That's an odd one. Left a decent mid major D1 job to go to a community college position. https://www.goreivers.com/sports/wsoc/2024-25/releases/20250429lhboaa
Family decision. Plus the budget he had to work with at Northern Iowa is shocking. Congrats to Bruce heck of a tenure at UNI.
I don't think any move out of the ridiculousness that is Division 1 sports (with more ridiculousness on the way) should be surprising anymore. Good for him!
Will not be the last at all. The quality of life at IW versus UNI is pretty substantial. Not to mention he may have gotten a raise. Bruce also signed an extension thru 2027 after last year, so it’s a cautionary tale to recruits, that contract or not, your coach can leave or be fired regardless. No guarantees anymore.
Very interesting! The previous coach at IWCC, Adam Sanchez, left for a job at another CC - Trinity Valley CC. https://www.tvccsports.com/sports/wsoc/2024-25/releases/20250407atk3xs
Bit of a bizarre hire: https://jaxstatesports.com/news/2025/5/3/smith-named-jax-state-soccer-coach.aspx Second 20-something to be hired in CUSA in the last few weeks.
OPEN: Texas Southern (4/23) Northern Iowa (5/1) FILLED: Mississippi Valley State - Alexandra Roberts (HS coach; 8/25-8/?) Duke - Kieran Hall (Duke associate head; filled after Fall 2024 season retirement) San Francisco - Pinder Nijjar (interim; 9/17) Oregon State - Caroline Kelly (OSU interim; 11/13) Wisconsin Green Bay - Matt Kagan (Washington State assistant; 11/4-11/29) Oregon - Tracy Joyner (UC Davis head; 10/29-12/2) Kansas State - Colleen Corbin (SLU associate head; 10/28-12/2) Auburn - James Armstrong (Miss St head; retirement 11/26-12/3) Mississippi State - Nick Zimmerman (Miss St associate head; 12/3-12/3) Niagara - Donny George (St. Bonaventure head - 8/27-12/4) Weber State - Kyle Christensen (Utah Valley associate head; 11/5-12/6) IU Indianapolis - Angela Berry White (high school coach; 11/7-12/9) North Carolina - Damon Nahas (UNC interim; retirement 8/9-12/9) Illinois - Katie Hultin (Grand Valley State head; retirement 10/30-12/10) Maryland - Michael Marchiano (Maryland assistant/interim; 10/10-12/11) NC State - Gary Higgins (East Carolina head; 11/8-12/12) East Carolina - Emily Buccilla (East Carolina assistant; 12/12-12/17) Loyola Chicago - Jon Sandoval (Northern Michigan head; interim-12/20) Duquesne - Jessica Giegucz (Slippery Rock head; 11/15-12/20) Cal Poly - Bernardo Silva (CSUB head; retirement 6/9-12/21) Pacific - Jeff Freeman (Illinois associate head; 11/12-12/27) Youngstown State - Rich Wall (Mercyhurst head; retirement 11/8-1/2) North Dakota - Henrik Sohn (North Dakota associate head; 11/25-1/3) Southeast Missouri State - John Klein (Columbia College head; retirement 12/6-1/21) UC Davis - Kat Mertz (MSU Denver head; 12/2-1/22) Wofford - Kevin Dempsey (Loyola MD assistant; 11/24-1/23) Portland State - Maureen Whitney (Portland State co-head; 1/23)~ Chicago State - Kevin Larry (Jackson State assistant; 11/14-1/27) St. Bonaventure - Melissa Sherwood (former Mount St. Mary head; 12/4-1/29) Boston - Megan Burke (Boston assistant; 12/13-1/30) UC Riverside - Mike Dibbini (former Kansas State head; Fall interim-1/30) Western Illinois - Ross Henderson (Clayton State head; 10/31-1/31) VMI - Jim Robbins (club coach; 11/8-2/3) Indiana - Josh Rife (Ball State head; 1/13-2/11) Houston - Ben Williams (SFA head; 1/23-2/12) VCU - Lauryn Hutchinson (club coach; 11/7-2/12) Mercyhurst - Dale White (club coach; 1/1-2/14) Mount Saint Mary’s - Liis Abbott (Maine associate head; 1/27-2/17) Cal State Bakersfield - Whitney Pitalo (Boston College assistant; 12/19-2/19) Ball State - Andy Stoots (Missouri associate head; 2/11-3/11) FIU - Mat Dunn (Keiser head; 1/23-3/20) Alabama State - Alicia Wilson (Navarro head; retirement 1/30-3/24) San Jose State - Sonia Curvelo (Sam Houston State head; 2/27-3/26) Stephen F. Austin - Ashley Whittemore (club coach; 2/12-3/27) South Carolina State - Andrew Richardson (Columbia College men’s assistant; 1/17-4/2) Charlotte - Sinead Byrne (Charlotte assistant; 2/28-4/18 interim) Sam Houston State - Kendall Ayers (Texas Southern head; 3/26-4/28) Jacksonville State - Corey Smith (Tennessee Tech assistant; 3/11-5/3) ~No vacancy here. Portland State transitioned one co-head coach (Katie Burton) into an administrative role and Maureen Whitney takes full leadership of the program.
Given the time of year that it is, that probably makes the most sense. Kowalski has been with the program for eight years already.
OPEN: Texas Southern (4/23) Northern Iowa (5/1) FILLED: Mississippi Valley State - Alexandra Roberts (HS coach; 8/25-8/?) Duke - Kieran Hall (Duke associate head; filled after Fall 2024 season retirement) San Francisco - Pinder Nijjar (interim; 9/17) Oregon State - Caroline Kelly (OSU interim; 11/13) Wisconsin Green Bay - Matt Kagan (Washington State assistant; 11/4-11/29) Oregon - Tracy Joyner (UC Davis head; 10/29-12/2) Kansas State - Colleen Corbin (SLU associate head; 10/28-12/2) Auburn - James Armstrong (Miss St head; retirement 11/26-12/3) Mississippi State - Nick Zimmerman (Miss St associate head; 12/3-12/3) Niagara - Donny George (St. Bonaventure head - 8/27-12/4) Weber State - Kyle Christensen (Utah Valley associate head; 11/5-12/6) IU Indianapolis - Angela Berry White (high school coach; 11/7-12/9) North Carolina - Damon Nahas (UNC interim; retirement 8/9-12/9) Illinois - Katie Hultin (Grand Valley State head; retirement 10/30-12/10) Maryland - Michael Marchiano (Maryland assistant/interim; 10/10-12/11) NC State - Gary Higgins (East Carolina head; 11/8-12/12) East Carolina - Emily Buccilla (East Carolina assistant; 12/12-12/17) Loyola Chicago - Jon Sandoval (Northern Michigan head; interim-12/20) Duquesne - Jessica Giegucz (Slippery Rock head; 11/15-12/20) Cal Poly - Bernardo Silva (CSUB head; retirement 6/9-12/21) Pacific - Jeff Freeman (Illinois associate head; 11/12-12/27) Youngstown State - Rich Wall (Mercyhurst head; retirement 11/8-1/2) North Dakota - Henrik Sohn (North Dakota associate head; 11/25-1/3) Southeast Missouri State - John Klein (Columbia College head; retirement 12/6-1/21) UC Davis - Kat Mertz (MSU Denver head; 12/2-1/22) Wofford - Kevin Dempsey (Loyola MD assistant; 11/24-1/23) Portland State - Maureen Whitney (Portland State co-head; 1/23)~ Chicago State - Kevin Larry (Jackson State assistant; 11/14-1/27) St. Bonaventure - Melissa Sherwood (former Mount St. Mary head; 12/4-1/29) Boston - Megan Burke (Boston assistant; 12/13-1/30) UC Riverside - Mike Dibbini (former Kansas State head; Fall interim-1/30) Western Illinois - Ross Henderson (Clayton State head; 10/31-1/31) VMI - Jim Robbins (club coach; 11/8-2/3) Indiana - Josh Rife (Ball State head; 1/13-2/11) Houston - Ben Williams (SFA head; 1/23-2/12) VCU - Lauryn Hutchinson (club coach; 11/7-2/12) Mercyhurst - Dale White (club coach; 1/1-2/14) Mount Saint Mary’s - Liis Abbott (Maine associate head; 1/27-2/17) Cal State Bakersfield - Whitney Pitalo (Boston College assistant; 12/19-2/19) Ball State - Andy Stoots (Missouri associate head; 2/11-3/11) FIU - Mat Dunn (Keiser head; 1/23-3/20) Alabama State - Alicia Wilson (Navarro head; retirement 1/30-3/24) San Jose State - Sonia Curvelo (Sam Houston State head; 2/27-3/26) Stephen F. Austin - Ashley Whittemore (club coach; 2/12-3/27) South Carolina State - Andrew Richardson (Columbia College men’s assistant; 1/17-4/2) Charlotte - Sinead Byrne (Charlotte assistant; 2/28-4/18 interim) Sam Houston State - Kendall Ayers (Texas Southern head; 3/26-4/28) Jacksonville State - Corey Smith (Tennessee Tech assistant; 3/11-5/3) Akron - Maggie Kuhn (Akron assistant; INTERIM) ~No vacancy here. Portland State transitioned one co-head coach (Katie Burton) into an administrative role and Maureen Whitney takes full leadership of the program.
Interesting article about the Akron situation and what complaints were levied against not only the HC, but the assistants as well. I'm sure the truth is somewhere in between. Not knowing the whole situation, I found it interesting that the AC is the interim, considering some of the complaints.
haha - sorry about not providing the link. It is an article in the Akron Beacon Journal. It won't let me access the article now as it takes me right to the subscription page. I'm sure if I wasn't a dumb dumb, I could figure it out, but alas......
Paywall removed... https://archive.is/20250521124812/h...coach-fired-jen-simonetti-platts/83742740007/
Yeah, very interesting. "Women's soccer athletes anonymously accused Simonetti's coaching staff, including Kuhn, of calling athletes names and yelling at them."
OPEN: Texas Southern (4/23) Northern Iowa (5/1) FILLED: Mississippi Valley State - Alexandra Roberts (HS coach; 8/25-8/?) Duke - Kieran Hall (Duke associate head; filled after Fall 2024 season retirement) San Francisco - Pinder Nijjar (interim; 9/17) Oregon State - Caroline Kelly (OSU interim; 11/13) Wisconsin Green Bay - Matt Kagan (Washington State assistant; 11/4-11/29) Oregon - Tracy Joyner (UC Davis head; 10/29-12/2) Kansas State - Colleen Corbin (SLU associate head; 10/28-12/2) Auburn - James Armstrong (Miss St head; retirement 11/26-12/3) Mississippi State - Nick Zimmerman (Miss St associate head; 12/3-12/3) Niagara - Donny George (St. Bonaventure head - 8/27-12/4) Weber State - Kyle Christensen (Utah Valley associate head; 11/5-12/6) IU Indianapolis - Angela Berry White (high school coach; 11/7-12/9) North Carolina - Damon Nahas (UNC interim; retirement 8/9-12/9) Illinois - Katie Hultin (Grand Valley State head; retirement 10/30-12/10) Maryland - Michael Marchiano (Maryland assistant/interim; 10/10-12/11) NC State - Gary Higgins (East Carolina head; 11/8-12/12) East Carolina - Emily Buccilla (East Carolina assistant; 12/12-12/17) Loyola Chicago - Jon Sandoval (Northern Michigan head; interim-12/20) Duquesne - Jessica Giegucz (Slippery Rock head; 11/15-12/20) Cal Poly - Bernardo Silva (CSUB head; retirement 6/9-12/21) Pacific - Jeff Freeman (Illinois associate head; 11/12-12/27) Youngstown State - Rich Wall (Mercyhurst head; retirement 11/8-1/2) North Dakota - Henrik Sohn (North Dakota associate head; 11/25-1/3) Southeast Missouri State - John Klein (Columbia College head; retirement 12/6-1/21) UC Davis - Kat Mertz (MSU Denver head; 12/2-1/22) Wofford - Kevin Dempsey (Loyola MD assistant; 11/24-1/23) Portland State - Maureen Whitney (Portland State co-head; 1/23)~ Chicago State - Kevin Larry (Jackson State assistant; 11/14-1/27) St. Bonaventure - Melissa Sherwood (former Mount St. Mary head; 12/4-1/29) Boston - Megan Burke (Boston assistant; 12/13-1/30) UC Riverside - Mike Dibbini (former Kansas State head; Fall interim-1/30) Western Illinois - Ross Henderson (Clayton State head; 10/31-1/31) VMI - Jim Robbins (club coach; 11/8-2/3) Indiana - Josh Rife (Ball State head; 1/13-2/11) Houston - Ben Williams (SFA head; 1/23-2/12) VCU - Lauryn Hutchinson (club coach; 11/7-2/12) Mercyhurst - Dale White (club coach; 1/1-2/14) Mount Saint Mary’s - Liis Abbott (Maine associate head; 1/27-2/17) Cal State Bakersfield - Whitney Pitalo (Boston College assistant; 12/19-2/19) Ball State - Andy Stoots (Missouri associate head; 2/11-3/11) FIU - Mat Dunn (Keiser head; 1/23-3/20) Alabama State - Alicia Wilson (Navarro head; retirement 1/30-3/24) San Jose State - Sonia Curvelo (Sam Houston State head; 2/27-3/26) Stephen F. Austin - Ashley Whittemore (club coach; 2/12-3/27) South Carolina State - Andrew Richardson (Columbia College men’s assistant; 1/17-4/2) Charlotte - Sinead Byrne (Charlotte assistant; 2/28-4/18 interim) Sam Houston State - Kendall Ayers (Texas Southern head; 3/26-4/28) Jacksonville State - Corey Smith (Tennessee Tech assistant; 3/11-5/3) Akron - Maggie Kuhn (Akron assistant; INTERIM) Pitt - Ben Waldrum (Pitt associate head; 5/22)$ ~No vacancy here. Portland State transitioned one co-head coach (Katie Burton) into an administrative role and Maureen Whitney takes full leadership of the program. $Randy Waldrum has changed title to “Technical Director.”
If yelling at athletes is now abusive every football and basketball coach in the nation will be out of work soon. The medical complaints I don’t understand- if a doctor and/or athletic trainer does not clear an athlete to play then they cannot play. I highly doubt Akron players were playing without being cleared. There were also multiple players and parents who vouched for Simonetti and this was never mentioned in the article. The athletes know all the buzzwords these days.
Does seem an odd move to fire a head coach and turn the program over to an assistant implicated in the exact same investigation that resulted in the firing. Seems if you fire one, you have to clean house. But I know nothing outside of what the article presented. So maybe there's more to it that makes that move more understandable.
Akron weren’t good under Croft, but got considerably worse under the coach that replaced him. The coach that was just fired had a really, really bad situation to figure out and make better but it sounds like a combination of being abusive and the current whiny generation of kids that she didn’t turn it around.
UNI search has been quiet. They are within 200 miles of some great ECNL and GA programs, and a great school. Interested to see what happens there.
OPEN: Texas Southern (4/23) FILLED: Mississippi Valley State - Alexandra Roberts (HS coach; 8/25-8/?) Duke - Kieran Hall (Duke associate head; filled after Fall 2024 season retirement) San Francisco - Pinder Nijjar (interim; 9/17) Oregon State - Caroline Kelly (OSU interim; 11/13) Wisconsin Green Bay - Matt Kagan (Washington State assistant; 11/4-11/29) Oregon - Tracy Joyner (UC Davis head; 10/29-12/2) Kansas State - Colleen Corbin (SLU associate head; 10/28-12/2) Auburn - James Armstrong (Miss St head; retirement 11/26-12/3) Mississippi State - Nick Zimmerman (Miss St associate head; 12/3-12/3) Niagara - Donny George (St. Bonaventure head - 8/27-12/4) Weber State - Kyle Christensen (Utah Valley associate head; 11/5-12/6) IU Indianapolis - Angela Berry White (high school coach; 11/7-12/9) North Carolina - Damon Nahas (UNC interim; retirement 8/9-12/9) Illinois - Katie Hultin (Grand Valley State head; retirement 10/30-12/10) Maryland - Michael Marchiano (Maryland assistant/interim; 10/10-12/11) NC State - Gary Higgins (East Carolina head; 11/8-12/12) East Carolina - Emily Buccilla (East Carolina assistant; 12/12-12/17) Loyola Chicago - Jon Sandoval (Northern Michigan head; interim-12/20) Duquesne - Jessica Giegucz (Slippery Rock head; 11/15-12/20) Cal Poly - Bernardo Silva (CSUB head; retirement 6/9-12/21) Pacific - Jeff Freeman (Illinois associate head; 11/12-12/27) Youngstown State - Rich Wall (Mercyhurst head; retirement 11/8-1/2) North Dakota - Henrik Sohn (North Dakota associate head; 11/25-1/3) Southeast Missouri State - John Klein (Columbia College head; retirement 12/6-1/21) UC Davis - Kat Mertz (MSU Denver head; 12/2-1/22) Wofford - Kevin Dempsey (Loyola MD assistant; 11/24-1/23) Portland State - Maureen Whitney (Portland State co-head; 1/23)~ Chicago State - Kevin Larry (Jackson State assistant; 11/14-1/27) St. Bonaventure - Melissa Sherwood (former Mount St. Mary head; 12/4-1/29) Boston - Megan Burke (Boston assistant; 12/13-1/30) UC Riverside - Mike Dibbini (former Kansas State head; Fall interim-1/30) Western Illinois - Ross Henderson (Clayton State head; 10/31-1/31) VMI - Jim Robbins (club coach; 11/8-2/3) Indiana - Josh Rife (Ball State head; 1/13-2/11) Houston - Ben Williams (SFA head; 1/23-2/12) VCU - Lauryn Hutchinson (club coach; 11/7-2/12) Mercyhurst - Dale White (club coach; 1/1-2/14) Mount Saint Mary’s - Liis Abbott (Maine associate head; 1/27-2/17) Cal State Bakersfield - Whitney Pitalo (Boston College assistant; 12/19-2/19) Ball State - Andy Stoots (Missouri associate head; 2/11-3/11) FIU - Mat Dunn (Keiser head; 1/23-3/20) Alabama State - Alicia Wilson (Navarro head; retirement 1/30-3/24) San Jose State - Sonia Curvelo (Sam Houston State head; 2/27-3/26) Stephen F. Austin - Ashley Whittemore (club coach; 2/12-3/27) South Carolina State - Andrew Richardson (Columbia College men’s assistant; 1/17-4/2) Charlotte - Sinead Byrne (Charlotte assistant; 2/28-4/18 interim) Sam Houston State - Kendall Ayers (Texas Southern head; 3/26-4/28) Jacksonville State - Corey Smith (Tennessee Tech assistant; 3/11-5/3) Akron - Maggie Kuhn (Akron assistant; INTERIM) Pitt - Ben Waldrum (Pitt associate head; 5/22)$ Northern Iowa - Alex Place Thomas (Wartburg assistant and HS coach; 5/1-6/20 INTERIM) ~No vacancy here. Portland State transitioned one co-head coach (Katie Burton) into an administrative role and Maureen Whitney takes full leadership of the program. $Randy Waldrum has changed title to “Technical Director.”
Hi ThePonchat, I note that you still have Damon Nahas as the "Interim" coach at UNC. He was elevated to "Head" on the day of capturing the NACC Championship. Cheers!