Cal Adds Vanessa Valentine To Staff

BERKELEY – California women's soccer head coach Neil McGuire announced the addition of Vanessa Valentine to the staff as an assistant coach on Tuesday.
 
Valentine brings a wealth of experience as both a head coach and an assistant in the Pac-12 to the Bears. Most recently, Valentine was the head coach for the LA Galaxy San Diego WPSL Team where she recruited some of the top collegiate players in the country to join her semi-pro team.
 
"We are very pleased to have Vanessa join us," McGuire said. "She is first and foremost a first-class person, but she will also prove to be an outstanding role model for our student-athletes."
 
Valentine spent two seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Oregon State in 2017 and 2018. In her first year, she helped the Beavers to an eighth-place finish in the Pac-12 as they went 4-4-3 in the friendly confines of Corvallis. While with the Beavers, she coached U.S. Youth National ID training sessions and National ID training camps. She also led video analysis of the team and opponents.
 
"I am so excited to join the Cal family," Valentine said. "Cal has a tradition as one of the top programs in the country and I am grateful to Neil and the administration for this opportunity. I can't wait to get started."
 
During the 2016 season, Valentine coached at Seattle Pacific as she helped them to an 11-5-4 record and a berth in the NCAA D-II Playoffs. She helped the team make the championship game of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Tournament. She helped the Falcons to a 3.528 team GPA, the highest of any SPU athletic team that season. She also served as the recruiting coordinator for the soccer team.
 
Valentine also coached at Cal Poly Pomona as both an assistant coach and later a head coach. She helped the D-II school to a 15-6-1 record in her first year as an assistant, a nine-win improvement from the previous season that helped Cal Poly Pomona qualify for the round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament and finish with the second-best ranking in school history at No. 16. As the acting head coach at Cal Poly Pomona the following season, Valentine led the Broncos to a 9-7-2 record. She was also impactful in the classroom as she helped her team record a team GPA above 3.4, the second-best of any program.
 
Valentine's first coaching job was at Hope International as she had a two-year stint with the Royals in 2011 and 2012. During her tenure, she helped the team improve by three wins from her first season to her second season. She also helped Hope International secure back-to-back 13-0 wins in a historic offensive showing.
 
She has also spent time coaching youth soccer at a variety of age ranges for some of the most decorated clubs in Southern California, including three different U.S. Soccer Development Academies.
 
As a player, Valentine was a three-time All-Big West honoree while playing for Cal State Fullerton where she was also a three-time team captain for the Titans. Valentine played professionally in the WPSL for 10 years, spending time with Beach FC, LA Strikers, San Diego United and the Colorado Force. She also played one season with the Philadelphia Independence in the NWSL. Valentine is currently a member of the USA Women's National Beach Soccer Team.
 
Valentine has a USSF National "C" Coaching License. She graduated from Cal State Fullerton in 2006 with a B.S. in kinesiology and an emphasis in sports psychology.
 
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