Kirsten Lawrence
Kirsten Lawrence

Position:
Assistant Coach
Alma Mater:
Aberdeen (2004)

Kirsten Lawrence, who has served as an assistant coach at the University of Pittsburgh for the last three seasons, is in her first season as an assistant at Loyola University Chicago. Lawrence is no stranger to first-year Loyola head coach Barry Bimbi since both individuals served as assistant coaches on the Pittsburgh staff together for the last three years. The Aberdeen, Scotland native helped the Panthers to their first-ever Top 25 ranking during the 2009 campaign.

"With the timing of my hire and not having a spring season to train the team, we are very fortunate to add Kirsten to our program," Bimbi said. "Kirsten is a very talented coach, is great with the girls, and shares the same vision for Loyola soccer that I do. I am excited to add her to the staff."

At Pittsburgh, Lawrence's work was instrumental in the 2009 squad posting the first-ever winning season in program history as the Panthers finished with an 8-5-5 overall record and established a school record with 10 shutouts. During her three seasons on the Pitt staff, Lawrence helped produce five All-Big East Conference honorees and the 2009 squad was the 14th-most improved NCAA Division I team in the country.

Prior to her three-year stay at Pittsburgh, Lawrence was an assistant coach at Campbell University from 2006-08. In two seasons coaching soccer at Campbell, a total of 21 players earned Atlantic Sun Conference All-Academic honors. During the 2005-06 season, she filled the role of graduate assistant swimming coach at Campbell.

Lawrence, who was a member of the Scottish U19 team in 2001 and 2002, holds a USSF National "B" Coaching License, a NSCAA Advanced National Diploma, a NSCAA State Goalkeeping Diploma and a Scottish Football Association Early Touches coaching license.

In addition to her coaching experience at the collegiate level, Lawrence has also honed her skills at the club level, most recently serving as the head coach for Century Untied SC Girls 94/95 in Pittsburgh, Pa. She coached that squad to the regular-season Pennsylvania West Division I championship.

A 2004 graduate of the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, Lawrence also owns a master's degree from Campbell.