The University of Akron Athletics
Women's Soccer
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- womenssoccer@uakron.edu
- Phone:
- (330) 972-7651
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Herlihy took over on the sidelines as the head coach of The University of Akron’s women’s soccer program in 2015. In that span of time rebuilding the Zips program, Herlihy has guided the team to three Mid-American Conference Tournament postseason appearances.
The 2019 season saw Akron advance to its second consecutive MAC postseason tournament, it’s third in the past five seasons, and it’s sixth appearance in program history. In 2015 Akron advanced to the semi-final round for the first time in program history. In 2018 Akron finished the regular season in sixth place and made a quarterfinal appearance. Most recently in2019, the Zips continued to progress under Herlihy’s tutelage with another step up the conference table tied for fourth, and the best MAC winning percentage in a decade. The Zips also garnered another appearance in the MAC Tournament before a heartbreaking double overtime loss in the quarterfinals.
It is evident to see the turn-a-round of the program since her arrival. “I am very pleased with the progress we have made in the past few years. To go from last place to sixth, to fourth shows that. The staff and I have been fully focused in knowing what we need to continue to move the Akron women’s soccer program forward, but we are far from done,” said Herlihy. “To do it right, it takes time, however, we know we are headed in the right direction with a solid foundation taking place. We are at a point where players understand the expectation and demands that are required of them to compete at this level. We are excited to see where we can go next season!”
Coach Herlihy, who had 250 career wins and 19 consecutive winning seasons prior to her arrival to Akron, took charge of her first season in 2015. Herlihy, a three-time Hall of Fame Inductee as a player and a coach, a former National Team player, and Collegiate All-American, is no stranger to success.
Herlihy joined the Zips after 20 seasons as the head coach at Slippery Rock where she led the program to 19 consecutive winning seasons, which ranks as the eighth-best in Division II history, and 18 seasons with 10 or more wins. With a record of 250-113-30, she is one of just 11 coaches in NCAA Division II history to record at least 250 career wins.
Herlihy transformed Slippery Rock into a state, regional, and national power. During her tenure, SRU won three Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championships while advancing to the NCAA Division II playoffs eight times, the NCAA Round of 16 three times, and the NCAA Elite 8 in 2013.
The results were phenomenal at SRU. Since 2001, The Rock women’s program averaged 13.6 wins per season and made 12 appearances in the PSAC playoffs. During that span, the team also received eight NCAA tournament berths, claimed three PSAC regular season titles and three Conference championships.
Herlihy’s recruiting and coaching abilities are reflected in the fact that she has coached several players who have earned NSCAA All-America acclaim, including a pair of first-team selections, 20 All-Region performers, a two-time PSAC women’s soccer Athlete of the Year, two other conference MVPs, and 38 student-athletes who have earned All-PSAC recognition.
The 2014 season was another banner year for Rock women’s soccer under Herlihy as SRU concluded its season as one of the top teams in the region. SRU earned a PSAC Tournament berth after tallying a record of 11-6-1 despite sporting one of the youngest rosters in the PSAC with 13 underclassmen. For their efforts, four Slippery Rock student-athletes earned All-Conference honors and one was named to the Daktronics All-Region team. Nicole Krueger became the program’s second student-athlete named Academic All-American.
In only her second season (1996), Herlihy tutored The Rock squad to a 14-5 record and led the team to 19 consecutive winning seasons.
Herlihy’s leadership efforts did not go unnoticed. She was recognized by her peers as the 1996 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Coach of the Year.
A year later, SRU officials asked Herlihy to accept the added role of men’s head coach and undertake the challenge of rebuilding that program.
The first woman to lead the SRU men’s program, Herlihy served as a dual-team coach for four seasons before re-focusing her full attention on the women’s team in 2001. Simultaneously to the women’s meteoric sprint to success, Herlihy engineered the rebirth of The Rock men’s program. Her first men’s squad finished the 1997 season with a 10-8 record, doubling the win total from the previous season.
The Rock Women’s postseason success started in 2000, when Slippery Rock made its first appearance in the PSAC playoffs. The following season, The Rock took a larger and more significant leap as it garnered its first NCAA regional tournament berth.
But the Green and White were not satisfied with just getting there. They also scored an opening-round win and, thus, earned a berth in the regional final in its first trip to the national playoffs.
The 2001 season was also a significant one for Herlihy personally. She recorded her 100th career win on Sept. 16, 2001, during a sweep of a women’s/men’s doubleheader against PSAC rival Shippensburg.
In 2003, The Rock added the PSAC regular-season and playoff championships and a second trip to NCAA postseason competition to its collection in course of compiling a 15-3-2 won-lost ledger that, at the time, stood as the most victories in school history.
In recognition of her coaching efforts that season, Herlihy received another PSAC Coach of the Year honor and was named as the NSCAA Regional Coach of the Year.
The Rock women followed up that memorable 10th anniversary season effort with a PSAC-Western Division regular-season title and a conference semifinal appearance in 2004.
Herlihy’s playing career was headlined by her selection to the Irish National Team from 1985-88, where she played in the European qualifiers against the likes of England, Scotland, Holland, and Sweden.
She was also named to a pair of All-America honors, selected as an Academic All-American and earned four All-Region honors at Mercyhurst.
Herlihy began her undergrad work at Massasoit Community College in Massachusetts, where she played basketball and soccer before earning an Associate Degree in liberal arts. She then transferred to Mercyhurst where she graduated in 1992 with a bachelor’s degree in sports medicine. She continued her education while coaching at The Rock and received a master’s degree in sports administration from Slippery Rock in 2004.
Following her graduation from Mercyhurst, Herlihy remained at the school for two seasons as an assistant women’s soccer coach. She helped the 1993 and 1994 Lakers to the NCAA Division II final four before becoming the head coach at Slippery Rock in 1995.
Herlihy’s contributions to every program she has been associated with have been recognized being inducted into the Mercyhurst University Hall of Fame in 2005. She was also inducted into the Massasoit Hall of Fame in the Class of 2011, and most recently was inducted into the Slippery Rock University Hall of Fame in 2017.
On top of her coaching efforts, Herlihy also oversaw the SRU Athletes for Forgotten Angels group. The Forgotten Angels project is an impressive community service group made up of student-athletes from several Slippery Rock’s sports teams. The group traveled to Haiti twice to deliver school supplies and teach youth sports clinics. It also traveled to New Orleans to help with the fallout of Hurricane Katrina, took valuable educational materials and taught sports camps in St. Lucia, and traveled to Nairobi, Kenya, in January 2014 to work at Hekima Place, a home in Kenya for girls orphaned primarily by HIV/AIDS.
NOREEN HERLIHY'S CAREER FILE
Slippery Rock (1995-2014)
University of Akron (2015-Pres.)
Career Record: 281-175-45
| Year | Wins | Losses | Ties | Season Notes |
| 1995 | 5 | 13 | 1 | |
| 1996 | 14 | 5 | 0 | |
| 1997 | 9 | 8 | 1 | |
| 1998 | 10 | 7 | 0 | |
| 1999 | 13 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2000 | 11 | 6 | 1 | PSAC Semifinals |
| 2001 | 14 | 5 | 0 | PSAC Tournament/NCAA 2nd Round |
| 2002 | 10 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2003 | 15 | 3 | 2 | PSAC Champion/NCAA 1st Round |
| 2004 | 13 | 3 | 5 | PSAC Semifinals |
| 2005 | 13 | 5 | 3 | PSAC Champion |
| 2006 | 12 | 7 | 1 | PSAC Semifinals/NCAA 1st Round |
| 2007 | 17 | 5 | 1 | PSAC Runner-Up/NCAA 2nd Round |
| 2008 | 14 | 7 | 1 | PSAC Quarterfinals/NCAA 2nd Round |
| 2009 | 10 | 5 | 3 | |
| 2010 | 14 | 3 | 5 | PSAC Semifinals/NCAA 2nd Round |
| 2011 | 16 | 5 | 2 | PSAC Semifinals/NCAA Sweet 16 |
| 2012 | 14 | 6 | 3 | PSAC Champion/NCAA Sweet 16 |
| 2013 | 15 | 4 | 2 | PSAC Quarterfinals/NCAA Quarterfinals |
| 2014 | 11 | 6 | 1 | PSAC Quarterfinals |
| 2015 | 6 | 13 | 2 | MAC Semifinals |
| 2016 | 4 | 11 | 4 | |
| 2017 | 2 | 13 | 4 | |
| 2018 | 8 | 10 | 2 | MAC Quarterfinals |
| 2019 | 8 | 10 | 2 | MAC Quarterfinals |
| 2020 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
8-19-21
