Army West Point Athletics
Women's Soccer
- Title:
- Assistant Women's Soccer Coach
- Email:
- renee.pilch@usma.edu
- Phone:
- 6001
Renee Pilch begins her fourth year on Army West Point's staff after being retained as the goalkeeping coach by head coach Marcia McDermott upon her arrival in 2013.
The Black Knights advanced to the postseason in 2014 as they finished fourth in the Patriot League and hosted a First Round Patriot League Tournament game at Clinton Field. Army West Point had two players garner All-Patriot League honors, as Katie Holder was named to the first team and rookie Clare Shea claimed a spot on the third team.
Pilch's first season on McDermott's staff was a successful one for Army as the Cadets ended the 2013 season with an 8-7-4 mark and earned the fourth seed in the Patriot League Tournament. All-Patriot League honors were handed out to seniors Kimberly An, Molly McGuigan and Joey Molacek, who were tabbed as first-team selections, while Holder landed on the third team following her sophomore campaign.
Army West Point players have excelled in the classroom as well, with 29 players earning Patriot League Academic Honor Roll recognition over her three seasons. Among them were Academic All-Patriot League selections Jaclyn Kalik, McGuigan and Molacek in 2013 and Holder in 2014.
McGuigan was awarded the Army Athletic Assocaition Trophy in 2013, presented to one male and one female cadet who displays the "most valuable service to intercollegiate athletes during a career as a cadet."
With no collegiate experience among Army's three goalkeepers in 2012, Pilch molded that group into a cohesive unit that combined for a 1.44 team goals-against average to rank third among the Patriot League schools.
Prior to arriving at West Point, Pilch held a similar position as a graduate assistant at Gardner-Webb University (2010-11).
Her first year at Gardner-Webb saw the Runnin' Bulldogs reach the championship finals of the Big South Tournament for the first time in school history. Seventh-seeded Gardner-Webb took No. 5 High Point into overtime before bowing 1-0 to close out the season 7-10-5 to include nine shutouts.
Pilch mentored goalkeeper Chelsea Hearne, who earned all-conference and all-tournament honors en route to recording a 7-7-5 mark and a 1.02 goals-against average with eight shutouts. Hearne allowed just one goal over three GWU matches at the conference tournament. Included in her performance were a pair of saves in the PK shootout versus Liberty in a 0-0 draw as the Runnin' Bulldogs advanced to the championship game after winning the shootout 4-2.
In her final year (2011), Gardner-Webb posted a 4-4-2 conference mark to earn the No. 6 seed in the Big South Tournament where the Runnin' Bulldogs fell to third-seeded Campbell in the opening round in closing out the season with six wins and five shutouts.
Pilch coached the Academy Boys' and Girls' club teams for the Greater Cleveland County Soccer Association as well as the North Carolina ODP 96 and 97 girls' teams while earning her master's degree in sports science and pedagogy from Gardner-Webb.
As an undergraduate, Pilch lettered on the pitch at the University of Pittsburgh for two years prior to transferring to Belmont where she helped the Bruins to the 2008 Atlantic Sun Tournament title and NCAA bid her junior year. Pilch was part of a goalkeeper unit her senior year that ranked 35th nationally in save percentage when the Bruins captured the regular-season conference title. The 2010 graduate earned a bachelor of arts degree in political science with a minor in sociology.
A native of Peckville, Pa., Pilch starred at Valley View where the two-time all-region selection as a goalkeeper set a school mark for scoreless minutes (723) in goal. As team captain her senior year, she led Valley View to the district championship after finishing runner-up the previous year.
