Caroline Kelly named head coach of Oregon State women’s soccer, removing interim tag

CORVALLIS, Ore. – The interim tag has been removed and Caroline Kelly will remain in Corvallis as the Head Coach of Beaver women’s soccer, Oregon State Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Scott Barnes announced.

“I’m thrilled to announce that Coach Kelly will remain at the helm of our women’s soccer program,” Barnes said. “Her passion for the game, commitment to our student-athletes and impressive leadership skills have already made a remarkable impact on the program and I’m excited to continue watching this team grow under her direction.”

Named the Interim Head Coach on July 9, Kelly made an instant impact during her first season, which included notable improvements on both sides of the ball, a six-game unbeaten streak and three-win improvement.

“I love the Beaver family and Corvallis community and couldn’t imagine being a head coach anywhere else,” Kelly said. “We built a strong foundation for the future this fall, but the job isn’t done yet and I’m excited to continue working with our incredible student-athletes, administration and Beaver Nation toward taking this program to new heights.”

The offense in 2024 improved its goalscoring total by 37.5%, finding the back of the net 22 times, while defensively the Beavers allowed eight fewer goals and had one of the best defenses during conference play, allowing 10 goals in 10 games, which tied for second-best in the WCC.

Oregon State defeated No. 11 Santa Clara, 2-1, on Senior Day at Paul Lorenz Field, claiming the program’s first win over a ranked opponent since Sept. 30, 2021. Having played No. 20 Pepperdine to a 1-1 draw the week prior, the Beavers claimed points against ranked opponents in consecutive games for the first time since 2012.

Prior to being named Interim Head Coach, Kelly spent three seasons as an assistant at OSU.

She helped the Beaver defense post seven clean sheets in 2023 for the second time in the previous 10 years, while coaching Hailey Coll to a pair of top two finishes in the Pac-12, both in saves and saves per game, during the 2022 season. Kelly was also part of the staff who guided the Beavers to a victory over No. 7 Stanford in 2021, which came after an impressive 8-0 start to the season.

Kelly joined the Beavers after coaching stints at Cincinnati, Army, Dartmouth and South Carolina.

A goalkeeper during her collegiate career, she set Virginia Tech records for career goals against average (0.628) and season goals against average (.690). She spent her final year of eligibility at South Carolina, making 12 starts.

Following her collegiate career, Kelly played one season for the Women’s Premier Soccer League’s Boston Breakers Reserves. She allowed 0.57 goals per contest on the season, while posting a 13-1-0 record to pace the squad to a WPSL championship.

Kelly graduated magna cum laude with a bachelors’ degree from Virginia Tech and earned a master’s degree in sport and entertainment management from South Carolina.