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Kia McNeill Selected as Brown Women's Soccer Head Coach
12/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Kia McNeill, an assistant coach at Northeastern University and former assistant at Boston College, where she was also a standout student-athlete, has been named the head women's soccer coach at Brown University in an announcement made by Bears' Director of Athletics Jack Hayes.
"Kia McNeill has achieved success as an assistant coach, professional athlete, and student-athlete, and she is well-prepared to become the leader of her own program," Hayes said. "We are thrilled to welcome her to the Brown."
An assistant coach at Northeastern in the 2014 and 2015 seasons and at Boston College in 2009 and the 2011-13 seasons, McNeill helped those two programs make five NCAA tournament appearances in six seasons, including an Elite Eight and three Sweet 16 appearances at BC.
"I am excited to join the Brown athletics department as the University's next head women's soccer coach," McNeill said. "I appreciate the faith and confidence athletic director Jack Hayes and the search committee have shown in selecting me for this tremendous opportunity. Brown has a great program, and I am looking forward to building upon the foundation that Phil Pincince has established."
McNeill becomes the third head coach in the 41-year history of the Brown women's soccer program and will take over from Phil Pincince, who retired from coaching at the end of the 2015 season after leading the Bears for 39 years.
At Northeastern, McNeill helped lead the Huskies to their most successful season in program history in 2014 as the team won the Colonial Athletic Association regular season and tournament titles before advancing to the second round of the NCAA Championship. In the classroom, the team posted the highest cumulative GPA in NU's athletic department.
While an assistant at Boston College, the team achieved a national ranking of No. 7, and McNeill coached five NSCAA All-Americans, including three-time Hermann Trophy semifinalist Kristie Mewis. Off the field, she organized the most successful charitable fundraiser in team history in support of ALS research.
McNeill played professional women's soccer for six seasons (2008-14) both internationally and in the United States. She played a season in both Sweden and Russia and four seasons in the Women's Professional Soccer League and the National Women's Soccer League in the US. She was the No. 9 pick in the inaugural WPS draft in 2009 and finished her career with the Boston Breakers of the NWSL in 2013-14.
She has also coached with US Women's Soccer Region I and is the Director of Girls Programs at Valeo Futbol Club in Newton, Mass.
As a collegiate student-athlete, McNeill played at BC from 2004-07, earning Big East Rookie of the Year accolades in 2004 and Third Team All-America honors as a senior. She made four straight appearances in the NCAA tournament, advancing as far as the Sweet 16, and garnered the ACC's prestigious post-graduate scholarship, the James-Weaver-Corrigan Award.
A native of Avon, Conn., McNeill was the National Gatorade Player of the Year in 2004 and a two-time NSCAA High School All-American at Avon High School. She earned a bachelor's degree in human development from Boston College in 2008 and an MBA in general management from BC in 2015.
