BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – WKU Soccer has announced the hiring of two new staff members. Antonio La Gamba and Emma Tompkins have been named assistant coaches with the program.
"I am excited to welcome Antonio and Emma to our coaching staff," said head coach Jason Neidell. "First and foremost, they are high character individuals with the type of leadership charisma that is hard to find. They will be incredible ambassadors for WKU. Their professional maturity and soccer knowledge far exceeds their youthfulness. Antonio has already offered a constructive eye in improvements to our training environment. He will be a critical piece in game preparation and the day-to-day coaching of our team. Emma's experience in our program as a student-athlete brings a reliable continuity to our staff. That continuity, combined with her counseling background and sound intuition, adds valuable insightfulness in relating to our current and future soccer athletes. She is the perfect individual to lead and manage our goalkeeper unit. As head coach, I know that our student-athletes will get the support and coaching to be successful at a high level, and I am honored to have Emma and Antonio join our coaching staff."
La Gamba comes to The Hill from the University of the Cumberlands where he served as an assistant coach for the 2024 season. He helped lead the Patriots to an 18-1 overall record, including a perfect 6-0 record in conference play. UC ended the season ranked eighth in the NAIA poll. The Patriots' lone loss came in the NAIA National Tournament in the Round of 16.
La Gamba also was an assistant coach with Flower City Union, a National Premier Soccer League team based in Rochester, New York. He will also serve as head coach of the Flower City 1872, a pre-professional USL W team, this summer. USL W provides top Division I collegiate players and experienced former professional players with a platform to play high-level games and be scouted by professional teams in the US and abroad.
Prior to his coaching career, La Gamba enjoyed a successful collegiate career. He played at Coastal Carolina, Siena College and Longwood. At Coastal Carolina, he was part of a Sun Belt championship team in 2019 and helped the Chanticleers win their first-round game of the NCAA Tournament against NC State. He spent the next three seasons at Siena where he played in over 40 games and had over 30 starts. He was named to the MAAC All-Academic Team in 2021 and 2022. La Gamba played one graduate season at Longwood where he started in every game and scored a goal against William & Mary.
La Gamba also played for multiple academy professional teams in Italy before his college career, playing with Benevento Calcio and Reggina 1914. During college, La Gamba played with clubs at the USL 2 and NPSL levels, serving as a captain with multiple teams.
"I'm very grateful for the opportunity to continue my coaching career at WKU," said La Gamba. "Many thanks to Jason for giving me this opportunity. I can't wait to get started!"
Tompkins will stay on The Hill, after completing her collegiate career at WKU as a goalkeeper. Tompkins came to WKU after playing four seasons at Purdue. She was named a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar for three seasons and Academic All-Big Ten in 2021. At WKU, she earned a clean sheet against Chicago State in 2023 in a 2-0 shutout win and made five saves against Ohio in 2024.
Tompkins had a stellar high school career at Elizabethtown High School, leading her team to district titles all four years. In 2019, she was named Select Prep Girl's Soccer Player of the Year. Her goals against average for her high school career was below 1.00, including a career best 0.400 GAA in her sophomore season.
On the coaching side, Tompkins has served as an assistant coach at SKY Soccer while also serving as support staff for camps with the Bowling Green organization. She has assisted the last six years with training duties for Bright Lights Goalkeeping, a regional goalkeeping academy based in Louisville. She has also worked with individual players, privately coaching and offering developmental programming since 2019.
"I'm thrilled to continue my career on The Hill," said Tompkins. "I'm forever grateful for my time at WKU as a player and I'm excited to get my coaching career started at my alma mater!"
How to follow the Hilltoppers: For complete information on WKU Soccer, visit WKUSports.com or follow the program via social media @WKU_Soccer on X and Instagram and @WKUSoccer on Facebook.
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