Kai Edwards

The fifth head coach in the 32 years of women's soccer at Saint Mary's College, Kai Edwards completed his sixth season as the Gaels' Head Coach in 2014. At the conclusion of the fall 2011 season, Edwards became the program's winningest coach since 2002 with a combined record of 46-60-11 (2009 - 2014).

In 2014 the Gaels finished the year with a 7-10-3 mark, seeing a 66 percent increase in results from the previous season. The Gaels faced four nationally ranked opponents and seven NCAA Tournament teams. The Gaels got WCC results against No. 15 BYU and No. 8 Pepperdine. SMC also notched a PAC-12 road win at Oregon State, its first win over a PAC-12 team on the road since the 2001 season. A total of four Gaels earned All-WCC honors, while Hannah Diaz was named College Sports Madness WCC Freshman of the Year.

In 2012 the Gaels finished with a 6-12-2 mark, dispite losing several starters to season-ending injuries throughout the year. The Gaels faced four nationally ranked programs and scored three times in a loss at nationally ranked Pepperdine.

In 2011, the Gaels put together their second consecutive winning season posting a 10-8-2 record. This was the first 10-win season since 2001 for the attack-minded Gaels; featuring two players with 20+ points each, as well as the third consecutive season with a first team All-WCC member (Jordan Marada, 2nd year). The fall 2011 season also included a notable victory at No. 15 UC Irvine.

In 2010 Saint Mary's finished the season with an 8-7-4 overall record and went 2-4-1 in West Coast Conference play, marking the Gaels' first winning season since in ten years. Edwards also continues to emphasize the school's history of excellence in the classroom, guiding the program to a second straight NSCAA Team Academic Award, and landing four student-athletes on the WCC All-Academic Team. Also, five Gaels were awarded all-WCC honors, marking the most since Saint Mary's placed six players on the 2002 all-league squad. Freshman midfielder Jordan Marada earned first-team All-WCC honors and was selected to the league's all-Freshman team. She became the first freshman women's soccer player to earn first-team all-WCC honors since 1992. Fellow freshman Brianna Campos also broke onto the collegiate soccer scene quickly, earning second-team all-WCC honors as a forward.

In 2009, the attack minded Edwards improved the team's goals per game average nearly half a goal per game, moving from 1.00 to 1.45 in just one season scoring in 19 of their 20 games. The Gaels also jumped 63 spots in the national ratings percentage index, moving into the top 100, and were ranked in the top 10 in the West Region (NCAA/NSCAA) throughout the majority of the season. The Gaels also earned a Team Academic Award from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). The Gaels improved to 9-11 overall with three players earning all-WCC honors. Jessica Menzhuber (11 goals, 4 assists) was a first team all-conference selection and a third team NSCAA All-West Region honoree. Midfielder Daelyn Paul (5 goals, 6 assists) was an honorable mention all-WCC selection, and joined Christina Tognetti on the conference's all-freshman squad. The 2009 season had key victories over top-30 teams Texas (2-1) and San Diego (2-1). During the middle of the season, SMC won seven of 10 games, with its three losses during that stretch coming to No. 10 Texas A&M (2-1), No. 9 California (4-1) and No. 1 Stanford (1-0).

Edwards came to Saint Mary's after spending two seasons as the associate head coach for the women's soccer program at UC Santa Barbara. Edwards served as the Gauchos' recruiting coordinator and played an instrumental role in UCSB's 2008 recruiting class, which was ranked 38th in the nation by Soccer Buzz Magazine, the highest in program history.

The affable Edwards joined the UCSB coaching staff in the spring of 2007, after spending one season at Sonoma State, where he helped guide the Seawolves to a 12-6-3 record and a spot in the California Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament in 2006. Prior to his one season as an assistant at Sonoma State, Edwards spent two years as an assistant at Division II Western Washington.

Heavily involved with the Region IV Olympic Development Program, Edwards has his USSF "A" license and his NSCAA Advanced Regional Diploma. An offensive-minded coach, each team Edwards has coached has increased its goals per game average each year of his tenure.

Edwards, a graduate of Sonoma State, played two seasons for the Seawolves. As a senior in 2003, he scored five goals and had four assists, and in 2002, he was a member of Sonoma State's NCAA Division II National Championship team. Prior to his two years at Sonoma, Edwards played soccer for two years at San Francisco State where he was a team captain.

As a high school player at Rolling Hills Prep in San Pedro, Calif., he was a first-team all-State choice, once scored 11 goals in a single match and still holds the school's record for goals in a game, season and career. Professionally, he played for the Seattle Sounders Select team, Surrey United in Canada and semi-pro for the Bellingham Blaze indoor team. Edwards also competed on the U.S. National Tae Kwon Do team.

West Coast Conference
All-Conference

2013
Briana Campos, 2nd Team
Casidee Lynch, Honorable Mention
Caroline Beaulne, Honorable Mention
Kaeli Schmidt, Freshman Team

2012
Vicki Shimkus, Honorable Mention
Melinda Madden, Honorable Mention

2011
Jordan MaradaFirst Team
Caroline KreuzHonorable Mention
Daelyn PaulHonorable Mention
Victoria ShimkusHonorable Mention; Freshman Team
Christina TognettiHonorable Mention

2010
Jordan MaradaFirst Team; Freshman Team
Briana CamposSecond Team
Alex CilientoHonorable Mention
Caroline ShevlinHonorable Mention

2009
Jessica MenzuberFirst Team
Daelyn PaulHonorable Mention; Freshman Team
Christina TognettiFreshman Team

Schedule

Players Mentioned

Hannah Diaz

GAELS IN THE PROS

CHAMPIONS

HALL OF FAME

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