Oregon hires Tracy Joyner from UC Davis as new head coach

EUGENE, Ore. – Tracy Joyner, who built UC Davis into one of the top teams in the Big West Conference, has been selected to lead the Oregon Soccer program as the fifth head coach in the modern era, UO director of athletics Rob Mullens announced.

Joyner is 85-62-20 in nine seasons as a NCAA head soccer coach and 127-77-27 overall. Under her leadership, the Aggie program improved each season, culminating in a 13-5-2 record in 2024 as UC Davis led the Big West in scoring and set a school record for wins in a season as an NCAA Division I program. A year earlier, Joyner was named the Big West Coach of the Year.

“Tracy is a proven winner with the energy and the experience it will take to elevate Oregon Soccer into contenders both in the Big Ten Conference and nationally,” said Mullens. “She has successfully built programs at every level from junior college to Division I and we are excited to have her lead the Oregon Soccer program forward.”

During her tenure at UC Davis, the Aggies were 49-37-8 overall in five seasons and 25-17-6 in the Big West. UC Davis posted a winning record each of Joyner’s final four seasons. The Aggies went 10-8 in 2021, 9-6-4 in 2022 and 10-7-2 in 2023 ahead of the record-setting season in 2024.

Joyner’s last two seasons saw the Aggies go 23-12-4 overall and 12-4-4 in the Big West. UC Davis finished second in the league standings and advanced to the semifinals of the Big West Tournament three consecutive years (2022-24).

The Moraga, Calif., native is also part of an exclusive group of women who have earned the United European Football Association “A” Coaching License. Worldwide, less than one percent of coaches who have attained that level of expertise are female.

“I am beyond excited to embark on this journey and lead this soccer program toward becoming a perennial powerhouse,” said Joyner. “This opportunity is a dream come true, and I’m deeply honored to be entrusted with this responsibility.

“Together, we will build a program rooted in belief, consistency, competitiveness, and trust – values that will drive us to new heights. I’m eager to get started and help shape a team that will not only excel on the field but also serve as a model of excellence, both in the classroom and the community.”

Joyner, who was an all-Pac-10 defender at California, coached two Big West players of the year and produced 15 all-conference honors. Sam Tristan was the league’s 2024 Offensive Player of the Year, while Leslie Fregoso was the Big West Midfielder of the Year in 2023.

The Aggies had four all-Big West selections in 2023 and 2024 after producing three all-conference picks in 2021 and 2022. Joyner also coached five conference all-freshmen selections and four all-region players at UC Davis.

Among the highlights from her time there was the Aggies’ 1-0 upset of No. 5 Santa Clara during the 2022 season. It was the program’s first win against a ranked opponent. During her inaugural season in 2019, she coached UC Davis to its first win at Long Beach State since 1984.

Following a 7-11 record in her first season, the Big West Conference canceled the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns. The Aggies roared back in 2021 with a 10-8 season, their best record in six years. UC Davis went 6-2-2 in the Big West and finished second, an accomplishment the team would repeat the next two years.

The Aggies were 9-6-4 overall in 2022 before an historic 2023 season that saw the program earn Big West coach and midfielder of the year honors for the first time ever with a 10-7-2 record. Joyner’s team led the conference in goal differential (plus-10) and goals against average (0.944), while also ranking second in total goals (27).

UC Davis was even better in Joyner’s final year at the helm, 2024. The 13 wins were the most ever by the Aggies as a Division I program and overall, were the school’s most in 20 years. UC Davis led the Big West in goals (41), assists (40) and points (122).

“I am truly grateful to the athletic department’s search committee and, especially, to Athletic Director Mullens for this incredible opportunity,” said Joyner. “Under his leadership and vision, I am confident that I will have the support needed to help this program move in the direction towards long term success. I look forward to working closely with him and the entire athletic staff as we build something special together.”

As a player, Joyner (then Tracy Hamm) was a four-year letterwinner at Cal from 2002-05. She was a Pac-10 all-conference honoree in 2005 after leading Cal to a 16-4-1 record and helping the Bears advance to the NCAA Third Round – the program’s best finish in three decades.

Joyner was a three-time Pac-10 all-academic team selection (2003-05) and a two-year team captain (2004-05). After playing on the offensive side of the field earlier in her career, Joyner started every match on the back line throughout her final two seasons and helped Cal earn three NCAA Tournament berths (2002, 2004-05).

She led the team with nine goals and was named Cal’s freshman of the year her first season in Berkeley (2002). Joyner scored a hat trick (three goals) against Fresno State that season.

Joyner earned United Soccer Coaches All-West Region honors as part of Cal’s record-setting defense in 2005. That year, the Golden Bears set the school mark for team goals against average (0.48) and shutouts (14). Joyner also recorded an assist during Cal’s 2005 victory (5-0) against Oregon in Eugene.

She was inducted into the Cal Soccer Hall of Fame – known as the “Lair of Legends” – in 2019.

Following her collegiate career, Joyner played for the California Storm in the WPSL (2006-08). With the launch of the Women’s Professional Soccer league in 2008, Joyner was selected 28th overall in the WPS General Draft by the FC Gold Pride. She also represented the Atlanta Beat in 2009.

In May 2022, Joyner was inducted into the California Storm Hall of Fame alongside World Cup and Olympic gold medalists Brandi Chastain and Leslie Osborne, as well as FIFA World Cup Golden Boot winner Sissi from Brazil.

Joyner’s coaching career began at her alma mater, where she was an assistant coach for the 2009 season.

She later took over as head coach at Santa Rosa Junior College from 2012-14, and led the Bear Cubs to a 42-15-7 overall record, the 2012 Big 8 Conference title, and consecutive berths in the second round of the California Community College Athletic Association playoffs.

Joyner was named Big 8 Conference Coach of the Year in 2012 after leading Santa Rosa to a 15-3-3 overall record and the league title. The Bear Cubs followed that campaign with a 14-win season in 2013 and 11 of her student-athletes from that squad earned scholarships to four-year universities.

Joyner then moved up to the NCAA Division II level at San Francisco State where she directed the women’s soccer program to a 36-25-12 record from 2015-18. The Golden Gators had a winning record during all four of Joyner’s seasons, including back-to-back 10-win campaigns in 2017 (10-5-3) and 2018 (10-6-3).

Joyner led San Francisco State to a berth in the 2018 CCAA tournament where the Gators advanced on penalty kicks over Cal State San Marcos in the first round before falling to No. 10 UC San Diego in the semifinals. Her first two seasons saw the Golden Gators post back-to-back winning records for the first time since 2002 with identical 8-7-3 marks in 2015 and 2016.

While at SFSU, Joyner helped student-athletes earn 48 CCAA All-Academic Team awards, 14 All-CCAA women’s soccer honors — including a trio of first-team selections, two United Soccer Coaches all-region selections, and SFSU’s first-ever CCAA Goalkeeper of the Year selection.

While coaching at San Francisco State, Joyner was also the head varsity girls coach at St. Ignatius High School in San Francisco and led the Wildcats to the 2019 West Catholic Athletic League title, a berth in the CIF Central Coast Section championship game and a spot in the CIF Northern California Regionals.

She also served as a coach for the Livermore Fusion Soccer Club (2015-2019) and as the technical director for the Heritage Soccer Club in Pleasant Hill, Calif. (2003-2010).

Joyner graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from California in 2006, and holds two master’s degrees: an Ed.M. in counseling specializing in sport psychology from Boston University (2011) and a master’s in coaching and athletic administration from Concordia University (2014).

Joyner is among a handful of American women to hold the prestigious United European Football Association “A” Coaching License. Her story was highlighted in a short documentary titled ‘Coach’ that premiered in New York in the spring of 2019. Nearly 50,000 coaches currently possess the UEFA “A” License, but only one percent of those are women.

She earned her UEFA “A” License from the Welsh FA in 2019, United States Soccer Federation (USSF) “B” Coaching License in 2017, and United Soccer Coaches National Diploma in 2009.

Joyner also serves on the WIS (Women in Soccer), is a Goal Five Ambassador and has been a keynote speaker at the WPSL Convention.

For more on Joyner, including quotes from other coaches around the country, and her full coaching history and statistics, click here.

Social Media
X: @tracyhamm10
Instagram: tracyjoyner10