La Salle University

La Salle University Athletics
TruMark Financial Center 1900 West Olney Ave Philladelphia, PA 19141

Division 1 Pennsylvania Northeast

Private Small National competitor

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Coaches

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Paul Royal

Paul Royal enters his 21st season as head coach of the La Salle women's soccer program in 2023-24. He has taken the program to new heights, including its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2011.

Coach Royal by the Numbers:

5 NCAA Tournament Appearances

4 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year Awards

La Salle’s All-Time Winningest Coach with 201 wins (through Sept. 6, 2023)

5 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year Awards

4 Atlantic 10 Regular Season Titles

3 Atlantic 10 Tournament Championships

42 All-Atlantic 10 Conference selections

17 A-10 All-Rookie Team selections

23 A-10 All-Tournament selections

19 A-10 All-Academic selections

3 All-Americans

20 All-Region selections

11 Academic All-Americans

1 Atlantic 10 Scholar-Athlete of the Year

12 Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area selections, including 2 Performers of the Years

18 Consecutive NSCAA/USC Team Academic Awards

8 La Salle Team GPA Awards in the last 10 years

6 La Salle Student-Athlete of the Year Awards

Coached over 20 World Cup or Olympic Team Members

Coached 10 La Salle Explorers into professional soccer ranks

The Explorers have earned five NCAA tournament berths in the last nine years under Royal. During that span, Royal led La Salle to the program’s first Atlantic 10 regular season title in 2011 and first A-10 tournament championship in 2012. The Explorers also won A-10 regular season titles in 2012, 2014 and 2017 along with A-10 tournament championships in 2013 and 2017.

Royal is a four-time Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year and was rated the top coach in the A-10 and the 32nd/16th best coach in the NCAA by CoachRank in 2017 and 2016. The 2017 season was a marquee year for La Salle as the Explorers tied the program record with 17 wins and set the school record for goals in a season with 48 (ninth best in the NCAA).

Royal earned his third Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year award in 2014 while guiding the Blue & Gold to a fourth straight NCAA appearance. Along the way he coached Kelsey Haycook to A-10 Offensive Player of the Year and Kerri Aiken to Defensive Player of the Year after the Explorers took the A-10 regular season title with an 8-0 record in league play. Royal also guided assistant coach Ally Nick to her second NSCAA Mid-Atlantic Assistant Coach of the Year award (2012).

Haycook was named a semifinalist for the Hermann Trophy that season, college soccer’s highest individual award, in addition to her second career NSCAA All-America distinction.

The Explorers won their second straight Atlantic 10 Championship in 2013, defeating Dayton in penalty kicks in the title game to clinch a third straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Seven Explorers earned recognition from the A-10 while Haycook and Jourdan McVicker were named Capital One Academic All-Americans.

Royal recorded his 100th win during the 2012 Atlantic 10 Championship, defeating VCU, 2-1, in overtime of the Championship final to clinch a second straight NCAA Tournament appearance. The A-10 Championship title was the first in program history and came after the team recorded its second consecutive undefeated regular season. The Explorers finished the season at No. 20 in the final Soccer America national poll.

Two student-athletes were named CoSIDA Academic All-Americans that season, three were NSCAA All-Region honorees and assistant coach Ally Kenney was named NSCAA Mid-Atlantic Assistant Coach of the Year. Royal was named Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year for the second straight year while cultivating junior Courtney Niemiec into the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year.

La Salle got off to the best start in program history in 2011, going 15-0-3 to start the season en route to the first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. Renee Washington and Kelsey Haycook were named second team All-Americans. The Explorers were the last team in the nation to allow a goal and still rank 5th on the list of NCAA Division I women’s soccer consecutive scoreless minutes streaks. La Salle also reached a program-high of No. 17 in the Soccer America national poll. The 2011 squad is still only one of a half dozen Division I programs in the last eight years to finish the season undefeated.

Royal also directed the US Soccer National Training Center in New Jersey from 2014-2017 and served on the Under 14 National Team staff in 2014-2015.

He also spent two stints coaching in the professional ranks, most recently with the Philadelphia Independence of the WPS from 2009-2011. While working as an assistant alongside Paul Riley, the Independence reached the National Championship game in 2010 and 2011. From 2001-03, Royal worked as the goalkeeper coach for the WUSA's Philadelphia Charge under current Florida State coach Mark Krikorian and former US National Team coach Pia Sundage. While with the Charge, Royal coached former US National Team goalkeeper Hope Solo.

During his time coaching at the professional level, Royal had the privilege to coach over 20 Olympic team and World Cup players that have represented the United States, Germany, France, Spain, Japan, China, England, Canada, Iceland and Sweden.

Before coming to 20th and Olney, the former Archbishop Ryan standout (1989-91) spent five seasons at Villanova, where he served as the top assistant and recruiting coordinator. The Wildcats achieved national top 20 rankings in 2001 and 2002 while making consecutive NCAA tournament appearances for the first time in school history.

Royal earned a degree and played collegiately at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1995.

Paul and his wife, Shelby reside in Cherry Hill, N.J. with their two daughters, Payton and Megan.

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Courtney Tole

Former La Salle women's soccer standout and 2016 NWSL Champion Courtney Tole (Niemiec) enters her seventh season as an assistant coach with the women's soccer program for the 2023-24 school year.

Tole helped La Salle to a marquee season in 2017 as the Explorers won the Atlantic 10 Championship to qualify for the program's fifth NCAA Tournament appearance. The first-year coach was instrumental in La Salle's defense tying the program record with 13 shutouts and posting a 0.76 goals-against average.

Tole retired from the North Carolina Courage in May of 2017, capping a career that began with the Portland Thorns (2014-15) and included a season with the Western New York Flash (2016). The Philadelphia native helped the Flash to their first-ever NWSL Championship last season, and is the only A-10 women's soccer alum to compete in the NWSL in each of the last four seasons.

Tole helped the Explorers to three NCAA Tournament appearances and a 58-21-9 record over her four years at 20th and Olney. The Littler Flower Catholic grad earned Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year recognition in 2012 and first team all-conference honors during the 2013 season.

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Matt Brooks

Matt Brooks was hired as an assistant women's soccer coach in August 2019 after serving as a volunteer coach during the prior spring season, and enters his fifth season in 2023-24.

With more than 20 years of club coaching experience, Brooks has seen a wealth of success coaching with SJEB Rush since 2016. In each of the past three years, the club has made is to the State Cup, claiming the title in each of the past two. Prior to that, he spent time coaching with REAL New Jersey Soccer Club, Medford Soccer Club, and Eastern FC Soccer.

In addition to his experience as a coach, Brooks played professionally for the Philadelphia Kixx in the Major Indoor Soccer League from 2001-05. He also spent two seasons with the South Jersey Barons and 13 years overseas in the United Kingdom.