Top-30 ranked South Alabama welcomes Chris Hennessey as new head coach

MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama has named Chris Hennessey as the sixth women’s soccer head coach in program history, Athletic Director Dr. Joel Erdmann announced.

South Alabama is coming off a season in which the Jaguars finished in the 30 nationally in the NCAA’s Rating Percentage Index (RPI), as they posted a 16-1-3 overall record. Hennessey steps in as head coach following the departure of Richard Moodie, who recently accepted the head coaching position at Purdue.

“Following an extensive and very competitive search, we are extremely excited to welcome Chris Hennessey as our new head women’s soccer coach,” Erdmann said. “His experience and demonstrated level of consistent excellence speaks for itself. His authentic concern for the good of the student-athletes he coaches, combined with many other coaching intangibles, made him the obvious choice for our position.”

Hennessey comes to Mobile after spending the last nine seasons as the head coach at Lee University, where he posted a 130-31-21 record and eight NCAA Division II Tournament appearances.

“I am sincerely grateful to Dr. Erdmann and the entire search committee for placing their trust in me to lead the women’s soccer program at South Alabama,” said Hennessey. “As I step into this role, I am excited about the journey ahead and committed to building upon the success achieved here over the past few years. I loved my time at Lee and want to thank all the players I have had the privilege of coaching over the past nine years. A special thanks goes to Dr. Conn, Dr. Walker and Larry Carpenter for their support in helping Lee soccer become what it is today.”

During the 2023 season, Hennessey led the Lady Flames to a 16-1-4 record, en route to their third Gulf South Conference Championship and a bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament, where they suffered their lone loss of the season.

Hennessey is responsible for the development of Lady Flames defender Kate Dirkse, who was named a 2023 United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-American and a First Team Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2 CCA) All-American, the second straight year the defender has earned the CCA honor. Dirske was also named GSC Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-GSC.

During his nine-year stint leading the Lady Flames, Hennessey and his squad made two NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearances – 2016 and 2018 – and one Final Four appearance in 2018. Hennessey has also led the Lady Flames to three Gulf South Conference Tournament titles and four Gulf South regular season titles.

Hennessey, a native of Manchester, England, was named the Gulf South Conference Coach of the Year in 2021, following a 19-0-1 record. The Lee women’s soccer staff also earned the United Soccer Coaches South Region Staff of the Year honor the same season.

Prior to his head coaching position, Hennessey was an assistant for the Lady Flames program from 2013-15. During that stint, Hennessey also served as the assistant director of the Chattanooga Futbol Club. From 2009-13, he was the executive director of the Central Maine United Soccer Club.

A 2009 graduate of Lee University, Hennessey was a defender for the Lee men’s soccer team from 2006-09. He met his wife, Jenae, while attending Lee. The couple are parents to two daughters, Emory Blake and Sutton Elizabeth, and one son, Brewer.