Keidane McAlpine - Soccer Coach - University of Georgia Athletics

Georgia head coach Keidane McAlpine during a preseason exhibition match against Furman at Turner Soccer Complex in Athens, Ga., on Saturday, Aug. 13, 2022. (Photo by Tony Walsh)

Photo by: Tony Walsh/UGAAA

Keidane McAlpine

Title:
Head Coach
Email:
ugasoccer@sports.uga.edu

Keidane McAlpine (kuh-DAWN-ee mik-AL-pine), who has led his teams to 12 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, including a national championship for USC in 2016, became the sixth head coach of the Georgia soccer program in December 2021.

The Huntsville, Alabama native immediately changed the Bulldogs’ fortunes, leading the team to a 13-6-3 record and a trip to the NCAA Second Round in his first season. Under McAlpine’s leadership, Georgia received its first NCAA Tournament bid since 2014 and hosted a home postseason match for the first time since 2007. The Bulldogs also upset Tennessee in the SEC Tournament, reaching the semifinals for the first time since 2010 before falling in penalties to eventual champion South Carolina.

During the season, Georgia went unbeaten on the road in conference play and finished the regular season with six straight results against league opponents, including the first three-game SEC shutout streak since 2010. The Bulldogs tied two program records with 16 different goal scorers and 12 shutouts during the year, all while tallying the second-lowest goals against average rate in program history. Graduate Abby Boyan became the program’s fourth All-American, with Madison Haugen, Dani Murguia, and Cecily Stoute joining her on the United Soccer Coaches All-America Third Team.

McAlpine followed 2022 up with the most successful season in Georgia soccer history. Facing one of the nation’s toughest schedules, the Bulldogs finished 13-4-6 and with a No. 13 final national ranking, the highest among the SEC schools and highest in program history. He also won his 200^th career game with a 2-1 victory at Missouri. During the season, Georgia won its first SEC East Division title, followed by the first SEC Tournament championship in school history, overcoming deficits against Kentucky and Texas A&M to advance. The run in Pensacola included playing with 10 players for 88 minutes against the Wildcats and a last-second winner from Croix Bethune to take down the Aggies. The Bulldogs clinched the title with a 1-0 win over No. 10 Arkansas in the final, led by seven saves from Jordan Brown.

In the NCAA Tournament, a late winner from Kiera Staude took down Liberty, 2-1, before a sold-out crowd in Athens before a 3-2 win against Iowa sent Georgia to the Sweet 16 for only the second time in program history. Despite a go-ahead goal from Bethune in the 85^th minute, the Bulldogs surrendered a late equalizer and fell in overtime. Nonetheless, the Bulldogs earned a program-best five postseason victories and were the final SEC team remaining in the field.

Bethune became the fifth All-American in program history, earning a place on the United Soccer Coaches Second Team. She was also named to the All-Southeast Region Team, SEC All-Tournament Team, and was named SEC Tournament MVP. She was later drafted third overall by Washington Spirit in the 2024 NWSL Draft, the highest-picked player in school history and highest-drafted SEC player since 2016. In her rookie season, Bethune was named Midfielder of the Year and Rookie of the Year, along with earning a gold medal at the Paris Olympics with the U.S. Women's National Team. Redshirt freshman Summer Denigan was named SEC Co-Freshman of the Year and was the only freshman named to the All-Southeast Region Team. All the while, Georgia soccer attracted 14,571 spectators to the Turner Soccer Complex during the season, the largest season-long crowd in a decade.

In his third season, McAlpine continued the winning with an 8-7-6 record and third-consecutive NCAA Tournament home match. The Bulldogs again faced one of the nation's toughest schedules, headlined by a trip to eventual national champion North Carolina and a 1-1 tie at No. 1 Florida State, the program's first result against a top-ranked opponent. Brown posted one of the greatest seasons in program history, tallying 120 saves, the second-most of any keeper in program history and the most in the SEC. Brown and graduate midfielder Nicole Vernis were both named to the Second Team All-SEC and the United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region Team.

Prior to arriving in Athens, McAlpine guided USC to unprecedented success for eight seasons from 2014-21. His 2016 squad finished with a 19-4-2 record on its way to the program’s second national championship, shutting out four consecutive tournament opponents before a 3-1 victory over West Virginia in the College Cup Final. His final 2021 team boasted a 14-3-3 record and finished second in the Pac-12 standings, earning him USC’s first Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors since 1998.

Under his guidance, USC never missed the postseason, won at least one NCAA tournament match in six of the last seven years and never finished worse than fourth in the Pac-12. The Trojans averaged nearly 16 wins a season during his tenure and owned a 13-2-7 postseason record under his watch.

McAlpine's teams have produced 12 All-Americans, over 40 All-Conference selections, three Pac-12 Forwards of the Year, one Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, one Pac-12 Midfielder of the Year, one Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and two Pac-12 Goalkeepers of the Year. McAlpine and his staff also picked up United Soccer Coaches West Region Staff of the Year honors in 2018 and 2021.

McAlpine’s 17-year head coaching career features stops at Birmingham-Southern, Washington State and USC, where he has compiled a 195-95-40 career record — a 65 percent winning percentage. His career began at his alma mater Birmingham-Southern in 2001 as he guided the program into Division I, eventually winning the Big South championship in 2004 and earning the program's first NCAA Tournament bid. For his efforts, he was named that season's Big South Coach of the Year. Following his tenure at BSC, he spent six seasons as an assistant coach at Auburn.

In addition to his success at USC, McAlpine was named the 2013 Pac-12 Coach of the Year and NSCAA Pacific Region Coach of the Year at Washington State. He led the Cougars to a program-record 14 wins and a school-best second-place finish in the conference standings. Washington State also made back-to-back trips to the NCAA tournament during his tenure.

He has been active in Olympic Development Program for many years and holds a National "A" Coaching License from the United States Soccer Federation and a National Goalkeeping License. McAlpine was actively involved as a coach with the Alabama Youth Soccer Association Olympic Development Program and several club teams. In the summer of 2004, he was selected as a staff coach for the USYSA Region III squad.

McAlpine was a four-year starter at Birmingham-Southern and was named team captain in 1996. During that season, the Panthers finished as runners-up in the NAIA Tournament after advancing to the semifinals the previous season. After graduation, McAlpine spent the 1999 season playing for the Tennessee Rhythm of the A League.

McAlpine earned a bachelor's degree in music business with a minor in computer science from Birmingham-Southern in 1997.