University of Minnesota director of goalkeeping hired by Kansas City NWSL club

MINNEAPOLIS – University of Minnesota women’s soccer director of goalkeeping Alli Lipsher has joined the coaching staff for the Kansas City expansion team based out of the National Women’s Soccer League. Lipsher will serve as Kansas City’s goalkeeper coach in their inaugural season of competition.

“We are thrilled for Alli and thank her for all she has invested in Gopher Soccer the past few years,” said head coach Stefanie Golan. “Alli has such a passion for the game that she helps to foster in those around her. She fully invests in elevating individual and team performance, and we are so excited to watch her do that at the next level.”

Having joined the Gophers in July of 2018, Lipsher has spent two-plus years coaching the goalkeepers at Minnesota. Lipsher’s tenure featured a Big Ten Tournament Championship during her debut 2018 season, during which starting goalkeeper Maddie Nielsen recorded three-straight shutouts in the Big Ten Tournament, earning Big Ten Tournament Defensive Most Outstanding Player and Big Ten All-Tournament Team honors. In 2019, Lipsher coached Nielsen to additional success, as the Gopher keeper finished the season with 74 saves, featuring back-to-back shutout against Ohio State (Sept. 29) and Michigan State (Oct. 3), and allowing just one goal over a stretch of four games (313 minutes) from Sept. 29 to Oct. 11.

After gaining additional coaching experience at Minnesota following stops at Trinity College, East Carolina and Arizona, Lipsher is now bound for the professional soccer realm as the newly-hired goalkeeper coach for Kansas City. This past fall, Lipsher also served as the first-ever director of goalkeeping for Minneapolis City Soccer Club of the National Premier Soccer League.

“We are grateful for our time with her and are fully behind her as she takes the next step in her career,” said Golan.