Bri Garcia - Assistant Women's Soccer Coach - Women's Soccer Coaches

Bri Garcia

Title:
Assistant Women's Soccer Coach
Email:
brianna.garcia@westpoint.edu
Phone:
4598

Bri Garcia joined the Army West Point head women's soccer coach Adrian Blewitt's staff in December of 2017.

Garcia comes to the Banks of the Hudson after a four-year stint at Little Rock with Blewitt.

In her first year with the team, Little Rock had its best season to date. The Trojans finished 2014 with an 11-8-1 record, the first winning record in school history. Little Rock also set a school record for wins in a year with 11 and had program-bests in goals scored, team goals against average and shutouts. The Trojans had an incredible start to the season, beginning with nine consecutive victories that set a Little Rock record in any sport for the most wins to open a season.

In 2015, more team records were broken with Garcia coaching. Little Rock finished the season in fifth place in the Sun Belt Conference, the team's highest-ever finish. The Trojans made the league tournament for the third consecutive year while setting the program record for goals against average (1.07). Little Rock tied Texas and took Ole Miss to overtime, while goalkeeper Sara Small had the best GAA in team history (0.97).

The 2016 season – the third with Garcia on staff – was the best season in program history. Little Rock set program records for wins (12), conference wins (6) and single-season goals against average (0.84). The Trojans also earned their highest-ever seed in the Sun Belt Tournament and won their first tournament game since 2009.

During her final season at Little Rock, the Trojans went 9-9-3 overall with a 4-4-2 conference mark. They made the conference semifinals as a fifth seed and had three players earn All-Conference honors.

Taking on the role of the defensive coach at Little Rock, Garcia mentored the program's first ever national team player in Hali Long, who joined the Philippine National Team during her tenure with the Trojans. She also coached center back Liesa Seifert, who was a member of the youth national team in Germany. Seifert played at some of the highest levels of German soccer, seeing time on the under-17, under-19 and under-20 German National Teams. Lastly, Garcia was closely involved with the development of Sara Small, who became the program's first ever professional player, playing overseas in Iceland after graduating in May of 2017.

Prior to her stint at Little Rock, Garcia spent 2013 as an assistant coach at Big Ten Conference school Nebraska, and she spent five years as a player in the Big Ten at Penn State. She also has assistant coaching experience with the U.S. Olympic Development Program and at summer camps at Penn State.

As a defensive specialist, Garcia focused on organizing the Trojans' back line and protecting the Little Rock goal. She broke down game film and assisted with on-field coaching with Nebraska as the Huskers won the 2013 conference regular-season championship and tournament championship. Nebraska finished the year with a 19-4-1 record and earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the second round.

As a player for the Nittany Lions from 2008-12, Garcia helped Penn State to the national championship game in 2012 while also winning five consecutive Big Ten championships. Her team won the 2009 Big Ten Tournament and reached the NCAA Tournament each of her five seasons.

Garcia was a soccer star before she went to college, playing for the U.S. Youth Soccer Women's National Team from the under-13 to under-20 levels. She also earned national team appearances against Germany while on the under-17 team. Garcia played for the Region 1 Olympic Development Program and won a tournament MVP award while competing in Russia. She traveled to Barbados and England for tournaments as well.

A native of Babylon, N.Y., Garcia was a two-time NSCAA All-American playing for St. Anthony's High School. She graduated from Penn State in 2012 with a degree in communication science and disorders. She also earned her master's degree in Sports Management from Arkansas Little Rock in 2017. Garcia holds United States Soccer Federation D, E, and F Coaching Licenses as well as an NSCAA National Coaches Diploma.