MORGAN CRABTREE
New Pacific Head Coach
Comes To Forest Grove
After Two Seasons At
Oregon State
New Pacific Head Coach
Comes To Forest Grove
After Two Seasons At
Oregon State
Morgan Crabtree Named Women's Soccer Coach
Pacific's new women's soccer coach arrives in Forest Grove after two seasons helping Oregon State reach the top echelons of NCAA Division I women's soccer
FOREST GROVE – A four-month national search for Pacific University’s next head women’s soccer coach ended close to home as Director of Athletics Ken Schumann announced Tuesday the hiring of Morgan Crabtree to lead the Pacific program.
Crabtree joins the Pacific program after two seasons as the top assistant coach at Oregon State University, where she played a key role in the Beavers’ rise as a nationally prominent team during the 2009 season.
“I couldn’t be more excited to join the Pacific athletics program,” Crabtree said. “I would to thank Ken Schumann and the search committee for the opportunity to be here and for showing the confidence in me to be the next leader of the Pacific women’s soccer program.”
Crabtree was selected from a search that yielded well over 150 applicants. “I believe that Morgan will be an outstanding coach for our women’s soccer program and a great addition to our staff,” Schumann said. “She is an outstanding coach and the value she places on both the athletic and academic performance of student-athletes makes her a strong fit for the University and the program.”
Crabtree spent the last two seasons as the top assistant coach at Oregon State as the Beavers made their first run to the NCAA Tournament since 1994. She played a key role as the Beavers became the second most improved team in Division I women’s soccer with a 14-8-1 record and advanced to “Sweet 16” of the NCAA Tournament in school history. The Beavers finished ranked No. 21 in the nation.
While at Oregon State, Crabtree served as the program’s recruiting coordinator, managed equipment and served the team’s liaison to the school’s academic advising staff. In that role, Crabtree helped mentor 10 Academic All-Pac 10 Conference selections and one ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District selection. The 2009 Beavers also earned a NSCAA College Team Academic Award, with the team compiling a 3.18 grade point average.
Crabtree sees a great potential in the Pacific program and is already preparing for the spring practice season. “This program has every opportunity for success,” Crabtree said. “In meeting the team, they seemed excited, eager and ready to get going. They seem to be on board with working hard to turn this program around.”
A vested member of the Oregon State program, Crabtree was a four-year standout player for the Beavers from 1999 to 2002. She was a two-time Honorable Mention All-Pac-10 Conference selection in 2000 and 2001, was named to the All-Academic Pac-10 Conference team in 2001 and 2002 and earned CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII honors in 2002. In 77 career matches for the Beavers, Crabtree led the team in shots in 2000 and 2001 and led the team in assists in 2000.
Crabtree went on to play at the semi-professional level. She spent two seasons with the New Hampshire Phantoms of the United Soccer League’s W-League and one season with the Massachusetts Stingers of the Women’s Professional Soccer League.
Before returning to coach in Corvallis, Crabtree spent three seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Idaho. She also has extensive club coaching experience around the region, working with the F.C Willamette, Moscow (Idaho) United, Lake Oswego and Oregon United Soccer Academy programs. She has also worked with the Idaho and Fast West Region Olympic development programs.
A native of Eugene, Crabtree, 28, graduated summa cum laude from Oregon State in 2003 with a degree in philosophy. She has completed coursework towards a master’s in physical education from Idaho. She is married to Dane Christian, who will serve as an assistant coach with the Pacific program.
Posted by Blake Timm (timmbr@pacificu.edu) on Apr 13, 2010 at 11:05 AM
