMC went 8-1 in PAC play in securing its seventh-straight tournament title.

Prior to coaching the Saints, McGowan spent two seasons as Olivet Colleges head coach, going 19-16-4 at the helm of the Comets. OC went 11-6-3 in her first season (2015) on the sidelines with the 11 victories representing the fifth most in program history and its most since 2010. She also earned recognition from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (now United Soccer Coaches) as a 30-under-30 recipient, given to the top 30 college soccer coaches under 30 years old, in 2016.

McGowan spent the 2014 season at Hiram College as an assistant Coach. She was involved in all aspects of the program and helped the team earn five all-conference honorees, the most in school history. Prior to Hiram, McGowan spent two seasons at Agnes Scott College as an assistant coach. During her time there, she helped the Scotties advance to two Great South Athletic Conference Tournament Championship games. Agnes Scott won the tournament in 2012 to advance to the NCAA Division III NCAA Tournament. This was the first time in school history any team sport had made the national tournament. She also served as the assistant women's lacrosse coach in 2013.

McGowan played her collegiate soccer at Ohio Northern University. During her time at ONU, the Polar Bears finished second in the conference regular season standings and second in the conference tournament three years in a row and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. During her senior year, ONU went undefeated in regular season conference play and earned another at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. A first round win advanced the Polar Bears to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, another first for the women's soccer program. Overall in her four years at ONU, the Polar Bears amassed a 58-20-6 overall record, with a 31-3-2 conference regular-season record.

A native of Cincinnati, Ohio and an Oak Hills High School graduate, earned a bachelor of art's degree in sport management from Ohio Northern, and a master's degree in sports administration from Georgia State University. She currently holds a NSCAA Premier Level Diploma, US Soccer "B" license for coaching and a Goalkeeper Level 3 license.

Brian Diaz

Assistant Coach, Recruiting Coordinator

bdiaz@oakland.edu

Oakland U. (MI)

Division 1

Brian Diaz came to Oakland as an assistant and recruiting coordinator for the Golden Grizzlies in June 2017.  Diaz was promoted to associate head coach in the fall of 2020. 

Diaz has garnered 21 years of collegiate coaching experience both at the DI and DII level. Diaz has been the head coach at two DII programs with stops at Converse College and most recently, Upper Iowa University. Diaz also has been on the Olympic Development Program (ODP) coaching staff since 2006.

Diaz earned a bachelor of arts in sports management and general management from Tusculum College in 2002, followed by a master of education in educational leadership from University of South Alabama in 2012.

Alex Ng

Assistant Coach

ang@richmond.edu

Richmond

Division 1

Ng enters his first season as an assistant coach at Richmond in the Spring 2020-21 season. 

Ng comes to Richmond from Big 10-member Indiana where he was a Volunteer Assistant Coach for the last season and previously served as the program's Video Analyst in 2019. He oversaw all aspects of Sports Performance, including training periodization, training and match warm ups, weight lifting program, collecting and analyzing internal and external loads, developing individual athlete development plans and vacation period programing

Ng also worked with US Soccer as a Video Analyst for the last year attending various US Youth National Team Camps. Ng was one of the youngest full-time video analysts in NCAA women's soccer in 2019 helping develop and implement all video operations within the program.

Prior to Indiana, Ng spent four seasons as a student assistant with Valparaiso Women's Soccer, where he assisted with game day and training sessions, as well as operated the team's video and performance analysis systems. In addition, he created and ran the team's social media accounts. Ng was also a student-athlete at Valparaiso, completing his undergraduate research thesis on a Soccer Injury Movement Screen while serving as the football team's punter all four seasons.  
 
In addition to his time with Indiana and Valparaiso, Ng has coached with a variety of club teams such as Valpo Soccer Club, Cutters Soccer Club and the Royal Palm Beach Strikers. He also spent a summer as assistant coach and game day operations for Detroit Sun FC, who advanced to the National Championship Tournament of the United Women's Soccer League.
 
Ng, who graduated Valparaiso with a degree in Exercise Science, has also earned his United States Soccer Federation "C" License and holds a United Soccer Coaches National Diploma. He also holds his National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) certification.
 
Ng is also an Executive Council Member of NSCA Soccer Special Interest Group (SIG). In this role, he works to bridge the gap between traditional strength and conditioning coaches and soccer coaches by sharing information between industries, and continue to lead the organization of an annual conference of Soccer Strength and Conditioning professionals.
 

Brian Bronowski

Vol. Assistant Coach

bbronowski@gmail.com

Air Force

Division 1

Brian Bronowski enters his fifth season with Air Force women's soccer in 2022. He is the Falcons Goalkeeper coach after joining the program in January 2017. 


A Colorado Springs native, Bronowski has spent the last 32 years working with youth soccer clubs in Virginia, Ohio, and Indiana. Before his return to Colorado Springs, Brian was the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) director at Carmel United Soccer Club in Carmel, Indiana. Additionally, he was an Assistant/GK coach with the College of William & Mary women's program, an Assistant/GK coach with the Hampton Roads Mariners, and has also worked with the Columbus Crew.  


Bronowski has also worked with the Olympic Development Programs in Virginia, Ohio South & Indiana has taught coaching courses in Kentucky, Indiana & Ohio South, and was a staff & head coach in Region II for 10 years. Brian holds US Soccer 'A', National Youth License, NSCAA Premier, and Goalkeeping Level II Diploma.

Mike Davis

Assistant Volunteer Coach

mikecadavis5@gmail.com

Cal State - Northridge

Division 1

I am on staff with LA Surf SC part of the US Soccer Developmental Academy for girls youth soccer. I am currently on the USSF "A License and have the NSCAA Premier Diploma in Coaching as well as the NSCAA Advanced National Goalkeeping diploma. I also have a doctorate in Organizational Leadership. I have coached from the ages of 2-22 in the last 16 years since I was 17 years old in England, Australia, USA and Canada as well as playing in all these countries.

J Cesar Gomez

Assistant Coach

cesar.gomez@wheaton.edu

Wheaton (IL)

Division 3

Native of Paraguay, played in the national league.

Coach at Wheaton North HS for 7 years ( Boys)

Coach at West Chicago HS since 1998. Now head coach of the girls program in West Chicago.

Coach at Wheaton College since 2003.

6 aperance in the final four of the ncaa tournament.

3 time National  Champions with the Thunders.

Now assistant and goalie coach for the womens team.

Connor McKee

Head Women's Soccer Coach

mckeec@beloit.edu

Beloit

Division 3

Following a national search, Connor McKee has been named the 11th head coach in the history of Beloit College Womens Soccer.  The announcement was made by Director of Athletics & Recreation Tim Schmiechen.

McKee, who replaces Nick Chapman, comes to Beloit from Northern Illinois University in Dekalb, where he was the Associate Head Womens Soccer Coach last season after serving as the Huskies Assistant Womens Soccer Coach from 2012-2016. 

McKee was also the Girls Director of Coaching for the Northern Illinois Football Club for three seasons, coaching U10-U18 teams, and was a graduate assistant for the University of Sioux Falls Mens Soccer team for one season.

A 2012 graduate of the University of Sioux Falls, graduating with high honors in Business and a native of Rapid City, South Dakota, McKee was a defender for Elmhurst College from 2007-08 and helped the Bluejays reach as high as Number 16 nationally.  He returned home to conclude his collegiate career at Sioux Falls, where he was a team captain his senior season and an All-Great Plains Athletic Conference selection.  He also earned the Daktronics NAIA Men's Scholar Athlete Award while playing for the Cougars.

Amanda Grant

Assistant Women's Soccer Coach

amandagrant@depauw.edu

DePauw

Division 3

I am the assistant coach at DePauw University. DePauw is a smaller D3 private school located in Greencastle, IN. It is a about 45 minutes east of Indianapolis. I have been the assistant at DePauw for 2 years and graduated from DePauw in 2020.

Joe Sagar

Head Coach

joe.g.sagar@lawrence.edu

Lawrence

Division 3

Joe Sagar is the new head women's soccer coach at Lawrence University.

A native of Manchester, England, Sagar has been working at Augustana since the 2014 season. During his four seasons with the Augustana women's program, the Vikings put together a 44-26-4 record and made one NCAA Division III Tournament appearance.

Sagar was a standout goalkeeper at McKendree University in Lebanon, Ill., and is the school's career record holder in saves (205), goals against average (0.90), victories (50) and shutouts (19). Sagar earned a bachelor's degree in physical education from McKendree in 2012 and graduated with a master's degree in educational leadership with an emphasis in higher education administration from the University of Nevada-Reno in 2014.

Before attending college, Sagar played professional soccer in Great Britain. He played with Glasgow Rangers FC for two years and helped that team win the Scottish Premier League Under 19 title and the Scottish Premier League Youth Cup in 2007. He also played for Porthmadog FC in the Welsh Premier League and made starting appearances for Porthmadog in the Welsh Cup.

Mckinnon Pennell

Assistant Coach

mmpennel@sewanee.edu

University of the South

Division 3

McKinnon Pennell C'18 is in his third season with the University of the South women's soccer program. Making his second stint with the program, he also served as an assistant with the program for the 2019 and 2020 seasons. 

He recently served as Director of Soccer Operations for Old Dominion University (Va.) during the 2021 campaign. During his time with the Monarchs, he was a part of a conference regular season and tournament championship with Conference USA (C-USA). Additionally, he was a part of a coaching staff that was named the C-USA Coaching Staff of the Year.  He was a part of research, scouting and evaluation of prospective student-athletes and opponents. Additionally, he was responsible for player performance technology and analytics. 

Off the pitch, he maintained the program's social media channels and administrative day-to-day operations of travel, equipment and budgets. 

He has also served as an Academy Coach for Virginia Beach City FC. 

Pennell was also a former four-year letterwinner with the Sewanee men's soccer team, and he was named to the SAA Academic Honor Roll. 

Pennell earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics with a History minor from the University of the South, and he is expected to complete his Master's of Education with a Sport Management concentration in 2022 from the University of Texas at Austin. 

Jaime Acuna

Assistant Coach

jacuna11@yahoo.com

Occidental

Division 3

Acuna started working with both the men and women goalkeepers at Occidental College in 2006. He is now entering his 19th season at Oxy, working both with goalkeepers and field players on the women's side. Acuna has trained and helped Oxy's Robin Fieldman earn SCIAC Goalkeeper of the Year honors in 2011, and Sydney Tomlinson earn United Soccer Coaches Third Team All-American in 2018.

Shayni Paul

Head Women's Soccer Coach

shayni.paul@cuchicago.edu

Concordia (IL)

Division 3

Shayni Paul was named head coach of the Women's Soccer program in November of 2017.

The Cougars had a seventh place finish in 2019, during Paul's second season as head coach, with an overall record of 6-11-2. With all six of CUC's wins coming in shutout fashion, Paul coached junior Brianna Welch to an All-NACC honorable mention season, with three goals and one assist. Welch's honor marked the third All-Conference student-athlete that Paul has coached during her tenure at CUC. 

The 2018 season marked Paul's first season at the helm, as she made an immediate impact on the program with a 6-13 overall record, including a NACC Tournament appearance. Two of the season's most notable wins consisted of a 2-0 shut out victory over regionally ranked Illinois Tech and a 3-1 win over Aurora University. With the 2-0 victory over IIT, it was the first time all season that the Scarlet Hawks had been shut out, and earned senior goalkeeper Madeline Kroll the NACC's Defensive Athlete of the Week honor. When the Cougars defeated Aurora on Oct. 24, 2018, it was the first time in program history that CUC beat the Spartans and clinched the team's first playoff berth since 2016. At the conclusion of the 2018 campaign, two seniors, Krista Pojero and Madeline Kroll, were voted to the All-NACC Honorable Mention team under Paul's leadership.

She began her collegiate coaching career as a graduate assistant at Capital University in Ohio in 2014. That season, the Crusaders went 16-6-2 overall and earned both an Ohio Athletics Conference championship and a bid to the NCAA III national tournament. In 2015, Capital won the OAC with a perfect 9-0 record, a first-ever feat in team history. The Crusaders advanced to the NCAA tournament again where they advanced to the second round as they had the previous year. Paul remained at Capital as an assistant coach in 2016, when the team finished 9-8-1 overall and second in the OAC.
           
During her time in Columbus, Paul also coached for the Columbus Crew junior teams. She worked with girls in the 13-17 age range and coached a couple of teams on the Elite Girls side.
           
Paul became assistant coach at Rhodes College in Memphis, TN for the 2017 season. The Lynx went 8-5-3 on the year, finishing third in the Southern Athletic Association and playing in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.
           
Paul's previous coaching experiences have all prepared her for this next step of her career. She describes her future teams as follows: "We will be a hard-working and fit team, ready to compete every day, and I believe that we will have a very family-oriented team culture in place." When asked what she considers her chief assets as a coach, she replies, "I will have high expectations and bring a high intensity, just like when I was a student-athlete. But I also see myself as an encourager who can lift up my players and inspire them to do great things on and off the field."
           
Paul earned her B.S. in sports and recreation management with a minor in coaching from Marian University in 2014. She earned her master's in business administration from Capital University in 2016.

Ian Taylor

Assistant Coach (Goalkeepers)

itaylor@lakeforest.edu

Lake Forest

Division 3

Ian Taylor returns to his alma mater in 2022 for a second stint as goalkeeper coach for the Forester women's soccer team. He previously served in that capacity for three years beginning in 2018. He has also coached at the high school level at Vernon Hills High School (3 seasons) and now Libertyville High School in the spring of 2023. 

Six Forester goalkeepers combined to shut out 16 of 42 opponents during Taylor's first three seasons on staff and they surrendered a total of just 16 goals in 18 Midwest Conference games during that span. The group was led by Maggie Kersting, who was named Second Team All-MWC in 2019. Kersting went on to become the 2022 MWC Defensive Player of the Year and be First-Team All-Conference. 

Taylor graduated from Lake Forest College in 2015 and was a four-year letter winner on the Forester men's soccer team. He helped lead the squad to a pair of conference titles and the 2013 Foresters made the program's first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 1980. Taylor posted an 18-12-3 record with seven shutouts and a 0.97 goals against average in his career and finished his four years ranked tied-for-fifth in recorded team history in shutouts, seventh in victories, and eighth in saves. He was a three-time MWC Defensive Performer of the Week and was named Lake Forest's Most Valuable Player as a senior.

Successful in the classroom as well, Taylor was a four-time Academic All-MWC honoree. He graduated with degrees in secondary education and mathematics and is now a high school math teacher at Libertyville High School.

"Playing, coaching, and living soccer is a huge part of my life and I love passing along my knowledge and love of the game to all players, no matter the position or level of experience. I'm so excited to be a part of the EXACT coaching staff again this summer!"

Shannon Sitch

Head Coach

ssitch@aurora.edu

Aurora

Division 3

Shannon Sitch became the fifth Head Coach of the Aurora University women's soccer program in January of 2018. She comes to AU after six seasons as an assistant coach at Carnegie Mellon University.

In her six seasons as an assistant at CMU, the Tartans amassed an 82-19-12 overall record with six NCAA Tournament appearances and advanced to three Sweet 16s and one Elite 8. She helped guide CMU to two UAA conference championships, including the program's first.
 
Prior to her time at Carnegie Mellon, she spent the 2010 season as an assistant coach at the University of Montevallo and a season as the womens assistant at Lenoir-Rhyne University, where she helped guide the Bears to a #8 national ranking and a 19-2-2 overall record. That same year, Lenoir-Rhyne won the South Atlantic Championship, as Sitch helped coach two All-Americans, the conference player of the year and freshman of the year.

Sitch  is a 2009 graduate of the University of Tampa with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications and a minor in graphic design. She earned her masters degree from Lenoir-Rhyne University in May of 2011 in business administration.

As a player, Sitch spent three seasons at the University of Tampa, where she won a Division II National Championship in 2007. At Tampa, she was part of a team that compiled a record of 52-7-6 in three seasons and appeared in 41 games. She finished her collegiate eligibility at Lenoir-Rhyne, where she was the teams third-leading scorer with six goals and seven assists.
 

Rolf Zersen

Head Coach

zersen@msoe.edu

Milwaukee School of Engineering

Division 3

Raider Review
Seasons at MSOE: 17 (2004-present)Record at MSOE: 167-145-15 (.511)Overall collegiate head coach record: 167-145-15 (.511)Conference record at MSOE: 104-50-6 (.650)Conference tournament appearances: 13 (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) NACC regular season championships: 2 (2016, 2017)NACC tournament championships: 2 (2016, 2017)NCAA tournament appearances: 2 (2016, 2017) Served as assistant men's soccer coach at MSOE from 1999-2002
Coaching Awards and Accomplishments
Three-Time NACC Coach of the Year (2007, 2016, 2017)
MSOE Program Accomplishments and Student-Athlete Accolades
Coached Two NACC Offensive Players of the Year (2012, 2016)Coached One NACC Defensive Player of the Year (2016)Coached Two NACC Freshman of the Year (2014, 2017)
Coaching Experience Outside of MSOE
Club Soccer Coach at MSC from 2010-2014Club Soccer Coach at SC Wave from 2015-presentAssistant Men's Soccer Coach at Concordia Austin
Playing Career
Played at Concordia Wisconsin (1991-1995)Was a captian for the Falcons, earned all-conference honors, and won two conference championships. 
Education
Graduated from Concordia Wisconsin with a degree in Secondary Education and Social StudiesEarned an MBA from MSOENational Diplomat, United Soccer Coaches AssociationAdvanced National, United Soccer Coaches AssociationGrassroots Coaching License USYSAUSYS F License,USYS D License,USYS Goalkeeping Level 1

Luke Weaver

Assistant Coach

lweaver@carrollu.edu

Carroll (WI)

Division 3

BA Honours in Applied Sports Science and Coaching

UEFA B coaching license.

USC Advanced National license.

US Youth National license.

Director of Soccer Diploma.

FC Barcelona Innovation Hub - Certificate in Football (Soccer) Analyst.

Plus 20 additional licenses and awards.

Previous Roles:

Executive Director of the Kickers Soccer Club.

Summer Elite Camp ID Coach for Notre Dame Men's Soccer.

Plymouth Argyle FC First Team Match Analyst and Youth Coach (England).

Annie Gerdes

Head Coach

agerdes@knox.edu

Knox

Division 3

Annie Gerdes returned to Knox in the summer of 2023 to lead the Prairie Fire women's soccer program. She previously served as an assistant coach in the program from 2019-2022.

Gerdes joined the women's soccer staff in the summer of 2019 after her career as a goalkeeper for the Prairie Fire. Gerdes played on the '16, '17, and '18 MWC championship teams and assisted in leading the 2019 and 2021 teams to MWC Titles. 

In her time as an assistant coach, Gerdes helped coach the women's soccer team to their fourth and fifth straight Midwest Conference Regular Season Championships. She also coached goalkeepers for the men's team.

Gerdes was a member of the 2016 women's soccer team that was inducted into the Knox-Lombard Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022. That team kicked off a run of five dominant years by the program.

In 2022, Gerdes served as a Youth Camp Coach for the Chicago Red Stars and a Youth Head Coach for the Galaxy Soccer Club in Naperville.

During COVID, Gerdes stepped up as the Men's Goalkeeper Coach and was promoted officially by Coach O'Connor in May of 2020. Gerdes was also named Associate Sports Information Director in October 2020 after a year as the Assistant Sports Information Director. 

Gerdes was a three-year Prairie Fire athlete. She was a member of the 3-time MWC Championship team and made two appearances in the NCAA Championship tournament.

Bianca Keil

Head Coach

bkeil@morris.umn.edu

Minnesota-Morris

Division 2

Bianca Keil begins her head coaching tenure at Minnesota Morris starting with the 2020 season.

Keil brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Cougar staff from multiple different levels, including AZ Arsenal WPSL, NCAA DII and DIII, NJCAA, and high school soccer.
 
Keil served as assistant womens soccer at the University of Illinois Springfield from 2017 to 2019. She helped lead the NCAA DII program to a school record for victories in a season and their first-ever Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) tournament bid. She was responsible for bringing in 24 student-athletes over three recruiting cycles and coaching two GLVC Defensive Players of the Week. Keil coordinated academic resources for the program and saw players achieve a 3.66 cumulative GPA in 2018-19.
 
As mens and womens assistant soccer coach and intramurals director at Illinois College (Jacksonville, Ill.), Keil recruited more than 30 student-athletes from across the country to the NCAA DIII liberal arts college in two seasons from 2015 to 2017. Her first recruiting class brought in 21 new student-athletes and helped boost the womens program's competitiveness.  
 
"I am thrilled to be given the opportunity to lead the women's soccer program at Morris," Keil said. "Throughout the interview process, I was impressed with the young women on the team and all the people I talked to from the university. I am thankful to the search committee, Cougar athletics staff, and campus leaders for believing in my vision for the future of this program. My family and I are excited to join the Cougar community!"
 
A native of Gilbert, Ariz., Keil began her coaching career at Seton Catholic Preparatory High School in Chandler, Ariz. moving from assistant coach to head coach. Seton Prep saw great success in her five years as head coach and her tenure with the program as a whole, qualifying for eight state tournaments, reaching three state championship finals, and winning a state championship title. 
 
Keils collegiate coaching career began at Chandler-Gilbert Community College, where she assisted the men's and women's programs. She also served as youth and high school club soccer coach with the Arizona Arsenal and Barcelona of Maricopa. 
 
Keil played collegiate soccer for Scottsdale Community College, where she earned her associates degree. Keil went on to earn bachelor of science degrees from the Pima Medical Institute in Respiratory Therapy and Arizona State University in exercise and wellness. She completed her Master of Sports Administration from Missouri Baptist University in the summer of 2020.
 
Keil holds licensure and membership with the United States Soccer Federation and United Soccer Coaches. Over the last six years, she has led and been part of the coaching staff for summer camp programs for Exact Sports (in St. Louis and Chicago), the University of Illinois-Springfield, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Monmouth College, and Texas A&M.

Keil resides in Morris with her husband, Alex, and daughter, Victoria.

Esteban Martinez

Assistant Coach, Recruiting Coordinator

wsoccer@roanoke.edu

Roanoke

Division 3

Esteban Martinez is entering his 18th season as an assistant coach with the Maroons. He is responsible for recruiting, practice planning, scouting and other administrative duties. In the summer of 2019, he traveled with the team to Costa Rica. It was the fifth time he had assisted head coach Phil Benne on the preseason trip. In the past 17 seasons, Martinez has help coach the Maroons to a 185-104-31 record. Two NCAA tournament appearances and 1 ODAC Final. 

He is no stranger to soccer in the college scene in Virginia, as he has been around soccer in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference for the last 18 years. For three years prior to joining the Roanoke staff, Martinez was the head coach at nearby Hollins University.

Martinez served as the head coach of the Cave Spring High School varsity girls soccer team until 2009. He was voted district coach of the year in 2005, after leading the Knights to the Class AA State Semifinals. In 2007, he was voted Region III Coach of the Year after a school-record 19 wins, claiming the Region III Championship and advanced to the State Semifinals. In 2008, he was selected by the Virginia High School League Coaches Association to coach the Senior game for the West Squad in Hampton VA. He finished his six-year tenure as the Knights head coach with an impressive 95-33-5 mark.

Martinez, who holds his NSCAA Advanced National and National Diplomas, has also served as a girls basketball and softball coach at the high school level. In addition to his NSCAA diploma, Martinez holds and NSCAA Regional Goalkeeper Diploma and a USSF-D license.

Originally from Ellenville, New York where he attended Ellenville High School, Martinez is a graduate of Bridgewater College, where he was a member of the mens soccer team for three years. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish with a minor in Special Education.
 
Dedicating more time to the game, Martinez has spent over 15 years working elite soccer camps at Virginia Tech, Penn State, Radford University and most recently Exact Sports Camps. He has also coached at the youth level for local clubs including Roanoke Star, Valley AFC & New River United in VA.

Matt Dunn

Assistant Women's Soccer Coach

mpdunn@mail.fhsu.edu

Fort Hays State

Division 2

Assistant Women's Soccer Coach at Fort Hays State University, a DII institute from Hays, KS who compete in the MIAA Conference.

Roshane Ellison

Head Coach

relliso1@iit.edu

Illinois Tech

NAIA

Roshane Ellison will embark on his tenth year as Illinois Institute of Technology head women's soccer coach in 2024. (103-52-14, seven seasons)

Ellison's debut season as head coach in 2015 resulted in the women's soccer program's first USCAA National Championship appearance, where they held opponents to just 0.96 goals allowed per game. The Scarlet Hawks have accumulated four USCAA All-Americans, 18 All-Association of Division III Independents selections, one Association of Division III Independents Co-Defensive Player of the Year, one Association of Division III Independents Co-Goalkeeper of the Year, and one Association of Division III Independents Rookie of the Year throughout Ellison's tenure as head coach. Since 2018, Ellison has produced 12 All-NACC selections, 61 NACC Scholar Athletes, one NACC Freshman of the Year and two United Soccer Coaches All-Central Region honorees. The Scarlet Hawks reached the 2018 NACC Tournament Championship Game, which marked their first season in the conference. 

Ellison previously served as an assistant coach with the Illinois Tech women's soccer program for one season in 2014 after a two-season stint as graduate assistant men's and women's soccer coach at NCAA Division II East Stroudsburg University in 2011 and 2012. While a GA with the ESU soccer programs, Ellison also held coaching stints with the Keystone Athletic and FC Pocono academies. He also boasts playing experience with the Pocono Snow FC and FC Sonic of Lehigh Valley in the National Premier Soccer League. 

Ellison was a four-year member of the East Stroudsburg men's soccer program from 2005-2008; and concluded his career as a four-year starter, three-time All-PSAC selection, two-time PSAC Champion, and five-time PSAC Player of the Week. The 2008 season resulted in being named NSCAA Atlantic Region Player of the Year, and a spot on the NSCAA All-America Third Team. 

Ellison received his bachelors degree in hotel and business management from East Stroudsburg University in 2010. He went on to earn a masters degree in management and leadership, also from East Stroudsburg, in 2012. He is a United Soccer Coaches member who holds certification and special diplomas in technical development of competitive players, building team cultures, attacking transitions and counter attack, speed of play, goalkeeping level one, and 4v4/small-sided games.

Diego Garcia

Head Coach

garcid57@matc.edu

Milwaukee Area Tech

Junior College

A former player and standout for the Judson University Mens soccer team, Diego Garcia enters his firm year at the helm of the Mens and Womens soccer program at Milwaukee Tech. 


In 2020 Coach Diego was in charge of Womens goalkeepers at Division 1 Chicago State. Where he helped lead Goalkeeper Stella Chiardia to being #3 in the nation with saves. 

Daniel Gribben

Assistant Coach

gribbendaniel@sau.edu

Saint Ambrose

NAIA

My name is Daniel Gribben, I am the assistant coach at St Ambrose University, Iowa. I am from Glasgow, Scotland, and have now spent the last five years in the US. I played my freshman year at St Andrews University, North Carolina before transferring to the University of Houston Victoria, Texas.

Shaun Soderling

coachsoderling@ku.edu

Brescia

Division 1

Shaun Soderling joined the Kansas soccer staff in January 2024.

Soderling most recently served as the head coach of the womens soccer program at NAIA Brescia University in Owensboro, Kentucky from 2020-23. Prior to Brescia, Soderling worked at Division II Alderson Broaddus University as the recruiting coordinator for the mens team and a scout for the womens team from 2014-20.

In addition to coaching, Soderling was the director of operations for the mens soccer team at Evansville from Jan. 2013 to July 2014. He operated the teams networking efforts, coordinated community service opportunities for elementary schools in the area, and assisted in the daily operation of team activities.

Before becoming a coach at the collegiate level, Soderling worked at three high schools, including Vincennes Lincoln High School (Ind.), Henderson County High School (Ky.) and North Knox High School (Ind.). In addition to coaching at the collegiate and high school levels, Soderling has 20 years of coaching at the club level that dates back to 2003. He most recently coached with Racing Louisville's Youth Academy.

Erin Scott

Assistant Coach

erin.scott@marquette.edu

Marquette

Division 1

Former NCAA Division I goalkeeper Erin Scott was officially named an assistant coach with the Marquette University women's soccer program on Feb. 18, 2020.

I want to thank Frank Pelaez for believing in me and I cannot wait to assist him each day in pushing the women's soccer program towards success, Scott said. The Marquette community was overwhelmingly welcoming from the moment I stepped foot on campus, and I am thrilled about the opportunity to represent Marquette, a university built on such strong faith and tradition. The passion is so evident within the entire athletic community at Marquette and I am extremely thankful for this opportunity to be a part of something so special. I look forward to using my knowledge and passion for soccer to give back and help players reach their fullest potential both on and off the field.

Scott joined the Valparaiso University women's soccer program as a graduate assistant coach in the summer of 2019, following a four-year career as a Division I goalkeeper. She spent her final two years at Campbell, where she started all 38 games. A two-time Big South Defensive Player of the Week, Scott posted a 1.02 GAA as a junior in 2017, the fourth-best single season mark in program history. She ranks second in Campbell career history in shutouts (nine), fifth in GAA (1.23) and seventh in saves (157).

Prior to her time at Campbell, Scott played two seasons at Creighton. She made 24 starts over her two years with the Bluejays, including 20 starts as a freshman in 2015. Scott stopped 108 shots as a rookie for Creighton, second-most in a single season in program history.

Scott spent the 2019 spring semester as a student assistant for the Campbell womens soccer program. She has served as a coach at Camp Shutout, a camp devoted to training high-level youth goalkeepers, for the past four years and assisted with Campbell soccer camps during her time with the Camels.

Scott graduated from Campbell University with bachelor's degrees in broadcast/electronic media and sports communication in May 2019. She is currently pursuing her master's degree in sports media at Valpo.

Angela Staveskie

Assistant Coach

astaveskie@luc.edu

Loyola-Chicago (IL)

Division 1

Angela Staveskie is set to begin her first season with the Loyola University Chicago women's soccer program in 2021.  Staveskie, who spent two years as a volunteer assistant coach at Northwestern prior to her arrival in Rogers Park, will serve as an assistant coach and work with the team's goalkeepers.

We are very excited about Angela joining our coaching staff, Loyola head women's soccer coach Barry Bimbi said.  Her personality, passion, and excitement to be a Rambler is what separated her from other candidates.  We look forward to seeing her work with our goalkeepers, connect with our current players and alumni, and being a great ambassador of Loyola womens soccer in the community.
 
During her first season with the Wildcats, Staveskie oversaw in the development of Big Ten All-Freshman Team honoree Mackenzie Wood, who racked up a league-high eight shutouts and closed the year with a sparkling 0.63 goals against average for a Northwestern team that qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
 
Prior to her time in Evanston, Ill., Staveskie served as an assistant coach at Northern Illinois, helping guide the team to a pair of appearances in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Tournament.  Before assuming a full-time role at Northern Illinois, Staveskie spent two seasons as a volunteer assistant coach with the Huskies.  During that time, goalkeeper Amy Annala was tabbed a MAC All-Freshman Team selection.
 
Staveskie, who has also coached on the club level with Chicago FC United and Chicago City SC, played collegiately at Toledo, earning the captains armband during her time with the Rockets.  She was on a pair of teams that captured MAC Tournament crowns en route to appearing in the NCAA Tournament.
 
A native of suburban Park Ridge, Ill., Staveskie earned a bachelors degree in marketing and communications from Toledo in 2011 before receiving a masters degree in sport management from Northern Illinois in 2015.  She holds a National C License from the United States Soccer Federation.  Staveskie and her husband, Mike, have two sons, Rocco and Victor.
 


The opportunity to be an assistant coach for the Loyola womens soccer team is a dream come true, Staveskie commented.  This is a special program and Loyola is a special place.  Id like to thank Coach Bimbi and (Assistant) Coach (Chris) Brown for their faith in me and for the opportunity to work with this stellar group of strong young women.  I am excited and grateful to represent the Maroon & Gold.  Go Ramblers!

Eric Natwick

Volunteer Assistant Coach

eric.natwick4@gmail.com

Wisconsin-Parkside

Division 2

Eric Natwick grew up playing soccer in northeastern Wisconsin, and then played four years at St. Norbert College (De Pere, WI) earning an all-conference award.

Post playing career, Eric has coached a variety of age levels across the different levels of play, from 3-4 year olds playing for the first time, to high school girls at the MRL level (De Pere Select).  

Recently, Eric was named the Coaching Director for AC Toros of Milwaukee Kickers.  He is also in his fourth year as an Assistant Coach with the University of Wisconsin-Parkside Women's Soccer Team (Kenosha, WI).

Jesse Urquhart

Head Coach

jurquhart@saintmarys.edu

Saint Mary's (IN)

Division 3

Jesse Urquhart enters his fifth year as the head coach of the Saint Mary's soccer program in the fall of 2020.  Coach Urquhart also coaches club soccer with Jr. Irish Soccer club having won state titles with his 02 & 03 girls teams in spring of 2019.  

Urquhart came to Saint Mary's with coaching experience at the club, men's collegiate, and women's collegiate levels. After finishing his collegiate playing career, Urquhart first began coaching at Neumann University in Pennsylvania as an assistant men's coach for the Knights. During that time, Urquhart gained additional experience while also coaching at Camden County College in New Jersey as well as at the New Jersey Rush and Highland Youth Soccer Club. Two of the New Jersey Rush girls club teams he worked with were state champions in the 2014 season.

In the fall of 2014, he started a two-year stint as the graduate assistant women's soccer coach at Defiance College in Ohio.  While at Defiance, Urquhart coached U15 boys, U16 boys, and U18 girls at Valentis Athletica Soccer Club out of Bowling Green, Ohio.

As a collegiate athlete, Urquhart competed at Camden County College and Neumann University. In his final two years of eligibility at Neumann, he set school records in goals in a season, points in a season, game-winning goals in a season, and assists in a season.

Urquhart earned a bachelors degree in sports management from Neumann University in 2009 and just recently completed a masters degree in education with a concentration in sports coaching from Defiance College. He holds both a United States Soccer Federation National C license and a National Soccer Coaches Association of America Goalkeeper Level 1 diploma.

Lauren Zallis

Assistant Coach

lzallis@roosevelt.edu

Roosevelt

NAIA

Lauren is entering her 2nd year as Roosevelt University's assistant soccer coach in the fall of 2021. In her first year, Robert Morris University and Roosevelt University merged to combine a single team; during this season, the Lakers qualified for the CCAC Conference Tournament, marking just their second appearance in the postseason in the history of the program. The season came to an end in the CCAC Conference Tournament quarter-finals.

Prior to coaching at Roosevelt, she spent three years as an assistant coach and sports psychology consultant with the women's soccer program at Dominican University, an NCAA Division III school in River Forest, Ill.  During those three seasons, the Stars amassed an impressive 52-7-4 record, won two Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference regular season (2018 & 2019) and tournament (2017 & 2018) championships, and advanced to two NCAA Division III Tournaments (2017 & 2018)

Katelyn Longino

Assistant Coach

katelyn-longino@uiowa.edu

Iowa

Division 1

Katelyn Longino is entering her fourth season as an assistant coach with the University of Iowa soccer program.  She joined the Hawkeyes in 2018 following coaching stints at Valparaiso, Xavier, and Columbus State.

In three seasons, Longino has helped the program to 30 victories, two NCAA Tournament appearances and the first Big Ten title in school history.

During the 2020 season, Longino helped the team to its second straight NCAA Tournament berth.  After starting the season slowly, the Hawkeyes were playing their best soccer when matter most in the postseason.

With an expanded Big Ten postseason schedule due to league-only scheduling because of COVID, the Hawkeyes posted wins over second-seeded Illinois and third-seeded Minnesota in the Big Ten Regional weekend.  The team followed with a road win at top-seeded Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals before downing third-seeded Wisconsin to claim the programs first-ever Big Ten title.

The win in Happy Valley was the first for the program in school history and the fourth-ranked Nittany Lions were the highest ranked opponent Iowa defeated all-time.  Two freshmen forward Meike Ingles and goalkeeper Macy Enneking were named the Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Offensive and Defensive Players, respectively.  Ingles scored three-game winners in the tournament, while Enneking posted two shutouts and made 14 saves.

As a result, the Hawkeyes earned their second straight NCAA Tournament berth, and they continued to make history.  Shipped to North Carolina, Iowa tallied a 1-0 victory over Campbell on the Camels home turf to notch the first NCAA Tournament win in the record books.  Iowa had third-seeded UCLA on the ropes in the Round of 32 before surrendering two goals late in a 2-1 defeat.

Iowa finished the season with a 7-9-1 record, but all seven of the victories came in the teams final 10 games.  Enneking was a unanimous Big Ten All-Freshman team honoree. Academically, Iowa matched a school record with 19 Academic All-Big Ten selections, eight Hawkeyes were Big Ten Distinguished Scholars, the program had 31 Deans List honorees (in fall and spring semesters), and the program earned the United Soccer Team Academic Award, posting a 3.49 team grade point average.

During the 2019 season, Longino helped guide Iowa to one of the best seasons in program history.  The Hawkeyes opened the season with nine straight wins en route to a No. 17 national ranking, the highest in program history.  Iowa tied a school record, winning 15 games, including seven in Big Ten play, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history.

The Hawkeyes tied a school record with three All-Big Ten selections and senior Natalie Winters became the first player in program history to earn postseason recognition in all four seasons.  Winters was also an all-region honoree for the second straight season.

Iowa was one of the Big Tens most potent offenses, ranking second in the league and 26th nationally.  The Hawkeyes had an NCAA-best 16 different goal scorers in 2019.  Defensively, Iowa posted eight shutouts and limited opponents to seven or fewer shots in 13 games.

The Hawkeyes shined academically as Iowa was the only school in the country to have two first-team Academic All-Americans.  Iowa also had three United Soccer Academic All-Region and a school-record 19 Academic All-Big Ten selections.

During her first season in Iowa City, Longino helped the Hawkeyes to an 8-7-3 overall record and a 4-5-2 mark in Big Ten play.  Iowa was in Big Ten Tournament contention until the final game, but fell short after battling Northwestern to a 1-1 draw.  Junior Natalie Winters was a third-team all-region and third-team All-Big Ten selection Iowas first all-region honoree since 2014.

In the classroom, Iowa earned the United Soccer Team Academic Award for a 12th straight season and the Hawkeyes had two Google Cloud Academic All-Americans the first two in program history.  Kaleigh Haus was a first-team selection; Hannah Drkulec earned second-team honors.  Iowa also had 10 players earn Academic All-Big Ten honors, 25 players with a 3.0 GPA or better, 14 Deans List, and four Presidents List honorees during the spring semester.

Longino spent the 2017 season with the Crusaders in their first season in the Missouri Valley Conference.  Valpo won nine games and finished 3-4 in MVC play.  She spent the 2016 season at Xavier, helping the Muskateers to seven wins.

Longino played as a freshman at Columbus State, helping the team to 18 wins and a berth in the NCAA Division II Sweet 16.  From there, she transitioned into coaching, serving as a student assistant for two seasons, helping guide CSU to a 21-1-1 record and an Elite Eight appearance in 2014.

In her final year at Columbus State, Longino served as an intern in the athletics department, working directly with womens soccer as the team won 22 matches and reached the national championship match.

Longino, who holds a USSF C coaching license, has held coaching positions with the Ohio Elite Soccer Association, CFC Red Star, and Columbus Youth Soccer. She graduated from Columbus State in 2016 with a bachelors degree in exercise science and she received her masters degree in coaching education and athlete development from Xavier in 2018.

Molly Poletto

Assistant Coach

mkp6k4@missouri.edu

Missouri

Division 1

Mizzou Soccer head coach Bryan Blitz filled a vacancy on his staff, adding Molly Poletto as an assistant coach. Poletto brings a combined eight years of experience, both as a player and coach, to the Tigers in 2019.

"I am thrilled to be joining the Mizzou Soccer family, and I am very excited to continue to build on the rich tradition already in place here," Poletto said. "I am grateful for the knowledge and skills I gained at Boston University working with Nancy Feldman, and I look forward to making an immediate impact on this team and its goals of winning and building character."

"We are so excited to welcome a coach of Molly's caliber," Blitz said. "She brings a lot to the table for our program, most notably her work ethic, her ambition and the wonderful example she will set for all our student athletes."

Poletto helped BU return to the top of the Patriot League this past season, as the Terriers claimed their fourth Patriot League title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 14th time in program history. BU finished with an 11-7-4 record, including an unbeaten mark in Patriot League play at 7-0-2. Poletto was instrumental in guiding the goalkeeping unit to a combined 11 shutouts in 2018.

In Poletto's first season in 2017, she helped guide her goalkeepers to a then-record 10 shutouts as the Terriers finished with a 10-8-3 record and reached the Patriot League tournament semifinals. Under Poletto's tutelage, BU surrendered just 0.86 goals per game and the goalkeepers combined for a .798 save percentage.

"Molly is a great young professional," Boston University Women's Soccer head coach Nancy Feldman said.  "She is enthusiastic and passionate about coaching and had a positive effect on not only the goalkeepers, but on the entire squad. We loved having her here at Boston University during her two years working with us."

The Englewood, Colo., native worked primarily with the Utes' goalkeepers unit in 2016 as a volunteer assistant coach after spending the previous three years as an undergraduate assistant coach. Following her promotion, the goalkeeping crew improved its goals against average from the 2015 season's 1.21 to a miniscule 0.65, while boasting a .860 save percentage after finishing the previous year at .784. The Utes also totaled 10 clean sheets that season.

"Molly is a fantastic coach and person," Utah Women's Soccer head coach Rich Manning said. "She was presented with a tough challenge when her playing career was cut short due to injury during her freshman year of college, but she has responded by dedicating herself to becoming a great coach. She made our goalkeepers better and contributed to the success of the entire team with her ability to be detail oriented and bring a winning spirit to work every day. She will be a great addition to Missouri's program."

Poletto originally joined Utah as a student-athlete in the fall of 2011 but saw her collegiate career cut short by injury, leading her to focus on coaching. Besides assisting the Utes, she has also served as the Director of Goalkeeping and an age group head coach for the Utah Avalanche club team, while also working with the state's ODP program.

As a high school goalkeeper, Poletto was named Most Outstanding Player three straight years (2008-10) at Cherry Creek High School in Colorado. She helped lead CCHS to the 2011 Region championship, while also participating in the U.S. Women's National Team Youth program.

She holds a USSF "B" license and serves as an instructor for the USSF "E" licenses.  After graduating cum laude from the University of Utah in 2015 with a degree in communications and a minor in psychology, she completed her Master's degree in sports psychology in the spring of 2017.

Steve Shelton

Head Coach

sheltosf@udmercy.edu

Detroit-Mercy

Division 1

The University of Detroit Mercy women's soccer team tabbed Steve Shelton as its new head women's soccer coach in the summer of 2019. 

Shelton -- a native of Grosse Ile, Michigan -- comes to the Titans after serving as an assistant coach at Ball State and head coach at Concordia (MI), while also working with the Royal Oak Football Club, the Michigan Rush and Grosse Ile High School. 

"Steve is a young, energetic and local product who has already experienced a tremendous amount of success in his career," said Director of Athletics Robert C. Vowels, Jr.  "His passion for coaching and mentoring student-athletes was evident from the start, and I believe he will be a great leader for the women's soccer program."

"I would like to start by thanking Robert Vowels, Holly Kerstner, Teri Kromrei and the rest of the search committee for giving me the opportunity to lead this great program," said Shelton. "Coaching at this level has always been a dream of mine and being able to do it so close to home is truly special. I couldn't be more excited to join the Titan family and continue to build on the tradition and success of this program. Although there are too many to name, I would like to thank everyone who helped me get to this point and believed in me throughout my coaching journey. I am truly grateful for your guidance and support."

Shelton was the top assistant and recruiting coordinator at Ball State the last three seasons, helping the Cardinals to the 2016 MAC regular-season championship, two MAC West Division titles and a run to the MAC title game in 2018. 

In his three years, Ball State was 39-13-9, including 25-4-4 in conference play. In his first year, the Cardinals reached an all-time high of No. 40 in the NCAA RPI and compiled a school-record 10-game unbeaten streak and tallied a win at ACC opponent Louisville, the first victory for Ball State over a Power 5 opponent in a decade. 

Ball State also recorded a 25-game home unbeaten streak in his tenure, which was the longest in the country at the time, and won a school-record nine games in a row during the 2018 season.

Before that, Shelton was the head coach at Concordia University in Ann Arbor and completely turned around the program, helping those Cardinals post their first winning season since the late 1990s. Concordia went from one win in his first season in 2011 to 9-9-1 in his third year and back-to-back 10-win campaigns in 2014 and 2015. The team skyrocketed up the NAIA rankings from No. 178 in 2011 to No. 27 in 2015. He also coached Concordia's first All-American in Julia Palushaj, who twice led the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference in scoring, and his team was full of student-athletes, managing a team GPA better than 3.5 every year.

He began his coaching career at Grosse Ile High School, where he was a standout prep player, coaching the junior varsity team from 2007-2009 before taking over as the varsity head coach from 2009-2011. He was the 2010 Huron League Coach of the Year and his program captured two district championships and a conference title. His 2010 team was a regional finalist and second in the state and his squad was the first ever to go 14-0 in the Huron League. 

He was the Director of Coaching and Player Development at the Royal Oak Football Club after leaving Ball State. Shelton was also the Director of Coaching at the Delaware County Futbol Club in Muncie while he was at Ball State and coached with the Michigan Rush Soccer Club when he was at Concordia. 

As a player, Shelton was an All-State selection and set the Grosse Ile records for assists in a season (27), assists in a career (52) and goals in a game (5). He helped his high school team to a state championship in 2002 and a ranking of No. 13 nationally in 2003.

He went on to play collegiately at Kalamazoo College and graduated from Western Michigan in 2008 with a degree in public policy.

Chris Allen

Assistant Coach, Recruiting Coordinator

allenwc@slu.edu

Saint Louis U.

Division 1

Chris Allen, who served as a volunteer assistant with the Billikens in 2016, is in his first season as a full-time assistant coach.
 

I am thrilled to have Chris join our staff as a full-time assistant coach, head coach Katie Shields said. Weve already had the privilege of working with him for a year, so we know his exceptional qualities on and off the field. His positivity and passion for Saint Louis University, our program and our student-athletes made him the obvious choice for this position.

 

Since his arrival at SLU, Chris has been relentless in finding ways to improve and grow every facet of our program, Shields said. I look forward to having him on board full time as we continue to educate our student-athletes, compete for and win championships on the field, and grow our presence in the community.

 

I feel incredibly blessed and am so grateful to be given this opportunity, Allen said. After spending last year as a volunteer assistant, I have grown to appreciate just how special SLU and the Billiken women's soccer program are. To be able to join the Billiken family in a full-time capacity is a dream come true.

 

Prior to his one-year stint as a SLU volunteer assistant, Allen spent nine seasons as girls soccer head coach at Webster Groves High School.

 

Allen transformed Webster Groves into a perennial power in Missouri. During his tenure, the Statesmen achieved a No. 4 national ranking and finished third in the Class 3 state tournament in 2015; enjoyed six 20-win seasons; won numerous conference and tournament titles; and produced more than 30 players who went on to compete at the collegiate level. Allen tallied a 164-71-5 record at the helm.

 

Allen was tabbed Missouri Class 3 Regional Coach of the Year the past two seasons and was selected to coach in the 2015 Missouri Athletic Club High School Soccer All-Star Game. He garnered five conference Coach of the Year awards.

 

Allen spent two seasons as boys head coach at Gonzaga Prep and one season as girls head coach at Mead High School, both located in Spokane, Washington. He served as an assistant coach of boys teams at Webster Groves (six seasons), Rockwood Summit (two seasons) and Gonzaga Prep (two seasons). Allen was a girls assistant coach at Webster Groves (one season) and Gonzaga Prep (two seasons).

 
Also the technical director of Four Rivers Futbol Club in Union, Missouri, Allen was a three-year starter at Kirkwood High School before playing one season at Calvin College, where he earned second-team All-Conference plaudits. He transferred to Truman State and graduated with a bachelors degree in exercise science/sports management in 2002.

Kirk Nelson

Head Coach

kirknelson@missouristate.edu

Missouri State

Division 1

·         Current Missouri State University Associate Head Women's Soccer Coach.

·         Current U.S. Soccer Youth National Team Scout.

·         Current U.S. Soccer National Coaching Education Instructor.

·         Current Midwest ODP Region Girls Head Coach.

.         Current National ODP Team Girls Assistant Coach.

·         Former University of Nevada Associate Head Women's Soccer Coach.

·         USSF 'A' National License.

·         USC Premier Diploma.

·         USSF Instructor License.

Eddie Garza

Head Coach

eduardo.garza@cuchicago.edu

Concordia (IL)

Division 3

Eddie Garza was named the head coach of the Concordia University Chicago women's soccer team in January of 2022.

Garza comes to Concordia University Chicago after spending the last five seasons on the Northern Illinois University womens soccer staff. In 2021 he served as the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator for the Huskies.  

During his time at NIU, Garza introduced a possession-based style of soccer. Garza coached over 50 Academic All-MAC honorees while with the Huskies. Garza coached a number of All-Conference players during his tenure at Northern Illinois. One of the biggest highlights while at NIU was helping to guide the Huskies to an overtime victory over Marquette in 2019 which was NIUs first win over a Big East school in 14 years.

Garza returned to the college ranks at NIU after guiding the Ashford University womens soccer program to a highly successful campaign in 2015. He led Ashford to a 14-5-1 record and an Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) Tournament Championship, which earned Ashford a spot in the NAIA National Tournament. 

During his tenure at Ashford, Garza coached five all-conference honorees along with the A.I.I. Player of the Year (2015), A.I.I. Goalkeeper of the year (2015) and A.I.I. Defender of the year (2015). In addition, Ashford had three United Soccer Coaches Midwest All-Region honorees and a NAIA honorable mentioned All-American (Alicia Tamburro, 2015).  Garza was named the 2015 Association of Independent Institutions Coach of the Year. 

Prior to taking over the womens program at Ashford, Garza was an assistant coach for the mens team at Ashford from 2010 through 2015. During his time with the mens program, Garza helped guide Ashford to four NAIA national tournament appearances, which included three Round of 16 appearances and a semifinalist finish in 2013. 

Before arriving at NIU, Garza had been the Youth Academy Director for the Rockford Raptors Soccer Club, a position he began in early 2016.

Garza has been an active staff coach with Illinois ODP since 2015 and currently holds a National B License from the United States Soccer Federation.

Garza earned his bachelor's degree in sports and recreation management in 2010 and his master's degree in organizational management in 2012 from Ashford University.

Esmeralda Torres

Graduate Assistant

etorresbarragan01@aurora.edu

Aurora

Division 3

Coach Esme Torres is from Eureka, California, but moved to the Midwest in 2017 to play collegiately for [Concordia University Chicago](https://www.cucougars.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/esmeralda-torres/6399)( CUC).  She most recently graduated in May 2021 with a degree in Business Management. When not playing herself, Torres is working hard to prepare the next generation of young female soccer players as a Varsity Assistant Coach for St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago, Illinois, and the Assistant Girls Director for [Chicago KICS FC](https://kicsfc.com/dream-team/esme-torres/). Torres started her coaching career while still in high school, serving as the assistant coach for the Humboldt Soccer Academy U10 & U14 Boys teams before moving on to AC SAMOA, where she worked with their U10-U16 girl's teams.

Ian Doherty

Head Coach

idoherty@millikin.edu

Millikin

Division 3

Head Women's Soccer Coach - Millikin University

Former Head Women's Soccer Coach - Wesleyan College (Macon, GA)

Former Assistant Women's Soccer Coach - Wittenberg University (Springfield, OH)

Former Assistant Men's Soccer Coach - Otterbein University (Westerville, OH)

Jennifer Myhre

Head Coach

jcmyhre@anderson.edu

Anderson (IN)

Division 3

Jennifer Myhre completed her seventh season as the Ravens women's soccer coach in 2017.

Over the past years, Myhre has grown the team and their impact on and off the field. In 2017 the team made the conference tournament for the first time in 15 years, set the record for the fewest goals against and had the best record since 2010. In recognition, Myhre was name the HCAC Coach of the Year.

Off the field, she has fostered a close-knit family, where the team serves one another and strives to be champions in all areas of life. The team has consistently received the NSCAA Team Academic Award, with numerous players on the HCAC All-Academic Team.  

Previously, Myhre spent two years as the assistant womens soccer coach at Carnegie Mellon University. She also served at Luther College as an assistant womens soccer coach and special assistant to the athletic director through the NCAA Division III Ethnic Minority and Womens Internship Grant program. Outside the college game, Myhre was an assistant coach at Northern York (PA) High School, involved with PA West ODP, Hoosier FC and Region 1 ODP Camp.

Myhre graduated from Messiah College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sports and exercise science, as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting. She then received her masters degree in Education through the Intercollegiate Athletic Leadership program at the University of Washington.

During her four years playing at Messiah, the Falcons captured the NCAA Division III National Championship in 2005, were semifinalists in 2004 and 2006 and tournament finalists in 2007.

As a student-athlete, Myhre was elected president of the Messiah Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) as well as the Middle Atlantic States Collegiate Athletic Corporation.

Myhre has obtained the NSCAA Premier Diploma and has a USSF C coaching license. She is a graduate of the NCAA Women's Coaches Academy, NACWAA HERS program and was selected as one of the 2015 recipients of the NSCAA 30-Under-30 program.

Myhre currently serves as an Assistant Athletic Director/Senior Woman Administrator. She oversees the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and is the advisor for Andersons Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Kevin Talbot

Head Coach

ktalbot@clcillinois.edu

Lake County

Junior College

2020-21 is Coach Talbot's 3rd year as the Head Women's Coach at the College of Lake County. In 2019, the Lady Lancers were the Illinois Skyway Conference champions and they were the Region IV tournament champions.  In 2018, Talbot's first with the program, the Lancers made the quarterfinals of the Region IV tournament. 

Coach Talbot is also a club coach with Illinois Premier Arlington Aces SC. He has worked there are the Girls Director of Coaching from 2017-present. He has coached with the Illinois Olympic Development Program from 2013-present. He worked as a coach and Assistant Director of Coaching with Heat United SC from 2006-2017 and as the Head Varsity Boys and Girls Coach at Elgin Academy High School from 2014-2017.

Coach Talbot graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1993 with a BS in Journalism. He also earned his JD from William Mitchell College of Law in 1997. 

Currently holds a USSF B license, a U.S. Soccer Grassroots Instructor License, and a United Soccer Coaches National Diploma.


Email at ktalbot@clcillinois.edu