After three seasons as Point Park’s women’s soccer coach, Kelly Raddar resigned from his head coaching role in late November.
Applications for the head coach position opened last month to the public. Vice President of Athletics Scott Swain stated that the athletic department plans to hire a new coach by early February.
In three seasons at Point Park, Raddar had a 24-21-11 record overall and a 17-10-8 record against conference opponents.
Raddar concluded his opening season at Point Park in 2022 with a 9-0-2 record in the River States Conference to win the RSC Regular Season Championship. He was also named RSC Women’s Soccer Coach of the Year.
In 2023, the Pioneers went 11-5-4 to earn the No. 2 seed in the RSC Championship playoffs. They fell in the semifinals round.
Raddar has 15 years of collegiate soccer coaching experience, 12 of which were as a head coach. Before coming to Point Park, he served as head coach for Division III St. Joseph’s University in Brooklyn, N.Y. from 2020-2022.
Raddar also coached at Portland Community College from 2017-20, leading the team to its first winning season and playoff appearance in program history. His only prior experience in Division II athletics was from 2016-17 when he served as an assistant coach for North Michigan and helped the team to the GLIAC playoffs.
Point Park transitioned to Division II athletics in the NCAA prior to the 2024 season, forcing the Pioneers to face entirely new opponents in the Mountain East Conference.
The Pioneers went 3-10-5 in 2024 and had a 1-9-4 MEC record, putting them last in the MEC North standings.
“These transitions are not like flipping a light switch,” Swain said. “Sometimes it takes a season or two to transition, but ultimately, we want all of our teams to be successful in the Mountain East Conference and the NCAA.”
Men’s soccer also experienced a harsh transition to the MEC, concluding the 2024 season with a 6-10-1 record after going 10-6-3 in 2023 and making a run in the RSC Championship playoffs.
“That is one thing that I know President Brussalis and myself both want,” Swain said. “We want, across the board, success in all of our sports, not just several. That might take a season or two to accomplish.”
Point Park women’s soccer will continue with its spring schedule, including practices and exhibition games. The players and assistant coaches will be updated by the athletic department when a new coach is hired.
“We communicated with them when Coach Raddar resigned, and I’ve also communicated with members of the team that our goal is to have a head coach in place here working by early February,” Swain said. “Soccer would play their spring exhibition games in March and April.”
