TicketsCaroline Elise Kelly joined the University of Cincinnati staff in January 2021 as an assistant women’s soccer coach, with primary responsibility for developing the Bearcats goalkeepers.
Kelly’s arrival comes after three years at Army West Point, where she was integral in the progression of the team, especially on the defensive side of the ball. The Black Knights were 16-13-11 in 2018 and 2019 along with a .538 winning percentage. And Coach Kelly developed Sydney Cassalia '21 into the 2019 Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year and the U.S. Soccer Coaches First Team All-North Regional Goalkeeper for 2018.
The 2019 season featured a playoff run with a quarterfinal victory over Colgate (4-0) and a 2-1 upset over second-seeded Holy Cross before the team fell to top-seeded Navy in the championship. Army's nine wins was the most since the 2011 season and the team's .550 winning percentage ranked among the highest since 2012. In the coaching staff's inaugural year, the Black Knights went 7-6-7 with a 1-0 quarterfinal win over service academy rival Navy in overtime.
Kelly joined West Point after serving as an assistant coach at Dartmouth in 2017. With the Big Green, Kelly’s role was multifaceted and included the execution of soccer decisions on the field, team operations, recruiting and developing content for social media. Working primarily with the goalkeepers, she helped coach Dartmouth to a 7-10 record on the year with four shutouts.
Prior to her time in Hanover, Kelly was a graduate assistant coach for the University of South Carolina’s 2016 season. With the Gamecocks, Kelly worked primarily with goalkeepers and helped coach South Carolina to an SEC regular season championship, an appearance in the Elite Eight of the 2016 Women's College Cup and No. 5 ranking in the final NSCAA coaches’ poll.
In addition to her experience at the collegiate level, Kelly has been a coach for Own The Goal, Inc., which runs camps for youth goalkeepers looking to enhance their skills through personalized training. And she spent three years as an assistant coach at the Jefferson Cup Goalkeeper Clinic, where she positioned goalkeepers to showcase their abilities for college coaches and recruiters.
A native of Virginia, Kelly began her collegiate playing career in the net for Virginia Tech where she recorded the best goals against average in program history (.628), best single season goals against average (.69) and ranks second in single season shutouts (7).
Attending South Carolina for graduate school, Kelly used her final year of eligibility to play for the Gamecocks where she saw action in 15 games with 12 starts. She recorded a program-best 34 saves with two starts in the postseason.
Coach Kelly also played a season in the Women's Premier Soccer League with the Boston Breakers Reserves. She recorded a 0.57 goals against average for a 13-1-0 record on the way to capturing the 2016 WPSL Championship.
Kelly graduated magna cum laude with a bachelors' degree from Virginia Tech, and earned a master’s degree in sport and entertainment management from the University of South Carolina.