Caroline Kelly has been appointed as the Interim Head Coach for Beaver, as announced by Oregon State Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, Scott Barnes, on Tuesday.
“Coach Kelly has been a vital part of our staff for several years and is highly respected throughout Oregon State Athletics, making her the perfect choice to lead the program in 2024,” Barnes stated. “We are excited to see what the team will achieve under her leadership this fall.”
Kelly joined the team in Corvallis during the summer of 2021, significantly contributing to the development of the OSU goalkeepers and back line, while also serving as the team’s recruiting coordinator and assisting in advancing four Beavers to professional soccer.
“I am grateful to Scott Barnes, Jeff Macy, and the search committee for this opportunity to lead Oregon State Women’s Soccer this season,” Kelly expressed. “I cherish the Beaver family and the Corvallis community and am eager to continue driving the program forward. Go Beavs!”
In 2023, Oregon State’s defense recorded seven clean sheets for just the second time in a decade, highlighted by a decisive 2-0 victory over Oregon on senior night in Corvallis. Goalkeeper Hailey Coll finished the season with 95 saves and a 75.4% save percentage, playing every game and averaging five saves per match.
In 2022, Kelly coached Coll to second-place finishes in the conference for saves and saves per game. Coll made 111 stops that year, averaging 5.32 saves per game, with two clean sheets in shutout victories over Boise State and James Madison.
In her first season with OSU, the team secured its first-ever win at Stanford, entered the United Soccer Coaches Poll for the first time since 2012, and began the season with an 8-0 record, scoring in every match for the first time in program history. Bridgette Skiba recorded 82 saves, ranking second in the conference, while her 4.32 saves per game ranked third among Pac-12 keepers.
Before joining the Beavers, Kelly spent the 2020 season at Cincinnati, primarily working with goalkeepers and the back line, guiding the Bearcats to a 5-5-1 record and the AAC championship game. Under her direction, Ashley Brarron was named the 2020 ACC Defensive Player of the Year.
Prior to Cincinnati, Kelly was an assistant at Army for two seasons, highlighted by a strong performance in the 2019 Patriot League Tournament, where the Black Knights upset No. 2 seed Holy Cross before losing in the final. Army goalkeeper Sydney Cassalia earned Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year honors in 2019 and First Team All-Region recognition in 2018 under Kelly’s guidance.
Kelly also served as an assistant at Dartmouth in 2017, helping the team achieve four clean sheets, and as a graduate assistant at South Carolina in 2016, where the team won an SEC title and reached the Elite Eight.
During her collegiate career, Kelly set Virginia Tech records for career goals-against average (0.628) and season goals-against average (0.690). She completed her eligibility at South Carolina, making 12 starts.
Kelly played one season for the Women’s Premier Soccer League’s Boston Breakers Reserves, recording a 0.57 goals-against average and a 13-1-0 record, leading the team to a WPSL championship.
She graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech and earned a master’s degree in sport and entertainment management from the University of South Carolina.
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