Westminster College

Fulton, MO 65251

Missouri Midwest

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Courtney Howe

Alumna Courtney Howe, class of 2013, has been named the head coach of the women's soccer program at Westminster College. Director of Athletics Matt Mitchell announced the hiring on Friday. Howe replaces Wendy Sanchez, who stepped down earlier in July. Howe ’13 spent last season as an assistant coach at cross-town neighbor William Woods University, helping guide the Owls to a 9-3 overall record and 8-1 in the AMC during the pandemic shortened 2020-21 season.

Howe “13 was a four-year starter for the Blue Jays from 2009-12 seasons. The goal keeper was a two-time captain for the Blue Jays and was named the team MVP in her senior season.

After graduation, she was hired to be an assistant coach at her alma mater by her coach Jen Dyson. She served as an assistant from 2013 to 2015. The 2015 team finished 10-7-2 overall for the first winning season in ten years for the Jays. They were 7-2 in SLIAC play good for a third-place finish and berth in the SLIAC Postseason Conference Tournament where the Jays would win the tournament championship and advanced to the programs first ever NCAA Tournament.

Howe’s next stop in her coaching career would be on the club team circuit. She would work as an assistant coach for Sporting Columbia in Columbia, MO from 2017-2018. In 2019 she would coach the goalkeepers for United Capital City.

In the Fall of 2019 Coach Howe would begin working on her Masters of Education at NAIA William Woods University while joining Coach Lauren Robb’s staff as an assistant coach. She would help the Owls to two consecutive winning seasons and in 2019 the Owls would go 12-9 overall and 10-2 in the AMC. The team received an at large bid to the NAIA National Tournament.

Howe ’13 found herself grateful for the opportunity to return home, “I am filled with joy and gratitude as I step in this new chapter of my career. I would like to thank athletic director Matt Mitchell for this amazing opportunity. It is an honor to be a Blue Jay again, and I look forward to building on the success this program has continued to make over the years.

"I am very excited to welcome Courtney back to campus as our next head coach of our very successful women's soccer program," said Westminster College Athletic Director Matt Mitchell. "Her recruiting experience, familiarity with the campus and our women’s program culture were a huge factors in choosing her for this position. Her enthusiasm for Westminster College will be contagious for the young women that she will lead.”

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Rebecca Bond

Fulton, Mo.–Aug. 10, 2023: Westminster College is pleased to announce that alumna Rebecca Bond, Class of 2022, has joined the Blue Jays as assistant women's soccer coach.

Bond comes to Westminster from Columbia, Missouri, where she most recently served as head women's soccer coach for Sporting Columbia. She previously was the organization's assistant soccer coach while attending Westminster.

During her senior year, Bond was the head captain of the Blue Jays women's soccer team. She received All-Conference Academic Honors for three consecutive soccer seasons, from 2019 to 2021. She also was Westminster's 2020 SLIAC All-Sportsmanship Player and the 2021 Women's Academic Sports Scholar of the Year.

Derek Zander, Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics, Athletics Advancement, and Strategic Programs, says that together, Bond and head women's soccer coach Courtney Howe, Class of 2013, will be a formidable alumnae coaching duo.

"I look forward to supporting Coach Howe and Coach Bond as we look to transform the lives of the young women participating in Blue Jays Women's Soccer," Zander says. "It is an exciting time in the life of the College, and I am thrilled to be part of the upcoming season."

Howe adds that she is eager for Bond's return to the Blue Jays women's soccer program.

She says, "Becca's success as a former student-athlete is exemplary of our women's soccer program. She is unmatched when it comes to her experience and knowledge as a player combined with her new status as a SLIAC coach."

Originally from Midwest City, Oklahoma, Bond excelled in both sports and academics while at Westminster, where she majored in Early Intervention in Education and Psychology with a minor in Organizational Leadership.

As a student, Bond belonged to the Psi Chi Psychology Honor Society and served in a number of leadership positions. She was chief recruitment officer for the Blue Blazers Investment Committee, head intern for the Remley Women & Gender Center, and recruitment chairperson for the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. She also represented the College to alumni and others as a Westminster Student Ambassador.

After graduating summa cum laude from Westminster, Bond became nationally certified as a phlebotomist through the Bell Brown Medical Institute. In addition to her coaching duties, she was a Clinical Trial Regulatory Coordinator – IRB Specialist with the University of Missouri Ellis Fischel Cancer Center.

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Brian O'Connor

Fulton, Mo. - June 26, 2023: Westminster College is pleased to welcome an accomplished leader to the Blue Jays with the recent hiring of Brian O’Connor as head men’s soccer coach.

O’Connor comes to Westminster from Randolph College in Lynchburg, Virginia, where he most recently served as head coach to the Wildcats, garnering a 6-6-3 record and a 3-5-2 record in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.

Derek Zander, Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics, Athletics Advancement, and Strategic Programs, says O’Connor is prepared to meet his team and excited for the new soccer season ? practices begin in August.

Zander adds, “We are excited for Coach O’Connor to join our Department of Athletics and head up our men’s soccer team, which is part of a historic tradition at Westminster.”

Prior to his position at Randolph College, O’Connor was named the head soccer coach to the Prairie Fire of Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois, in 2018. As head soccer coach, O’Connor compiled an overall record of 43-16-3 and a 24-3 mark in the Midwest Conference.

During that time, his teams won two regular season championships, two Midwest Conference Tournament titles, and qualified twice for the NCAA Tournament. His 2018 team set a program record with 16 wins.

O’Connor began working for the Knox College Prairie Fire in 2015 as the assistant coach/recruiting coordinator. In that capacity, he helped lead the program to its fourth straight conference tournament appearance and second straight undefeated season in Midwest Conference play, to name just a few accolades.

As for his new position with Westminster, O’Connor is enthusiastic about joining the Blue Jays soccer program.

“I would like to thank President Lofe and Mr. Zander for this opportunity, and I’m extremely excited to work with the faculty, staff, and student-athletes at Westminster,” he says.

A native of Springfield, Illinois, O’Connor graduated in 2010 from Illinois College, where he double-majored in History and Communications and then was hired at the college as an assistant soccer coach.

O’Connor holds a United Soccer Coaches national diploma and is certified in Strength and Conditioning.

He also served in the U.S. Army from 2011 to 2014 and has an associate’s degree in Intelligence Operations from Cochise College in Douglas, Arizona. He and his wife, Sarah, are the parents of two sons, Declan and Everett.

O’Connor reflects, “I am truly honored to be a member of the Westminster College community and look forward to continuing the rich tradition that is Westminster’s men’s soccer, creating a program that not only produces great student-athletes, but great people.”