After helping guide SIUE women's soccer through its most successful NCAA Division I season, Samuel Thomas returns for his third season on the sidelines as an assistant for the Cougars.
Thoams mentored goalkeeper Juli Rossi to a strong first season as the Cougars' No. 1 goalkeeper. After battling injuries during the regular season, Rossi shined in the postseason to anchor an SIUE defense which posted three shutouts in five postseason games and allowed just two goals.
Rossi made eight saves during regulation, including several spectacular stops, against second-seeded Notre Dame in the first round of the NCAA tournament. She then made two saves in the shootout, leading SIUE past the Irish and on to the second round. Rossi was tabbed as TopDrawerSoccer.com's National Player of the Week the following week.
During the regular season, the Cougars finished fifth in the OVC in goals against average, depsite using four different players in goal - inclulding two players who had never played in goal previously. Backup goalkeeper Natalie Freeman made five starts and earned OVC Player of the Week honors Oct. 18.
Thomas served as the Interim Head Women’s Soccer Coach at Eastern Oregon University during the 2014-15 season. During his time as the leader of the program, he recorded the fewest losses and second-highest win percentage of any first-year head coach in program history. He led two players to All-Conference and Academic All-Region selections.
He served as the goalkeeper coach for the Women’s Premier Soccer League Fire and Ice Soccer Club from 2013-2014. While there, Thomas coached three high-level current and former collegiate players to a first team All-Region selection and one to a first team All-WPSL selection. Two of his former players have signed to play professionally both domestic and abroad.
Thomas also served as a goalkeeper trainer for the McKendree University and Harris-Stowe University men’s and women’s soccer programs during the 2013 season. In 2012, he was the assistant men’s and women’s soccer coach at Oregon Institute of Technology.
Before coaching at the collegiate level, Thomas was an assistant coach at Principia High School in St. Louis, his alma mater.
Thomas played his college soccer at Principia College in Elsah, Illinois, where he received his degree in graphic design. He was a first team All-Region goalkeeper in 2009, the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 2010, and an All-Conference goalkeeper all four years.
