|
Tracy Kerr enters her sixth season as head coach of the women's soccer team at Providence College. Kerr, appointed to her position on June 23, 1999, was given the task of leading the rebuilding effort at Providence. In her five-year tenure, she has brought a number of talented players to Providence. In 2003, freshmen Erin Mastrodonato and Leah Vieira held a solid defensive line, both playing in all of the team's 17 games. Senior goalkeeper Caroline Haines lead the team to a 7-7-3 overall record, posting six shutouts on the season and tying a team record for three consecutive shutouts. Highlighting the season was the Friars' final game, a 1-0 overtime upset over Miami (10/26/03). In her first season as head coach, Kerr instilled a philosophy that immediately brought credibility to the Friar program. With Kerr at the helm, the team played with a mentality that they could compete with any opponent. Most significantly, Kerr showed a willingness to instruct and develop a strong core of underclassmen. In 1999, the Friars compiled an overall record of 6-11-1 and a 1-4-0 mark in BIG EAST divisional play. The Friars peaked in the middle of October when the squad recorded two straight shutouts, including a 1-0 win over Villanova. As the season progressed the team showed signs of developing into a unit that could compete at the BIG EAST level for years to come. In 2000, the Friars finished with a 7-11-1 record, which marked the team's best campaign since 1994. In 2001, PC posted a 7-9-2 mark, including a 1-4-1 record in the BIG EAST Northeast Division. The Friars recorded several impressive results, including a 3-0 win over Rhode Island, a 1-0 upset victory over Villanova and a 2-2 tie against Boston College. The freshman class played a key role in each of the team's seven victories. Maura Robertson led the Friars in scoring and earned BIG EAST All-Rookie Team honors. In 2002, the team recorded eight victories. A native of Leesburg, Virginia, Kerr brought an extensive coaching resume to Providence. Kerr came to Providence after spending two seasons as the top assistant at Harvard University. In addition to coaching at Harvard from 1997-99, she served as the head coach of the Greater Boston Bolts under-17-and-18 girls travel teams. Prior to that, the 33-year-old Kerr served as the head coach of the Dallas Storm under-19 and under-13 teams. She got her start in collegiate coaching at American University where she was an assistant coach for one season (1993-1994). Her first coaching job came at Charlottesville (Va.) High School where she was an assistant varsity and head junior varsity coach following her standout career at Virginia. Kerr, who is a 1992 graduate of the University of Virginia, was a standout player for the Cavaliers during her time in Charlottesville. A senior All-American and a four-time Regional All-American at Virginia, Kerr guided the Cavaliers to four-straight trips to the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship Tournament. She is currently fifth on UVA's all-time point list (75), sixth in goals (29) and fifth in assists (17). As a freshman, she led her team in scoring with 24 points, the eighth best single-season point total at Virginia. During her four seasons at UVA, the Cavaliers had a combined record of 61-18-4. Kerr played professionally in England for two seasons with the Millwall Lionesses English premier soccer team from 1993 through 1995. During that time, she received her English Football Association preliminary coaching badge in 1994. She also played for the W-1 League Boston Renegades and helped that team to the national championship in 1998. Kerr received her United States Soccer Federation national "B" coaching license in 1998. Soccer runs in the Kerr family as her husband, John, enters his sixth season as the head coach of the men's soccer team at Harvard. He served as the head coach of the Boston Bulldogs for two years after playing professionally in Europe for 10 years and for the New England Revolution in the MLS. The Kerr family, which includes two-year-old twins, Cameron and Alexandra, resides in Needham, Mass.
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
