The Jackson State soccer team announced this morning via Facebook that Tricia Cooper will join its coaching staff.
Around mid-June, the program narrowed its candidates down to five and made the announcement less than a week before its players report to campus. Cooper will work alongside head coach Dean Joseph, who is entering his second season, and she will be taking over former assistant coach Judith Young.
Here’s a quick look at Cooper:
- Played Division II soccer at Brevard College and West Florida, where she returned in 2009 to serve as an assistant coach
- At Brevard, was three-time All-American, three-time All-Region selection, three-time All-Conference selection; at UWF, was All-Region and All-Conference selection
- Her senior year in 2002 at UWF, led the team in assists and points; her 18 assists broke the school record for a single season
- Born in Trinidad and Tobago
- Previously played for Hampton Roads Piranhas of the USL W-League in Va., the Asheville Splash in Asheville, N.C. and the Florida Surge in Orlando as part of the Women’s Premier Soccer League
- West Florida 2002 graduate with a bachelor’s in psychology