Coaches

Abby Richter

Abby Richter was named the sixth Head Coach in the history of the Spartans' women's soccer program in August 2022.


In her first season at the helm of the program, Richter led CWRU on one of the most successful seasons for a Spartan team in any sport, finishing as the national runner-up wiht a 20-1-1 overall record. The national second place finish matches the best finish by any Case Western Reserve team in school history and is the best finish in school history for any Spartan women's team. The team set a program record for wins in a season, set the program record for longest winning streak at 13, and finished 6-0-1 in University Athletic Association play, en route to winning the first conference championship in team history. Richter mentored two All-Americans, including First Team selection Camryn Hartman, five All-Region selections, three Academic All-Americans, including First Team selection Elizabeth White, and five All-UAA honorees, and five total OCSA All-Ohio honorees. Richter and her staff were named the UAA Coaching Staff of the Year and United Soccer Coaches Region VII Coaching Staff of the Year following the 2022 season.


Richter brings a wealth of experience to the Spartan program across a 20-year coaching career. Since 2008, she has served as an Assistant Coach at Kent State University. During her time with the Division I program, the Golden Flashes won the Mid-American Conference Tournament in 2016, won the MAC regular season championship in 2017, and were MAC East Champions three times (2011, 2016, 2017). Richter coached three NSCAA All-Americans, seven NSCAA Academic All-Americans, and two members of national teams while at Kent State.


While at Kent State, Richter mentored the Golden Flashes' goalkeepers and served as the team's defensive coordinator, with the squad posting a goals against average of less than 1.00 in five of six seasons from 2012-17. Her other responsibilities included coordinating team travel, serving as the recruiting coordinator, developing practice and game plans and scouting reports, and directing camps and clinics.


Prior to her time in Kent, Richter was an Assistant Coach at Ball State University from 2006-2008, claiming back-to-back regular season MAC Championships in 2006 and 2007 with the Cardinals. Before arriving in Muncie, Indiana, she coached on the University of Iowa staff from 2005-2006, serving as an assistant coach and goalkeeping coach.


Internationally, Richter has worked with Maccabi USA, serving as the head coach for the United States Women's Open National team at the Maccabiah Games in Israel in 2013 and 2015, and as an assistant coach for the team in 2005, 2007, and 2009. The team claimed gold medals three times, including the first by a men's or women's team from the United States in the open competition. In 2007 and 2015, the team competed at the Pan American Games, with Richter leading the squad to gold medals each time.


A 2001 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point with a bachelor's degree in broad field social science and history, Richter was a standout goalkeeper for the Pointers, setting a program record for most goalkeeper wins in a single season (20) and recording 945 consecutive scoreless minutes. During her senior season, she was named to the All-America First Team Central Region and took part in the semifinals of the NCAA Division III Championship tournament. Richter was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 2013.


Following graduation, she worked as an Assistant Coach at Division III Earlham College for two years before her first stint at Kent State as a graduate assistant and goalkeeping coach from 2003-2005. In 2003 and 2004, the Flashes won back-to-back regular season MAC Championships with Richter on staff. She received her master's degree in sports and recreational management from Kent State in 2005.


Richter has a NSCAA Advanced National License and a Goalkeeping Level One Diploma along with a USSF "D" License.


Richter and her husband Jeremy reside in Stow with their daughter, Grace.