As the 2025 NCAA women’s soccer regular season winds down and conference tournaments kick off in a couple of weeks, our eyes are usually on the top players who led their teams to victory. But what about the coaches whose leadership and strategy have helped propel their teams forward this season?
Here are eight of the best women’s NCAA coaches, at all levels, who stand out in women’s soccer right now.
Nikki Izzo-Brown (West Virginia University, DI)
WVU is a consistent top-20 NCAA program, and coach Nikki Izzo-Brown, the only coach in Mountaineers history, has led the Mountaineers to a strong 12-2-3 record this season. Her accolades speak for themselves; 43 of her players have gone on to play professional soccer, and she has led the team to 24 seasons with at least 10 wins.
Margueritte Aozasa (UCLA, DI)
Coming in just under WVU at number 20 on the NCAA rankings, UCLA remains in the top 20, with a 10-4-3 record. In 2022, when Aozasa joined UCLA, she became the “first rookie head coach and first woman of color ever to win the NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer championship.” She has since won two conference titles and a national championship in just the three years Coach Aozasa has been with the team.
Aliceann Wilber (William Smith College, DIII)
There are more opportunities to play collegiate soccer than just DI, and William Smith College is a great example. Wilber is the all-time winningest woman coach in collegiate soccer history, boasting over 650 career victories. Her program is a perennial fixture in the DIII national polls, a testament to her decades of leadership. In 2019, she was also inducted into the United Soccer Coaches Hall of Fame.
Erica Dambach (Penn State, DI)
Dambach is a national champion coach who keeps Penn State as a perpetual Big Ten title contender, securing their spot in the postseason conversation once again. She has also won the NSCAA Coach of the Year award in 2012 and 2015. She also serves as the U.S. Women’s National Team Assistant Coach in the 2008, 2012 (Qualifying), and 2020 Olympic Games, and for the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Jennifer Rockwood (BYU, DI)
Jennifer Rockwood is, incredibly, the only head coach in BYU’s NCAA history, having joined the program in 1995. She plays a major role in leading the program into the Big 12 and consistently achieves high win totals and NCAA tournament berths. She has an overall 464-136-62 record, a .748 win percentage.
Laura Busby (Air Force, DI)
Recently named Mountain West Coach of the Year, guiding the Falcons to their highest conference seed, Laura Busby helped the team achieve its most wins since 2019, and marked the Air Force’s “best regular-season finish since 1995.”
Laurie Darling Gutheil (Saint Rose, DII)
A national champion coach, Darling Gutheil has built Saint Rose into a Division II powerhouse. Her team consistently competes for the DII national title, reflecting a program culture defined by winning and development over her 28 seasons. She has an impressive record and “owns the second highest winning percentage among active female head women’s soccer coaches at any level.”
Jane Alukonis (USC, DI)
Jane Alukonis is in her fourth season with USC and leads with an impressive 41-9-10 career record. The 2024 Big Ten Coach of the Year led the Trojans to their best-ever winning percentage, an 18-1-4 record, and the program’s first outright conference title and No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed in their debut Big Ten season. In just three years, Alukonis has guided USC to double-digit wins and NCAA tournament bids, while developing four All-Americans and 21 All-Conference selections.
These coaches are examples of how talented and strategic leadership can lead to the long-term success of a team. Who are your favorite coaches?
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