COACHING STAFF
Women's Soccer Head Coach
ERIN CHASTAIN
Erin Chastain enters her sixth season as head coach of the Minnesota women’s soccer program in 2026.
A four-year starter and three-year captain for the Golden Gophers in the 1990s, Chastain is the fifth head coach in program history. The Plymouth, Minn., native earned her bachelor’s degree in International Business from the Carlson School of Management in 1997.
In her first season as head coach (2021), Chastain guided Minnesota to an 8-6-3 record, including an unbeaten 4-0-3 mark in non-conference play to open the year. The Golden Gophers finished the season with nine shutouts and were the last NCAA Division I team to concede a goal, doing so in the eighth match of the season. At home, Minnesota outscored its opponents 18-7, finishing with a 5-3-2 record at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium.
Offensively, Minnesota ranked second in the Big Ten in goals scored (19 in 10 matches) and had 10 different players record at least one goal. Notable victories included a 4-1 home win over Penn State on Oct. 3, which handed the Nittany Lions their worst conference loss in nearly a decade, and a 5-0 shutout against Illinois.
In her second season (2022), Chastain led the Gophers to an 8-8-3 record, earning the program’s first Big Ten Tournament berth since 2018. Minnesota did not concede more than two goals in any match and earned its first result against a top-10 opponent (No. 8 Rutgers) since 2015. Graduate transfer Gabbie Cesarone earned recognition as a CSC Academic All-American, the first Gopher to achieve this since April Bockin in 2018, and was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team and All-Tournament Team.
In 2023, Chastain’s squad posted a 7-6-4 record, competing against three top-25 teams. The Gophers outshot their opponents 264-141 and outscored them 26-16. Following the season, four players earned All-Big Ten honors: captain Sophia Boman and graduate transfer Megan Nemec (Second Team), Kate Childers (All-Freshman Team), and Elizabeth Overberg (Sportsmanship Award).
The 2024 season marked Chastain’s most successful to date. Minnesota finished with a 14-5-3 record and a final national ranking of No. 17, with Chastain earning her 150th career win with a 3-0 victory over Michigan. The Gophers posted an undefeated regular-season home record (7-0-2) for the first time since 2008. Minnesota also earned three top-25 wins, including victories over No. 8 Ohio State (3-2), No. 11 Iowa (2-1), and No. 14 South Carolina (2-1). The Gophers drew 2-2 against No. 24 Southern California, handing the Trojans their only non-win of the regular and conference seasons.
After finishing the regular season with a No. 22 RPI ranking, Minnesota hosted the first round of the NCAA Tournament, defeating South Dakota State 2-0. The team advanced to the Chapel Hill Regional, where they defeated South Carolina to reach the Sweet 16, only to fall to eventual College Cup Champion North Carolina.
Chastain’s leadership paved the way for her players to earn conference, regional, and national recognition. Khyah Harper was named a United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-American, Big Ten Forward of the Year, and a semifinalist for the prestigious MAC Hermann Trophy—Minnesota’s first-ever semifinalist. Four other Gophers—Sophia Boman (First Team), Paige Kalal (Second Team), Ashley Thurk (Freshman Team), and Elizabeth Overberg (Sportsmanship Award)—were also recognized by the Big Ten. Boman, Harper, and Overberg earned CSC Academic All-American honors, and were joined by Kate Childers, Evelyn Calhoon, and Sophia Romine in earning CSC Academic All-Region honors. A total of 17 Gophers were named to the Academic All-Big Ten list.
In 2025, Chastain and her staff welcomed nine freshmen and four transfers ahead of the season. The squad finished with a 6-8-3 overall record, including a 2-6-3 mark in conference play.
Over the course of the season, three Gophers earned Big Ten weekly honors, all for the first time in their careers. Kate Childers was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 2 after scoring the game-winning goal against Marquette. That same week, Freya Jupp was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after scoring against Marquette and netting a brace against Brown on the road in a 2-0 win.
Goalkeeper Sarah Martin earned conference recognition on Oct. 14 after recording a combined 18 saves against No. 9 UCLA and USC. Against the Bruins, she posted a career-high 12 saves. Martin ended her redshirt sophomore year ranked second in the Big Ten in total saves (92) and saves per game (5.41).
Martin also was named the Gophers’ Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honoree.
Chastain brings over 20 years of coaching experience to Minnesota, including 14 years as head coach at DePaul. Under her leadership, DePaul posted a record of 78-44-26 over her final eight seasons, winning the Big East regular-season title in 2014 and 2016 and the Big East Tournament in 2014. The Blue Demons earned NCAA Tournament berths in 2013 and 2014 and were nationally ranked for the first time in program history (No. 20 in 2009), climbing to a program-record No. 7 in 2014.
In 2014, Chastain led DePaul to the best season in program history, finishing with a 16-1-4 record and the fifth-best winning percentage in the country. The Blue Demons set a school record with a 20-match unbeaten streak, and Chastain was named Big East Coach of the Year. She also earned NSCAA Northeast Region Coach of the Year honors in 2013 and 2014.
Chastain served on the NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship Committee and recruited and developed five conference players of the year at DePaul. She also coached one All-American, four Academic All-Americans, one MAC Hermann Trophy candidate, and one Senior CLASS Finalist.
Before her time at DePaul, Chastain spent five seasons as an assistant coach at Santa Clara, where she helped the Broncos reach the NCAA Championship game in 2002, the semifinals in 2004, and the quarterfinals in 2005. She also played a key role in recruiting, landing three top-four ranked classes from 2002 to 2006. Prior to Santa Clara, she was the top assistant coach at Northwestern for three seasons.
As a player, Chastain (then Hussey) was a four-year starter and three-year captain for the Golden Gophers from 1993 to 1996. She played in all 82 matches during her career and ranks in the top 10 in program history in several categories, including points (7th with 83), goals (8th with 29), assists (tied for 7th with 25), game-winning goals (tied for 6th with 10), and shots (tied for 10th with 178). Chastain earned All-Big Ten honors in 1995 (Second Team) and 1996 (First Team) and was named All-Great Lakes Region Third Team in 1996. She helped lead Minnesota to the 1995 Big Ten Championship and NCAA Tournament appearances in both 1995 and 1996. Off the field, she was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and earned Academic All-District honors in 1996.
Chastain and her husband, Chad, have two daughters, Harper and Brooklyn. Chad’s sister, Brandi, is a legendary figure in U.S. soccer, having helped lead the United States to the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup title.
Women's Soccer Associate Head Coach
MAYA HAYES
Maya Hayes enters her sixth season on staff with the Gopher soccer program heading into 2026, having assumed her current duties in July 2020 while working primarily with the forwards. Hayes was promoted to associate head coach in 2024 after spending four seasons as an assistant.
Since 2020, Hayes has helped coach 13 Gophers to earn All-Big Ten honors. Notably, in 2024, she helped guide forward Khyah Harper to one of the most successful seasons a Gopher forward has had to date. Harper finished 2024 with 40 points and 17 goals, naming her a United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-American. Harper was selected as Big Ten Forward of the Year, and a semifinalist for the prestigious MAC Hermann Trophy, Minnesota’s first-ever semifinalist. Harper now competes for Gotham FC in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).
During Hayes’ first season in Dinkytown, Minnesota finished 5-4-3 overall and 5-3-3 in Big Ten play during the 2020-21 season. The Maroon and Gold wrapped up the year at the Big Ten Regional weekend under former head coach Stephanie Golan.
In her second season (2021), under current head coach Erin Chastain, Hayes helped guide Minnesota to an 8-6-3 record, including an unbeaten 4-0-3 mark in nonconference play to open the year. Offensively, Minnesota ranked second in the Big Ten in goals scored (19 in 10 matches) and had 10 different players record at least one goal.
In 2022, Hayes assisted Minnesota to an 8-8-3 record, earning the program’s first Big Ten Tournament berth since 2018. Minnesota did not concede more than two goals in any match and earned its first result against a top-10 opponent (No. 8 Rutgers) since 2015.
During 2023, Minnesota posted a 7-6-4 record while competing against three top-25 teams. The Gophers outshot their opponents 264-141 and outscored them 26-16.
Hayes helped lead the Golden Gophers to new heights in 2024, finishing with a 14-5-3 record and a final national ranking of No. 17. The Gophers posted an undefeated regular-season home record (7-0-2) for the first time since 2008 and earned three top-25 wins, including victories over No. 8 Ohio State (3-2), No. 11 Iowa (2-1), and No. 14 South Carolina (2-1). Minnesota also drew 2-2 against No. 24 Southern California, handing the Trojans their only non-win of the regular and conference seasons.
After finishing the regular season with a No. 22 RPI ranking, Minnesota hosted the first round of the NCAA Tournament, defeating South Dakota State 2-0. The team advanced to the Chapel Hill Regional, where they defeated South Carolina to reach the Sweet 16 before falling to eventual College Cup champion North Carolina.
In 2025, Minnesota welcomed nine freshmen and four transfers ahead of the season. The squad finished with a 6-8-3 overall record, including a 2-6-3 mark in conference play.
Hayes joined the Gophers after spending two seasons as a graduate assistant coach for the Auburn women’s soccer program. During her tenure, the Tigers posted a combined 19-16-4 record, including an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2018 that highlighted a 12-win campaign.
Prior to her time at Auburn, Hayes played professionally in the NWSL as a member of Sky Blue FC from 2014-18. She was the sixth overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NWSL Draft after a historic career with the Penn State Nittany Lions.
From 2010-13, Hayes excelled as a four-year starter for Penn State, earning All-America honors in 2011, 2012 and 2013. She was named Big Ten Player of the Year in both 2011 and 2012. The 2011 season proved especially historic, as Hayes set Penn State’s single-season record with 70 points and scored 31 goals, the second-most in program history. Both marks led the nation that year.
Over 89 career games, she tallied 71 goals and 163 points, both ranking third all-time at Penn State. In January 2020, TopDrawerSoccer.com named Hayes to its Best XI of the 2010s.
Off the field, Hayes also excelled academically, earning Academic All–Big Ten honors three times from 2011-13.
Women's Soccer Assistant Coach
RILEY ELLIS
2026 marks Riley's third season at Minnesota after being hired on as assistant coach in January of 2024.
Riley helped take the Gopher soccer program to new heights in his first season, finishing with a 14-5-3 record and a final national ranking of No. 17. The Gophers posted an undefeated regular-season home record (7-0-2) for the first time since 2008 and earned three top-25 wins, including victories over No. 8 Ohio State (3-2), No. 11 Iowa (2-1), and No. 14 South Carolina (2-1). Minnesota also drew 2-2 against No. 24 Southern California, handing the Trojans their only non-win of the regular and conference seasons.
After finishing the regular season with a No. 22 RPI ranking, Minnesota hosted the first round of the NCAA Tournament, defeating South Dakota State 2-0. The team advanced to the Chapel Hill Regional, where they defeated South Carolina to reach the Sweet 16 before falling to eventual College Cup champion North Carolina.
In year two (2025), Minnesota welcomed nine freshmen and four transfers ahead of the season. The squad finished with a 6-8-3 overall record, including a 2-6-3 mark in conference play.
During his time at San Diego, Riley brought in and developed the Toreros All-WCC Freshman Team honoree in Cameryn Maddox and single season save holder Sophine Kevorkian in 2022.
Prior to San Diego, Riley spent a year at St. Francis College in Brooklyn Heights, N.Y. where he helped the Terriers during their inaugural NCAA Division I season.
Before his time at St. Francis, Ellis served as the interim head coach and graduate assistant at Hastings College, where he helped lead the team to a 32-4-7 record over two seasons, winningmultiple conference championships and earning two NAIA Tournament berths. Riley was part of the 2018 NAIA Midwest Region Staff of the Year and helped develop two All-Americans in 2018.
Riley is also the founder of SoccerIQ - Ahead of the Game, a player and coach educational program which helps accelerate cognitive learning of tactical and technical elements of the game. He also brings professional soccer experience, having worked as a volunteer opposition analyst for the Chicago Red Stars in the NWSL.
He achieved the United States Soccer Federation B License in January of 2020 and is currently in training for his A License. Ellis has been certified through FA, USSF, and United Soccer Coaches. Riley was awarded the United Soccer Coaches Anson Dorrance Foundation Scholarship in 2019.
A native of Leeds, England, Riley began his soccer journey at the University of Jamestown in North Dakota. There, he earned a bachelor's degree in physical education with an emphasis in coaching while playing soccer for the Jimmies. Riley later earned his master's in physical education from Hastings College.
Women's Soccer Assistant Coach
MICHAEL O'HARE
Head soccer coach Erin Chastain announced the addition of Michael O'Hare as an assistant coach to her staff on June 18, 2025. 2026 marks O’Hare’s second, working with the goalkeepers.
In 2025, Minnesota welcomed nine freshmen and four transfers ahead of the season. The squad finished with a 6-8-3 overall record, including a 2-6-3 mark in conference play.
Goalkeeper Sarah Martin earned conference recognition on Oct. 14 after recording a combined 18 saves against No. 9 UCLA and USC. Against the Bruins, she posted a career-high 12 saves. Martin ended her redshirt sophomore year ranked second in the Big Ten in total saves (92) and saves per game (5.41).
Martin also was named the Gophers’ Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honoree.
Prior to Minnesota, O'Hare spent three seasons at Little Rock, two seasons at Sam Houston State and three at Oklahoma State, where he assisted the Cowgirls to two Big 12 regular season championships in 2017 and 2019. The Cowgirls' program was also recognized as having the 2019 United Soccer Coaches Midwest Staff of the Year.
O'Hare holds a U.S. Soccer Federation national "A" license and Goalkeeping Level I-III licenses from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
O'Hare joins Minnesota after three seasons as an assistant coach at Little Rock, where he worked primarily with goalkeepers and helped guide the program to its first-ever Ohio Valley Conference Tournament appearance in 2022. The Trojans earned the No. 6 seed that year, with three players earning All-Conference honors. In 2023, Little Rock advanced to the OVC semifinals, with four players named to All-Conference teams and two earning All-Tournament recognition.
During the 2024 season, O'Hare coached Little Rock's Peyton Urban to Ohio Valley Goalkeeper of the Year honors - the first recognition in program history. Under his guidance, Urban led the OVC in shutouts (7), save percentage (.960), and goals-against average (0.22), while ranking second in total saves (48) and saves per game (5.33).
Before joining Little Rock, O'Hare spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Sam Houston State, where he helped lead the Bearkats to the Southland Conference Tournament finals in his first year. In 2021, Sam Houston transitioned to the Western Athletic Conference, finishing 6-4 in league play and placing third in the West Division. That season, Abby Delozier was named WAC Goalkeeper of the Week, and Tatum Krueger posted the conference's second-highest save percentage at 85.7%.
O'Hare spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Oklahoma State, where he helped the Cowgirls win Big 12 regular-season championships in 2017 and 2019. The program notched 16 wins in both seasons with O'Hare on staff and was named the 2019 United Soccer Coaches Midwest Staff of the Year.
A six-year member of the coaching staff at Stillwater High School, O'Hare helped lead the Pioneers to four state tournament appearances, including a Class 6A state runner-up finish in 2017. He served as an Oklahoma High School All-State coach in 2011 and 2016.
A native of Oklahoma City, O'Hare graduated from Oklahoma State with a psychology degree in May 2015. He is also a graduate of Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School where he played on three district championship teams and a state title winner as a prep and was named an all-state goalkeeper in 2010.
Director of Operations
SARAH JOHNSON "SJ"
Director of Operations Sara Johnson enters her 10th season in 2026 on the Minnesota women’s soccer staff.
A Minnesota women’s soccer alumna, Johnson joined the Gophers’ staff after serving as graduate assistant director of operations for Indiana University’s women’s soccer program in 2015 and 2016.
Johnson was a three-time letterwinner at Minnesota from 2004 to 2007. She earned the team’s Spark Award in 2004 and 2006 and the Rose Grim Heart and Soul Award in 2007.
She has more than 20 years of coaching experience at various levels in Minnesota youth soccer and has been deeply involved in the state’s soccer community.
Johnson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business and marketing education from Minnesota in 2008 and a master’s degree in athletic administration and sport management from Indiana in 2017.