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Patricia Hughes begins her
seventh year at UM, and has a core group
of veteran players that will serve as
nucleus of a team that will make a run
for the Gulf South Conference tournament
at the end of the season.
Hughes, the second coach in the 12-year
history of the UM women's soccer
program, took over the program in the
fall of 2001.
A native of Dublin, Ireland, Hughes was
a member of the coaching staff on the
first University of Montevallo women's
soccer team in 1995. She was formerly
head coach at Belmont University in
Nashville, Tenn. for the 1999 season
before returning to UM as an assistant
coach in the fall of 2000. Hughes was
also an assistant and interim head coach
at Auburn University from 1997-1999.
A graduate of Coker College in 1993,
Hughes was a two-time NAIA All-American,
an NSCAA/adidas All-American and named
to the All-District team four times. The
all-time scoring leader, male or female
in Coker College soccer history, she was
also named First Team NSCAA All-East
three times, the team's leading scorer
and team captain four years and team MVP
and best offensive player twice. In the
spring of 2001, Hughes became the first
women’s soccer player to be inducted
into the Coker College Athletic Hall of
Fame.
Hughes also played internationally,
making twenty appearances for the
Republic of Ireland National Team from
1985-90, and also played with the
Alabama Angels, a women's
semi-professional league from 1995-98.
Locally, Hughes was also a Alabama State
Coach for the Olympic Development
Program (ODP) from 1995-99. She received
her master's degree in education from UM
in the spring of 2001.
In her first stint at UM as assistant
coach, the 1995 team finished 3-14-1. In
her first season as head coach, the team
posted a nine-win season and qualified
for their fifth GSC Women’s Soccer
Tournament over a six-year span.
In addition to her UM administrative
assignments, Hughes is currently
administrative liaison for the Gulf
South Conference, a member of the NCAA
Division II National Soccer Committee
and chair of the NCAA South Region
Soccer Committee.
Named the school’s Senior Women’s
Administrator in 2004, she has been
recently named Assistant Athletic Director.
She will assist the Director of
Athletics in all facets of
administration and governance of the
ten-sport Lady Falcon and Falcon
athletic program with an emphasis on
internal relations. She will also
coordinate UM's on-campus support
services, including the Student Athlete
Advisory Committee (SAAC) and Champs
Life Skills programs.
Hughes resides in Pelham. |
