On December 19, 2011, Angela Kelly became the third head coach of the Texas Longhorns women's soccer team. Prior to her hiring, Kelly spent 12 years as head coach of the Tennessee Lady Vols, building the team into a national contender. At Tennessee, Kelly took the helm of a program that had never advanced to the NCAA Tournament, had never won an SEC Tournament match and had never collected any league first-team All-SEC honors or seasonal hardware. She eventually led the Lady Vols to four consecutive SEC Eastern Division crowns, three straight SEC regular-season titles and four SEC Tournament titles. She was tabbed SEC Coach of the Year three consecutive seasons from 2003-05. In Knoxville, Kelly led the Lady Vols to a 160-84-20 (.644) mark in 12 years. During her time on Rocky Top, Tennessee reached nine NCAA Tournaments, making five Sweet 16 appearances. Her squads were 10-8-2 in the NCAA Tournament. Six Lady Vols garnered All-America honors during Kelly's tenure, including three-time National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-American Keeley Dowling. Tennessee also garnered 43 All-SEC and 22 SEC All-Tournament Team selections under Kelly's watch. The Lady Vols were also exemplary performers in the classroom under Kelly. Over the past 12 years, Kelly's players have earned 142 selections to the Academic All-SEC Team and SEC Freshman Academic Honor Roll. During her 12 years, four of Kelly's student-athletes earned Academic All-America honors from the College Sports Information Directors Association, including Caroline Brown in 2011, and 13 have garnered Academic All-District accolades. From the time she was hired in Knoxville in January 2000, Kelly paid immediate dividends for the Lady Vols. In her first season she led Tennessee to the best conference campaign in program history up to that point. The Lady Vols finished 12-8 overall and 7-2 in league action. Along with the program bests for conference wins and highest finish in league play, Tennessee also boasted its first-ever All-SEC First Team selection in Kelly Berrall. In her second season, the Lady Vols made their first-ever appearance in the national rankings and earned a bid to the NCAA Championship for the first time in school history. Tennessee rolled to an 11-6-1 overall record and a 7-2 record in league play. She guided the team to a victory over eighth-ranked Florida, a win that snapped a streak of 50-straight conference wins for the Gators. She assembled a stellar recruiting class with the freshmen being rated No. 5 in the nation by Soccer Buzz. In 2002, the Lady Vols continued to see their star rise under Kelly. Tennessee posted a school records for wins (18), unbeaten streak (nine), win streak (eight), home win streak (nine) and home record (9-1). The Lady Vols finished 18-6-1, won the SEC East and the SEC Tournament. Tennessee advanced to the NCAA Regional Semifinal with wins over Furman and No. 22 Cincinnati. Keeley Dowling became the first All-American in school history and Kim Patrick was one of 15 finalists and the lone SEC representative in contention for the Hermann Trophy, awarded to the top player in Division I. The Lady Vols rampaged through the SEC in 2003, winning the SEC Eastern Division title and SEC regular season crown with a 7-1-1 league mark and earned their second consecutive SEC Tournament championship to take the SEC Triple Crown. The effort earned Kelly her first of three SEC Coach of the Year awards. Tennessee put together a program-best 12-match unbeaten streak and posted a 17-5-2 record. The Lady Vols' stout defense registered 12 shutouts led by Dowling who earned Tennessee's first-ever SEC Defensive Player of the Year honor in addition to repeating as an All-American. The season ended with a second straight NCAA Regional Semifinal appearance. Tennessee posted another 17-5-2 campaign in 2004, winning a third-straight SEC Eastern Division title and second consecutive league regular season crown with a 10-1 mark. Kelly earned her second consecutive league coach of the year honor and a program-best seven players earned All-SEC honors. Dowling capped off her career with her third All-America season as Tennessee once again advanced to the NCAA Regional Semifinal. The 2005 campaign resulted in the Lady Vols winning their second "Triple Crown" with Eastern Division, SEC and SEC Tournament titles. In what was supposed to be a rebuilding year, Tennessee went 15-6-2 overall and 10-1 in league action and earned a spot in their fifth straight NCAA Championship, advancing to the second round. In 2006, Kelly led Tennessee to their fourth NCAA Regional Semifinal in five years. The Lady Vols finished 12-7-4 overall and finished second in the league and in the East with a 6-3-2 mark in SEC play. Ali Christoph became the second player in school history to earn All-America honors twice and the third player to pick up Academic All-America recognition. The Lady Vols attained their highest ranking in program history in 2007. In her eighth season at the helm, Kelly pushed the squad to its best start with a 7-1-1 mark and Tennessee was ranked No. 6 in the Oct. 2 poll. Kylee Rossi became Tennessee's first two-time SEC Offensive Player of the Year and helped lead the Lady Vols to their fifth NCAA Regional Semifinal appearance. The Lady Vols captured their fourth SEC Tournament crown under Kelly's tutelage in 2008. Tennessee entered the tournament as the No. 6 seed and became the lowest seeded team to win the title. The Lady Vols knocked off Auburn, LSU and Georgia to earn their eighth consecutive NCAA Championship appearance. Kelly experienced a hard-luck campaign in 2009 with seven single-goal losses which resulted in an 8-9-3 overall record. Tennessee failed to make the NCAA Championship for the first time since 2000. In 2010, the Lady Vols had a rough beginning stumbling out of the gates with a 2-5 mark during a seven-match span that include three ranked teams, including No. 1 North Carolina on the road. Tennessee bounced back to go 8-4-1 down the stretch, including a 7-3-1 in the league, but the Lady Vols were denied a tournament bid for the second consecutive season. In 2011, Kelly guided the Lady Vols back to the NCAA Tournament and Tennessee finished with a 15-7 overall mark and a 7-4 record in league action to finish second in the SEC Eastern Division. They climbed as high as No. 12 in the NSCAA Top 25 on September 27 after starting the season 7-1. Prior to becoming head coach at Tennessee, Kelly served as an assistant coach for the Lady Vols for four yours. She arrived in Knoxville in 1996. She served as a student assistant coach under legendary coach Anson Dorrance at the University of North Carolina. Kelly was a four-year letterwinner for the Tar Heels from 1991-94. She garnered All-America recognition as a senior and was three-year All-Atlantic Coast Conference performer. Playing well in the spotlight, Kelly was a three-time NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team selection. She scored eight goals and registered four assists to help UNC to four consecutive national titles. During her career, the Tar Heels posted a 97-1-1 record, won four ACC regular-season titles and four ACC Tournament crowns. When her collegiate playing career was over, she held the NCAA record for most matches played (99). A durable midfielder, she started 94 games and ended her career ranked 11th in school history with 38 goals, 12th in scoring with 103 points and 18th in assists with 27. She was named to the ACC's 50th Anniversary Women's Soccer Team in 2002. Kelly also enjoyed a successful international career. She was a member of the Canadian National Team for nine years, making 29 international caps for Canada during her playing career. She started every game in the midfield for Canada at the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup in Sweden. She also played two seasons in the W-League for the Raleigh Wings, capturing national championships in 1998 and '99. On May 11, 2004, she was inducted into the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame in Vaughan, Ontario. She is just the third woman to be enshrined in the hall. A native of Scotland, Kelly spent her youth in Brantford, Ontario. She earned a bachelor's degree in physical education with an emphasis in psychology from UNC in 1994. |
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