| Matt Potter |
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Entering his fifth season at the helm of the Washington State women's soccer program, head coach Matt Potter continues to build a solid and competitive program as he looks to take Cougar soccer to the postseason.
Potter's 2006 Cougars compiled a 9-7-4 overall mark, giving the fifth-year coach his third-straight winning season. After blanking eight opponents in 2005, the WSU defense tied the school record with 10 shutouts in 2006. WSU also posted its second-best Pac-10 finish and best since 2002 after finishing fourth place with a 4-3-2 record in league play in 2006.
In 2005 the Cougars won 11 matches for just the sixth time in school history and finished the season with an overall record of 11-7-2, the best WSU finish since 2002.
"We have been primed to take another step for a couple of years but fallen short of getting into the NCAA tournament," Potter said. "We have accomplished some great things and had some great moments but our consistency and results needed to be better. I feel this team has the right tools and ability. We are at a level in which we are more complete. Last year we were a very good product, returning the majority of that group with a full year of experience behind them, coupled with the additions we have made makes for a very exciting time in Cougar soccer."
In his four years at WSU, Potter has compiled a 34-32-12 overall record and 13-16-7 league mark. He has coached nine all-conference honorees and 46 Pac-10 All-Academic honorees.
"I've been very blessed with the staff I have to work with as well as all those in the athletic department. I feel very fortunate to be in my position and I am cognizant of the fact that we are here to win soccer games. On a more important level, however, we are here to develop student-athletes and young women that can go on to bigger and better things when they leave. I truly believe our total package makes Washington State a unique and unparalleled experience for any student athletes."
Potter is a USSAF "A" licensed coach and is currently the Region IV Olympic Development Program (ODP) head coach for the girls '88 age group and has been on the regional ODP staff since 1998. Potter earned the Preliminary and Teaching Awards from the English Football Association.
Before coming to WSU, Potter was the head of the Scottsdale Community College women's soccer team. In just one season at Scottsdale, he led the Artichokes to a 9-7-1 record and to the 2002 ACCAC playoffs.
Potter spent eight years with the Sereno Soccer Club in Arizona where he served as a head coach and trainer. He led his '88 girls team to a Region IV regional second place finish, three third place finishes and four Arizona state titles. His `88 team was consistently ranked as one of the top 10 teams in the nation, and both his `88 team and `84 girls squad were ranked as top ten teams in Region IV over a five-year period. His `84 team took state seven years in a row. Nine of Potter's players made the Region IV regional team and three made the youth national team pool.
As a central midfielder, Potter competed at the top level of soccer, playing professionally for the Watford F.C. in England. He was a member of the West London squad that won the National British Colleges title in 1991 and played on the Great Britain Students squad, a team made of top college players. Potter also represented England at the U-19 International level. Potter also worked as a community director with the Brentford Football Club in London.
Befitting his educational background, Potter places much emphasis on academics and guides his players on how to excel in the classroom as well as on the playing field. After graduation from West London College in 1992 with an honors degree in physical education and religious, social and moral education, Potter took a position with Noga Soccer in New York and Arizona in 1993, coaching, establishing and developing a curriculum and coordinating clinics and camps.
Potter, a native of Mere, England, is married to Olga and has three stepdaughters, Marissa, Andrea, Valerie and a daughter, Cassidy.
