Jennifer Bhalla enters into her third seasonas an assistant coach with the Pacific University women’s soccer program in 2016.
Bhalla brings nearly over 15 years of coaching experience to the Boxers, most recently serving as a volunteer assistant at the University of Virginia. While there, the Cavaliers won two Atlantic Coast Conference championships in seven seasons over two different stints. With Virginia, Bhalla served as a sport psychology consultant, aided with on-field instruction, and provided administrative help when needed. She also has volunteer coaching experience at Macalester College and her alma mater, Rutgers University.
Bhalla also has full-time experience on collegiate coaching staffs at two other institutions. She served as assistant coach at the University of Rhode Island, where she helped lead the Rams to a school-record 16 victories and their first NCAA tournament appearance. During the spring of 2003, she served as the Rams’ interim head coach. Bhalla started as an assistant at Smith College, where she helped plan practice and worked with the goalkeepers from 1999-2001.
Alongside her collegiate coaching career, Bhalla has also spent time working in youth soccer at various levels. She’s coached in the Olympic Development Program in three states, and consulted with the United States Under-20 national women’s team in July 2014. Also, Bhalla has coached various club teams in Oregon, Virginia and New Jersey, and been involved with soccer camps for the last 21 years.
Bhalla played competitive soccer for 27 years, participating in the World University Games before becoming a four-year starter at Rutgers. After graduation, she went onto play semi-pro soccer in the USL W-League, winning the national championship in 2000 with the Springfield Sirens.
The National Soccer Coaches Association of America member has certifications from the NSCAA, USSF, and Canadian 3M coaching certification programs.
Bhalla is also an assistant professor in Pacific’s department of exercise science. She also holds a master’s degree from Smith College and a Ph.D. in education from the University of Virginia.
