Troy University hires National Championship coach Stuart Gore to lead soccer program

TROY, Ala. – National Championship winning head coach Stuart Gore has been named Troy University’s new women’s soccer, Director of Athletics Brent Jones announced.

Gore comes to Troy with seven years of collegiate head coaching experience, having won 81.3 percent of his games and five conference championships.

“The best indicator of what you can do in the future is what you have done in the past,” said Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr., Chancellor. “Stuart Gore has produced winning teams everywhere he has coached, and we expect him to continue that excellent track record at Troy. He knows we have set ambitious goals for this program, and we believe he is ready for the challenge. Further, Coach Gore understands our culture, which is based on getting the most out of our student-athletes both on the field and in the classroom.”

Gore comes to Troy following a highly successful two-year stint as the head coach at Northwestern State, where he led the Demons to 25 wins, an NCAA Tournament appearance, two Southland Conference Player of the Year honorees and a No. 61 final RPI ranking in 2022.

“Coach Gore is a national champion coach who has won at every level he has coached,” Jones said. “He is an extremely talented recruiter with a deep love for the sport of women’s soccer. His teams play with passion and toughness on the pitch and have succeeded in the classroom and the community. We are excited to get him on campus and working with our amazing student-athletes.”

Under Gore’s leadership, Northwestern State led the country in corners in 2022 and ranked in the top 25 percent nationally in all attacking and defending categories. The Demons finished the 2022 season with a 12-4-3 overall record. Additionally, Gore added Gracie Armstrong to the program as a graduate transfer, and she would go on to earn Southland Conference Player of the Year honors after scoring 26 points with nine goals and eight assists.

“I’m excited to come to Troy and lead this program,” Gore said. “The vision for the future of Troy Soccer, presented by Brent Jones and Chancellor Hawkins, shows the potential for the growth of the soccer program to compete for championships in the Sun Belt Conference. I want to thank Mr. Jones, Dr. Hawkins, and the rest of the search committee for placing their trust in me to lead Troy Soccer and its student-athletes.”

Armstrong’s honor was the second in as many years for Gore and the Demons after Olivia Draguicevich was named the SLC Player of the Year in 2021. Northwestern State won the SLC regular season and tournament championships to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005. The regular season championship was the program’s first since 2000 and earned Gore SLC Coach of the Year honors.

The Demons’ goalkeeper Acelya Aydogmus posted 12 shutouts during the championship season, the second-most in the country, while Draguicevich’s seven game-winning goals also ranked second nationally.

Between his tenures as head coach at Northwestern State and Northwestern Ohio, Gore served as the associate head coach at North Dakota (2020) and James Madison (2018-19).

Gore built the Northwestern Ohio program from the ground up, leading the Racers to an NAIA National Championships, four straight NAIA Final Four appearances, a 100-15-5 overall record, a national player of the year and 23 All-Americans.

He had immediate success in the program’s inaugural season, leading Northwestern Ohio to a 15-5-1 record, springboarding the program to four straight 20-win seasons before he moved on to James Madison.

It took just three seasons for Gore to lead the Racers to the NAIA National Championship Game and 16 shutouts (most in the country) and then in Gore’s fourth season, he brought a National Championship to the program. The 2016 squad led the country with 20 shutouts, boasting the National Player of the Year and five All-Americans.

Prior to Northwestern Ohio, Gore accumulated coaching experience at every level of soccer. Before joining the Racers, he was the head coach for the Philadelphia Fever of the WPSL (2011-12) and the Director of Coaching at Washington United Soccer Club (2009-12).

As a player, Gore represented England at nearly every youth level, playing for his country’s U14 through U18 teams from 1993-2001, in addition to competing with Leeds United from 1996-2000. In America, Gore was a two-time all-conference pick at Montevallo, before signing a professional contract with UD Lorca of the Spanish Segunda División.

Collegiate Coaching History
2022 – Northwestern State (Head Coach) – 12-4-3 (No. 61 RPI)
2021 – Northwestern State (Head Coach) – 13-6-1 (Southland Conference Champions)
2020 – North Dakota (Associate Head Coach)
2019 – James Madison (Associate Head Coach)
2018 – James Madison (Associate Head Coach / CAA Regular Season Champions)
2017 – Northwestern Ohio (Head Coach) – 20-3-1 (NAIA Semifinals)
2016 – Northwestern Ohio (Head Coach) – 23-2-1 (NAIA National Champions)
2015 – Northwestern Ohio (Head Coach) – 20-3-2 (NAIA Semifinals)
2014 – Northwestern Ohio (Head Coach) – 22-2-1 (NAIA Championship Game)
2013 – Northwestern Ohio (Head Coach) – 15-5-1 (Program’s Inaugural Season)