Mizzou has its second women’s soccer coach. And she’s no stranger to NCAA Tournaments
A big name in Minnesota Golden Gophers soccer is now going to be heading up the Missouri Tigers women’s soccer program.
Mizzou on Thursday announced the hire of St. Charles native Stefanie Golan as the second head coach in the history of the Tigers’ women’s program. She arrives in Columbia on a five-year contract having led Minnesota to four NCAA Tournament appearances.
Golan succeeds Brian Blitz, who founded the MU program a quarter-century ago and had been its only head coach ever since. He retired last month to spend more time with his family.
“We are thrilled to introduce Stefanie Golan as the second head coach of the Mizzou Women’s Soccer program,” MU athletic director Jim Sterk said in a statement. “Stefanie is a passionate leader of young women who has demonstrated academic and athletic excellence throughout her playing and coaching career, and those experiences will help her elevate Mizzou to great success on and off the pitch in future seasons.”
Golan compiled a 92-64-24 record at Minnesota, a run of eight winning seasons that included one Big Ten regular-season title and a pair of Big Ten Tournament championships. She was the Big Ten’s Coach of the Year in 2016.
Before her hire in Minneapolis ahead of the 2012 season, Golan spent nearly six years at Army West Point, the last three as the program’s head coach. The Black Knight teams went 33-18-10 during her tenure, making the school’s second NCAA Tournament appearance in 2011.
Overall, Golan’s 12-year head coaching record stands at 125-82-34.
“I am incredibly excited about the opportunity at Mizzou and the environment that my boys and I get to be a part of in CoMo,” said Golan, a mother of two and the second-winningest coach in the history of the Minnesota women’s program. “It was evident from the moment I set foot on campus that Mizzou is a special place with incredible people.”
Golan said she’s known Blitz since her youth-soccer days in St. Louis. Blitz went 254-216-39 at MU and 299-260-47 overall in 30 seasons as a coach. His tenure at Missouri is the fifth longest in school history behind baseball’s John Simmons (35 years), basketball’s Norm Stewart (32) and track coaches Rick McGuire (27) and Tom Botts (26).
”I have always respected him as a person and as a coach,” Golan said of Blitz, “and I am excited to continue to build upon the foundation he has in place.”
Missouri was 6-5-3 last season. Minnesota, playing an all-Big Ten campaign because of the COVID-19 pandemic, was 5-4-3.