Oregon State women’s soccer hires assistant coach Nick Stirrett

CORVALLIS – The Oregon State women’s soccer team will welcome distinguished assistant coach Nick Stirrett to its staff for the 2019 season, head coach Matt Kagan announced Friday.

“Today is a great day for Oregon State Women’s Soccer!” Kagan said. “First and foremost Nick is a great person who cares deeply about relationships, character, and connecting with student athletes. I am so thrilled to add him to our staff and to Beaver Nation.  Nick is one of the top young coaches in the country who brings a National Championship pedigree to our group.  His experience in the Power 5 as well as his knowledge of the recruiting landscape around the country will be invaluable to our team and staff.  Our team just got so much better with this addition as we continue to build our culture here at Oregon State!”

Stirrett comes to the Beavers after spending three seasons on the staff at the University of Illinois, where he worked primarily with the team’s goalkeepers and served as the program’s recruiting coordinator. During his tenure, Stirrett helped Clair Wheatley finish her career second in program history in career saves, and coached Jaelyn Cunningham to Second Team Big Ten honors at the goalkeeper position in 2018. Cunningham tallied 106 saves in the 2017 season, the third-best total in team history, and earned a spot at US U20 National Team Camp after the season.

The Illini went 11-7-1 last season, the team’s highest win total since 2013. Illinois finished fifth in the Big Ten and made it to the second round of the conference tournament.

“I want to thank Matt Kagan and Deputy Athletic Director Zack Lassiter for this amazing opportunity to be part of the Oregon State Women’s Soccer program,” said Stirrett. “I’m looking forward to working with, and learning from Matt and Jenny Ruiz-Williams. I truly believe in their vision for the program and developing student-athletes both as players and people. I’m excited to get started.”

Stirrett’s appointment is contingent on the completion of all university hiring processes.

Prior to his time at Illinois, Stirrett spent the 2015 season with the Penn State Nittany Lions. Stirrett helped Penn State to its 17th Big Ten regular season title, sixth Big Ten Tournament title and its first-ever National Championship title during his lone campaign with the squad.

Stirrett spent two seasons as the head men’s soccer coach at the University of Mount Union where he led the Purple Raiders to one of the most successful seasons in program history. His 2013 squad earned 12 wins on its way to a third-place finish in the Ohio Athletic Conference and an appearance in the OAC tournament semifinals.

Before heading to Mount Union, Stirrett held coaching positions at Northern Illinois, DePauw and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.

Stirrett graduated from Augustana College in 2006 with Bachelor’s degrees in both English and History. Stirrett earned his Master’s degree in English in 2008 from Queen’s University in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and holds an NSCAA Advanced National Diploma.