Jason Neidell - Women's Soccer Coach - Western Kentucky University Athletics

Photo by: Evan Brown/WKU Athletics

Jason Neidell

Title:
Head Coach
Email:
jason.neidell@wku.edu
Phone:
(270) 745-6563

For media inquiries, please contact Will Gerber at will.gerber637@topper.wku.edu.

Jason Neidell, the only head coach in WKU women's soccer history, enters his 25th season at the helm of WKU's soccer program in 2025. Neidell has guided the Lady Toppers program since its inception in 2001 and continues to bring the program more recognition on the national stage.

Neidell has led the Lady Toppers to three conference titles, winning the Sun Belt regular season championship in 2007 and 2013 and claiming the Conference USA East division title in 2020. Nineteen of Neidell's 24 teams have recorded winning records. Of those 19 teams, 15 have won at least 10 matches (2020 season only featured 12 matches total on the season). Neidell has led WKU to at least eight wins in 14 of the last 18 seasons, including Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championship appearances in 2008, 2011 and 2013. WKU finished in the top half of conference standings (Sun Belt and Conference USA) during each of Neidell's first 14 seasons and has finished in the top five in four of the last six seasons (2019, 2020, 2021 and 2023).

In addition, 76 student-athletes have earned all-conference honors, with 24 named to the league's all-tournament team. Excelling in the classroom is also important to Neidell and the Lady Toppers, and 31 players have been named Academic All-District a total of 54 times, while he has had 28 Conference USA All-Academic recipients in the past 11 seasons under his watch. WKU has had six Academic All-Americans under Neidell.

The Hilltoppers were one of the stingiest defenses in CUSA in 2024, thanks in part to the stellar play of goalkeeper Maddie Davis who would go on to be named CUSA Goalkeeper of the Year. WKU posted six shutouts on the season.

WKU finished in third place in Conference USA in 2023 with a 4-2-2 record. The Hilltoppers held a 50.0 percent shutout rate on the season. Five different players earned All-CUSA honors. Forward Katie Erwin earned First Team, goalkeeper Maddie Davis was named to the Second Team, Ambere Barnett and Sydney Ernst were tabbed Third Team and Rebecca Roth was selected to the All-Freshmen Team.

The 2022 Hilltopper squad notched seven wins, including a 1-0 victory against Kentucky in front of a record-breaking crowd at the WKU Soccer Complex. Defender Lyric Schmidt was named to the All-Conference USA First Team and United Soccer Coaches All-Region Team. Goalkeeper Alexis Bach was named to the All-CUSA Third Team and Abby Davis was tabbed CUSA All-Freshman.

After clinching the Conference USA East Division title in the spring of 2021, the WKU Soccer squad picked up right where they left off in the fall of the same year. The Hilltoppers raced out to a 5-0-0 start to the season, the best start in program history, and were receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches poll with wins against Vanderbilt, Louisville and Belmont. WKU finished the season second in CUSA East with a 5-2-1 conference record and posted six shutouts.

The Hilltoppers got off to a 4-0-0 start to conference play with wins against Marshall, Middle Tennessee, UAB and the 2020 CUSA Tournament champion Rice. With the win against the Owls, WKU stretched a conference regular season unbeaten streak to 12, going 10-0-2 since the 2019 season. The Hilltoppers had a streak of nine straight wins at home during the season.

For the second straight season, the WKU defense held opponents to only 13 goals on the season, tied for the second fewest in program history. The defense was anchored by Avery Jacobsen and Lyric Schmidt, each starting every match, and goalkeeper Alexis Bach who played in all but one game. Bach’s 0.83 goals against average was a top 50 mark in the nation and is tied for the ninth best season average ever by a WKU keeper.

The 2020 season was pushed back to the spring of 2021 due to COVID-19, but that didn't faze Neidell and the Hilltoppers. WKU clinched the CUSA East Division title after rolling through conference play unbeaten (4-0-2). After dropping the first match of the season, WKU rattled off a 10-match unbeaten streak that stretched into the postseason when the Hilltoppers recorded their first win in the Conference USA Championship since joining the league.

Neidell’s team accumulated 20 awards over the season including Ambere Barnett’s United Soccer Coaches All-America Third Team, CUSA Player of the Year and Midfielder of the Year honors. Barnett’s All-American award was the first in the program’s history. The Rockport, Indiana native was also named a USC Academic All-American First Team member.

Defender Avery Jacobsen also racked up the awards in 2020, earning All-CUSA First Team, CUSA All-Tournament Team, USC All-Region Second Team honors while also a earning a USC Player of Distinction award. Fellow defender Lyric Schmidt was named to the All-CUSA Second Team and the USC All-Region Third Team.

Forward Katie Erwin turned up her play as the season progressed and earned CUSA All-Tournament honors along with USC All-Region Third Team recognition.

The Hilltoppers’ 8-2-2 record on the season was the second best winning percentage in program history at .750. WKU’s defense held opponents to 13 total goals on the season, tied for the second fewest by a WKU team.

In 2019, Neidell and the WKU Soccer program eclipsed 200 wins. Neidell, at the time, was one of only 31 active women's soccer head coaches with 200+ wins in less than 20 seasons. With a 10-7-1 record, Neidell guided his Hilltoppers to a fifth-place finish in Conference USA standings.

Three student-athletes were named to CUSA teams with Ambere Barnett earning First Team All-Conference honors, Kaylyn Bryant being named to the Third Team and Ansley Cate tabbed as All-Freshmen. Barnett was also named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Region First Team.

The 2019 Lady Toppers notched 90 total points (32 goals, 26 assists), tying for the 10th most in program history. The 32 goals were also tied for 10th in the WKU record book and the 19 goals allowed by the Hilltopper defense was the ninth fewest in school history.

On the academic side, two Hilltoppers were named to CUSA All-Academic Teams. Bryant was named to the First Team and Ashely Leonard was tabbed Second Team. Leonard also claimed CoSIDA Academic All-District honors and was awarded the CUSA Spirit of Service Award.

In 2016, WKU enjoyed its finest season to that point since joining Conference USA, posting a 12-6-1 record and finishing third overall in the conference standings. Freshman Chandler Backes became just the fifth player in program history with double-digit goals in one season, and the Lady Toppers surrendered just 13 goals in 19 matches, the second-fewest allowed in a single season in program history. After being selected eighth in the preseason coaches' poll, Neidell earned CUSA Coach of the Year accolades for piloting the Lady Toppers to their third-place finish.

WKU also set a new CUSA record during a six-week stretch during the 2016 season, earning six consecutive Player of the Week awards under Neidell's watch. That streak established a new record as the longest in conference history.

He guided the program to its first Sun Belt Conference regular season title in 2007 and led WKU to its second conference title during the 2013 season. Neidell was named the Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year during each of his championship seasons. In the past nine seasons, Neidell's Lady Toppers reached the championship game of the conference tournament three times. In his 17 seasons, Neidell has led the Lady Toppers to a 187-110-35 record. The 2009 team set a school record for conference victories with nine and he led the 2008 squad to the most victories in program history, finishing 15-2-4.

In 2009, the Lady Toppers set a school record with nine Sun Belt Conference wins and finished tied for second in the conference standings. WKU captured the University of Kentucky Tournament championship with a win over Marshall and a tie against Kentucky, and WKU earned major Sun Belt Conference wins over North Texas and Middle Tennessee. Neidell picked up his 100th career victory on October 4, 2009, at Troy, needing just 167 games to reach the milestone. Also in 2009, Kellie Walker set the new single-season and career assists records and was named the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year, and six Lady Toppers were named to All-Sun Belt Conference teams.

Under Neidell's guidance the 2008 squad finished the season with a record of 15-2-4, the best record in school history. The Lady Toppers finished with a 7-1-3 mark in SBC play, good for third in the conference. Following the season, four players were named to the All-Sun Belt Conference First Team. Rachel Friedman and reigning SBC Player of the Year Morgan Thomas were recognized for their efforts on the defensive side of the ball, and Kellie Walker's offensive output earned her a spot on the team.

Freshman goalkeeper Libby Stout had one of the finest seasons in WKU soccer history in 2008. She was named the program's first-ever freshman All-American, as well as getting a nod on the All-SBC First Team. Stout was tremendous in goal for the Lady Toppers, allowing just nine goals the entire season. She recorded 14 shutouts in 20 matches on the season, which is a school and conference record. Her save percentage of 0.924 was second-highest in the nation, and her goals-against average of 0.426 was good for fourth-best in the country. Stout worked back-to-back shutout matches in the SBC Tournament to help the Lady Toppers reach the tournament finals for the first time in program history.

Neidell earned SBC Coach of the Year honors for leading the 2007 team to a SBC regular-season championship and a 14-3-3 overall record. Newcomers Mallory Outerbridge - the first international player for the Lady Toppers - and Amanda Buechel helped lead the squad to the top spot in the SBC. Outerbridge tied Kristin Cocchiarella for the team's lead in goals (8), while Buechel and Alicia Dalby each recorded hat-tricks on the year. Meredith Goodson led the league as the top goalkeeper, stopping 87 shots and allowing only 14 goals for a 0.73 goals-against average.

In 2001 Neidell was named the First-Year Program Coach of the Year by Soccer Buzz after WKU's 14-5 finish in its inaugural season. The 2002 squad produced the first all-Sun Belt picks in school history, as three players were named to the second team.

Neidell has made a name for himself on the international coaching scene, as well as in collegiate coaching. He piloted the United States open squad to a gold medal in the 2009 Maccabiah World Games in Israel. His team, which included former Lady Topper Catie Chase, defeated the host Israeli team 4-0 in the finals to earn the gold. In January 2004 he guided the United States junior national teams at the Pan American Maccabiah Games in Santiago, Chile, where his Under-17 club captured the gold medal and the Under-20 team brought home the silver. He also coached the junior national team in the 2005 World Maccabiah Games and the open national squad at the 2008 Maccabiah Games in Argentina.

A 1994 graduate of Yale, Neidell helped lead the Bulldogs to a NCAA Final Eight appearance and the New England and Ivy League titles in 1991. He was an Academic All-Ivy League selection in 1993 and won the school's Walter Leeman Award, presented to the student-athlete who best exemplifies leadership, sportsmanship and team play.

After graduation, Neidell played professionally for two seasons with the Tulsa Roughnecks of the United States Professional Soccer League, and one season with the Harrisburg Heat of the National Professional Soccer League. An injury with the Heat led him into the coaching ranks. From 1996-98 he served as a graduate assistant coach at the University of Tulsa. He earned his bachelor's degree in history from Yale and a master's degree in Public Administration from WKU. He and his wife, Kara, were married on May 9, 2009, and welcomed their daughter Quinn to the world in February 2013.

Feautres:
Beyond The Hill podcast (3/22/21)
View From The Hill: WKU Soccer caoch reflects on program's 20th season (WKU News; 2/25/2021)
'This is home for me now': Jason Neidell Crafts Legacy as Architect of WKU women's soccer program (College Heights Herald; 2/4/2020)

Neidell By The Numbers

· 233 wins

· .601 winning percentage (233-146-53)

· 74 All-Conference selections (34 First Team, 29 Second Team, 11 Third Team)

· 24 All-Conference Tournament selections

· 52 Academic All-District/Region selections

· 27 Conference USA All-Academic selections

· 52 Conference Players of the Week

· 6 Academic All-Americans

· 3 Conference Championship Game appearances

· 3 conference regular season titles (1 C-USA, 2 Sun Belt)

· 3x Coach of the Year (2007 and 2013 Sun Belt, 2016 C-USA)

· 3 conference players of the year (Morgan Thomas - 2007, Kellie Walker - 2009, Ambere Barnett - 2020)

Neidell Season-by-Season

Season	Overall Record	Conference Record	Regular Season Finish	Postseason Finish
2001	14-5-0	5-3-0	SBC, 4th	SBCT semifinals
2002	10-9-0	3-4-0	SBC, 5th	SBCT semifinals
2003	11-6-2	5-1-2	SBC, 3rd	SBCT semifinals
2004	10-9-0	4-4-0	SBC, 5th	SBCT first round
2005	7-10-3	4-4-1	SBC, 5th	SBCT seminfinals
2006	11-8-0	7-4-0	SBC, 4th	SBCT first round
2007	14-3-3	8-1-2	SBC, 1st	SBCT semifinals
2008	15-2-4	7-1-3	SBC, 3rd	SBCT finals
2009	14-4-2	9-2-0	SBC, 2nd	SBCT first round
2010	9-8-3	6-5-0	SBC, 5th	SBCT semifinals
2011	13-6-3	7-3-1	SBC, 4th	SBCT finals
2012	12-5-3	6-1-3	SBC, 4th	SBCT semifinals
2013	10-6-5	6-2-0	SBC, 1st	SBCT finals
2014	10-8-0	5-5-0	CUSA, 5th	CUSAT quarterfinals
2015	8-6-5	4-3-3	CUSA, 8th	CUSAT quarterfinals
2016	12-6-1	7-3-0	CUSA, 3rd	CUSAT quarterfinals
2017	7-9-1	4-5-1	CUSA, T-8th	-
2018	5-8-4	3-5-2	CUSA, 10th	-
2019	10-7-1	6-4-0	CUSA 5th	CUSAT quarterfinals
2020	8-2-2	4-0-2	CUSA East, 1st	CUSAT semifinals
2021	10-5-1	5-2-1	CUSA East, 2nd	CUSAT quarterfinals
2022	7-9-3	4-5-1	CUSA, 7th	CUSAT quarterfinals
2023	6-5-7	4-2-2	CUSA, 3rd	CUSAT quarterfinals
Total	233-146-53 (.601)	123-69-24 (.625) 46-34-12 C-USA (.565)