Maryville University

Maryville University Athletics
650 Maryville University Drive St Louis, MO 63141

Division 2 Missouri Midwest

Private Medium Developing team

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Coaches

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Lori Lawson

St. Louis native Lori Lawson officially assumed the position of head coach for the Maryville University women's soccer team beginning January 1, 2018. She was an assistant coach for the Saints from 2013-15 and was named as the head coach-designate in the fall of 2015. Lawson was a member of the United States Women's National Team which won the 2015 World Cup in Canada. She played in the USA's contest against Colombia during the World Cup and scored a goal in an exhibition game versus New Zealand played at Busch Stadium.

In five seasons at the helm, Lawson has led the Saints to a 43-28-15 overall record including a banner year for the program in 2022. Maryville won the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament on their way to the first NCAA Regional Tournament win in program history with a 1-0 final over Northern Michigan University on Nov. 11, 2022.

She retired from the game as a player in 2016 and finished with 106 caps with the USWNT. Lawson, who won a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, most recently played as a midfielder with the Chicago Red Stars of the NWSL.

Lawson has previous college coaching experience when she was an assistant women's soccer coach at Washington University in St. Louis from 2010-12. A graduate of Nerinx Hall High School in Webster Groves, Lawson was ranked by Soccer America as the No. 2 player in the nation. She was a two-time Parade Magazine High School All-America and twice earned All-State honors for the Markers.

In college, she went on to a standout career at North Carolina, completing her eligibility in 2006. For the Tar Heels, she was a three-time All-American and helped the team win the 2003 National Championship. A three-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection, she scored 30 goals and had 32 assists during her career with the Tar Heels. Lawson earned her degree in sociology from UNC in 2013.

Lawson played two seasons with the St. Louis Athletica of the WPS, served as team captain, and was a WPS All-Star. She also spent two years with the WPS’s Atlanta Beat. Lawson signed with AIK Fotboll Dam and played one season in the Swedish professional league.

In 2002, she was a member of the United States Under-19 World Championship Team and scored nine goals with the U.S. Women’s National Team. She played in four games for the U.S.A. in the 2008 Summer Olympics and scored a goal in a 4-2 victory over Japan in the semifinals.

Lawson is married to Caleb Lawson and they have two daughters.

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Eric Delabar

Eric Delabar is in his 25th season at Maryville and his sixth season as an assistant coach after guiding the Maryville University women's soccer team for 19 seasons. He joined the Saints in 1999 and led them to a 168-162-27 overall record. Delabar led the Saints to their first appearance in the Great Lake Valley Conference postseason tournament in 2017.

In his first year at the helm of the Saints program, Delabar led the women to a St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) Tournament and Regular Season Championship. It was also the first time in the history of the program that they received a bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

In 2002, Delabar took over the Maryville men's soccer program and coached them to a 33-73-6 (.321) record in six seasons. Delabar also coached Maryville's first Great Lakes Valley Conference All-Conference selection as Lauren Dieckmann was named third-team All-GLVC in 2009, Maryville's first season of competition in the conference.

During the 2012 season, the Saints women's soccer team earned the GLVC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee's Sportsmanship Award. The squad also earned the NSCAA team academic award for the fourth straight year. Under Delabar's guidance, goalie Jena Casagrande earned the team's first GLVC Player of the Week award when she was recognized for her efforts ending the week of Sept. 24, 2012. In 2013, Shannon Foley was Maryville's first All-Conference selection and she repeated her All-GLVC honors in 2014. The Saints also posted their most successful season since joining the GLVC in 2017 as the Saints posted a 7-4-3 record and qualified for the GLVC tournament before falling to McKendree, 1-0 in the semifinals. Alex Johnson was the Saints' first conference award winner as she claimed the Freshman of the Year award in 2017.

Delabar, who is a member of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), brings a vast amount of coaching and playing experience to Maryville. He holds a USSF National "A" coaching license and has also served as an assistant soccer coach at Washington University in St. Louis and Saint Louis University. At the high school level he was the head boy's soccer coach at Fort Zumwalt North High School from 1989-98 and continued to serve as the head girl's soccer coach until 2013.

As a student-athlete at Quincy University, Delabar earned All-American honors as a goalkeeper, while also helping lead the Hawks to three National Championships. He graduated from Quincy in 1979 with a bachelor's degree in History. Upon graduating, Delabar extended his playing career to the professional level with both the New York Cosmos and the St. Louis Steamers.

In 1989, Delabar was inducted into the Quincy University Athletic Hall of Fame, and in 2002 he was inducted into the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Soccer Hall of Fame.

In the offseason, Delabar acts as director of the Maryville Saints Soccer Camps, while also holding a separate goalkeeper's camp.

Delabar is a retired Physical Education teacher having taught 32 years at South Middle School in the Fort Zumwalt School District. He and his wife, Alicia, have three grown children - Mike, Amanda, and Anna.