Jim Phillips announced the newest member of the Northwestern coaching family Wednesday morning.
The athletic director named Michael Moynihan the women’s soccer coach, replacing Stephanie Foster who Phillips announced would not have her contract renewed in November.
“Michael has had tremendous success building the Milwaukee women’s soccer program into one of the best in the country,” Phillips told NUsports.com. “I am excited about the future of Northwestern women’s soccer under his leadership.”
Moynihan spent his last 15 seasons at Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he led the Panthers to nine NCAA Tournament appearances. His teams won 13 Horizon League regular season conference championships, including the last 12 in a row, marking the second-longest streak in the country behind Penn State’s 14-year run in the Big Ten. Moynihan was named the conference’s coach of the year eight times, including this season, in which he led Wisconsin-Milwaukee to a 19-3-0 record and the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Milwaukee native looks to revive a program which has struggled mightily the last three years with 15 combined wins. The Wildcats haven’t had a winning record in conference play since 2004 and have not made the NCAA Tournament since 1998 when they lost in the Sweet Sixteen to eventual national champion Florida. Moynihan’s Panthers teams went 2-3-2 against the Cats, and the veteran coach said he is ready to take on the next challenge in his career.
“I am excited about their vision to establish Northwestern women’s soccer as an elite program,” Moynihan told NUsports.com. “I can’t wait to get started working to make this vision a reality.”
