Mizzou hires second soccer coach in program history

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Mizzou has a new soccer coach for just the second time in program history. MU hired Stefanie Golan to replace longtime head coach Bryan Blitz, who recently retired after spending 25 seasons at the helm.

Golan comes to Columbia after spending the last nine seasons as the head coach at the University of Minnesota. Before that, Golan was the head coach at Army. In total - she has 12 years of head coaching experience. Golan's overall record is 125-82-34.

“We are thrilled to introduce Stefanie Golan as the second head coach of the Mizzou Women’s Soccer program,” Athletic Director Jim Sterk said in a release. “Stefanie is a passionate leader of young women who has demonstrated academic and athletic excellence throughout her playing and coaching career, and those experiences will help her elevate Mizzou to great success on and off the pitch in future seasons. We are excited to welcome Stefanie, and her children, Travis and Max, to our Mizzou family and Columbia.”

The St. Charles, Mo. native is on a five-year contract with MU. The former Big 10 coach of the year is the second-winningest coach in Minnesota women's soccer history.

“I am incredibly excited about the opportunity at Mizzou and the environment that my boys and I get to be a part of in CoMo,” Golan said in a release. “It was evident from the moment I set foot on campus that Mizzou is a special place with incredible people. I have known Bryan Blitz ever since I was playing club soccer as a young girl in St. Louis, and I have always respected him as a person and as a coach, and I am excited to continue to build upon the foundation he has in place."

Mizzou will officially introduce Golan in a Zoom news conference early next week.