Coaches

Benji Walton

It did not take Benji Walton long to make an impact on the Kennesaw State women’s soccer program, and now the Owls are back playing for championships.


In seven seasons at the helm at Kennesaw State, Walton has a record of 65-53-13 (.546) since taking over the program. In six of the seven seasons under Walton’s watch, the Owls have finished .500 or better in each campaign.


Under his leadership, KSU made three straight ASUN Conference Finals from 2019 to 2021 and has the Owls on the cusp of breaking through for a conference championship.


In 17 seasons as a head coach, Walton has compiled an overall record of 162-131-24 (.549) during tenures at Limestone College (2003-06), Birmingham-Southern College (2007-12) and Kennesaw State (2016-pres.).


Walton brought more than 13 years coaching experience at the NCAA Division I, II and III levels to Kennesaw State when he was named the second head coach in Kennesaw State women's soccer history on Dec. 18.


Walton joined Owl Nation after spending the previous three seasons as an assistant coach at Indiana. In his first season under new head coach Amy Berbary, Walton helped guide the Hoosiers to a 2013 NCAA Tournament appearance and a 15-7-1 record, establishing the best winning percentage (.674) in IU women's soccer history.


Walton also has 10 years of head coaching experience after leading programs at Birmingham-Southern College (2007-12) and Limestone College (2003-06).


Walton joined the Indiana program with Berbary in 2013 and served as offensive coordinator for two seasons before assuming the role of director of set pieces and technical development prior to the 2015 season. He served as liaison between the coaching staff and academic staff, monitoring the academic progress of the program's student-athletes.


In his first season at IU, Walton helped the Hoosiers establish single-season program records for goals (43), assists (46) and wins (15). The record-breaking season continued as the Hoosiers earned their first Big Ten Conference and NCAA Tournament appearances since 2007.After advancing to the semifinals of the conference tournament. Indiana earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and reached the second round.


In his three years at Indiana, Walton mentored two National Soccer Coaches Association (NSCAA) All-Region players, one All-Big Ten Conference second team honoree, 45 Big Ten Conference All-Academic selections and four Capital One Academic All-District V picks. The Hoosiers also were honored with the NSCAA Team Academic Award each season and the 2014 team posted a 3.561 grade-point average, the highest GPA among IU's 24 sports.


Prior to his arrival in Bloomington, Walton served six seasons as head coach at Birmingham-Southern College in Alabama. During his tenure, Walton led the program through the transition from NCAA Division I to NCAA Division III. His teams won at least 10 games each season and totaled an overall record 69-38-5 (.638) as he became the program's all-time winningest coach. In 2012, BSC shared the Southern Collegiate Athletic Association (SCAC) regular season championship.


During Walton's tenure at Birmingham College, four players earned NSCAA All-Region honors and five student-athletes were recognized as NSCAA All-Region Scholars, including two that went on to be named NSCAA Scholar All-Americans.


Walton's first head coaching job came at Limestone College where he coached four seasons and turned around a struggling Division II program. After the team posted a total of 11 wins in his first two seasons, Walton led the Saints to a 17-16-5 record over the next two seasons, posting a pair of fifth-place finishes in the Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference.


A native of Lawrenceville, Ga., Walton spent time as a volunteer assistant coach at Georgia for two seasons (2002-03) while earning a master's degree in Education with a focus on sports administration.


Walton played collegiately at Reinhardt College (1997-2001) where he helped the Eagles to a 21-1-1 record and trip to the NJCAA National Championship game as sophomore. He was named second-team all-conference and received NCCAA All-America Honorable Mention as a senior.


Walton earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Reinhardt in 2001.

Chris Cahill

Kennesaw State women's soccer has added Chris Cahill to the coaching staff, head coach Benji Walton announced Monday, July 3.


"I couldn't be more thrilled to announce Chris Cahill as our Associate Head Coach hire,” Walton said. “I've known Chris and worked with him for a long time and am confident in the energy and knowledge that he will bring to our entire program.”


Cahill has over a decade of experience at Middle Tennessee State University serving as the Blue Raider’s associate head coach. He was responsible for identifying and building relationships with recruits for the 2013-2021 classes.


“He brings a high work ethic and standard of excellence, along with a pure joy for the game,” said Walton. “He cares about the athlete as an individual as much as he cares about winning games. That is something that is very important to me and our culture here at Kennesaw State.”


The Blue Raiders got off to a hot start with Cahill on staff as the team recorded the program’s most wins and shutouts during a four-year period from 2012-2015.


During his time in Murfreesboro, Tenn., Cahill coached two Conference USA (CUSA) Freshman of the Year and two CUSA Offensive Players of the Year. These awards were a part of the 27 total conference selections Cahill coached between CUSA and the Sun Belt Conference (SBC).


Prior to his time at MTSU, Cahill spent time as an assistant coach at the University of Evansville. He aided in video breakdowns of games and practice while serving as the recruiting coordinator in 2012 and 2013.


Before Evansville, Cahill was a full-time volunteer assistant at Auburn from 2009-2011. He was promoted from a graduate assistant role after the squad won the SEC West in 2010. The Tigers made back-to-back trips to the NCAA tournament during Cahill’s tenure.


“I am extremely grateful to be able to represent my hometown university and I would like to thank Coach Walton and the KSU Administration for the opportunity,” Cahill said. “I'm excited to be part of a university that continues to grow, support its student-athletes, and compete for championships.”


Cahill is familiar with the Peach State as he coached at Harrison High School in Kennesaw. The Hoyas tallied two regional titles and were ranked as the number-one team in the country for 12 consecutive weeks in 2008.


This position is a welcome back for Cahill as he returns to KSU after serving as an Assistant to the Director of Student-Athlete Services in 2008. He assisted with advising, class registration and supervised study hall.


Cahill is a graduate of Georgia Southern with a bachelor’s degree in sport management. He received his master’s from Auburn in business and marketing education.

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