Dave Wolf, Director of Soccer Operations and Men’s and Women’s Head Coach, along with Athletic Director Dave Odell, have announced the promotion of Kristi Kiely to Associate Head Coach of Westmont Women’s Soccer.
“The new title in some ways just validates what she is already doing,” said Wolf. “As an assistant coach, Kristi really had her hand in every aspect of the program. Most assistant coaches are a little more compartmentalized in their duties. As associate head coach, it gives Kristi access to the full scope of the program. That is in reality how we function anyway. I don’t see her role changing as much as I see it as a validation of what she already does.”
“In her short time as a coach at Westmont,” said Odell, “Coach Kiely has demonstrated the same tenacity and professionalism that she displayed in her playing days at Westmont as a member of some of our most successful teams. She clearly understands what it means to be a successful student-athlete in a Christian liberal arts program and has shown that she can communicate and teach these principles to our current student athletes.”
“The biggest benefit for our program relates to the work she does externally,” said Wolf. “It gives her a certain credibility when it comes to scheduling and recruiting. Hopefully this opens the door a little bit wider when she calls club coaches. That is a very good thing for our program. It puts a couple of people on the recruiting beat that can be effective in that role.”
Kiely played for the Warriors from 2001-2004 during which time the Warriors won three NAIA National Championships. Kiely was named to the All-GSAC team three times and served as team captain. Kiely joined the Warrior coaching staff in the summer of 2008 as Wolf was adding head coach of the women’s team to his resume.
“Kristi has taken proactive steps to develop her coaching abilities including the pursuit of coaching and clinic opportunities,” reported Wolf.
This summer, Kiely served as an assistant coach to Twila Kaufman of Pepperdine for the Los Angeles Legends Football Club W-League team. The team included players from UCLA, California, Texas, North Carolina and Portland.
“I was fortunate enough to work with some of the best college players in the country,” said Kiely. “I worked with and learned from one of the greatest female coaches of the game and I did in it an environment that is competitive at the highest level. I was challenged and I grew as a coach. What was most important was what we did off of the field. Twila, and our general manager Ramon Reid, had an incredible two-fold vision – To bring top athletes in to build a winning team at a very high level and to make the focus be on Christ.”
The Warriors open up their 2009-10 campaign on August 27 at home against Trinity Western (B.C.).
