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blank Marla Nelson
Marla Nelson will be entering her third season as an assistant coach. "Coach Nelson brings a unique combination of Division I playing, coaching and teaching background to our program" Cairns said. "Our goalkeepers will really benefit from learning from a player who has played the goalkeeper position at the collegiate level." Before joining the Utah State staff, Nelson spent seven years as a high school English teacher in Southern California and Utah. Nelson has been coaching soccer since 2000, starting out assisting club teams and coaching goalkeepers in Southern California. Upon moving to Utah, she was the assistant coach for Lone Peak High School's girls' soccer team where she helped head coach Mike Lahargoue and the Lady Knights to four region championships and three appearances in the state finals. Nelson also assisted the Lone Peak High School boys' soccer team in 2009, and Lone Peak track and field (2003-2008) where she coached two state champion high jumpers and 27 other state finalist high and long jumpers. She coached for Utah Soccer Alliance in Salt Lake City in 2008-2009, worked with Infinity Soccer Club in Logan in 2010 and has been a member of Utah's Olympic Development Program staff since 2008 as a goalkeeper coach and assistant coach. Nelson was the starting goalkeeper for California State University, Fullerton in 1997,1999 and 2000, and team captain in 2000 (she sat out her 1998 season due to a knee injury). She earned Big West Conference Scholar Athlete honors in 2000 and 2001, and received the Titan Scholar-Athlete Award from 1998-2001. After moving to Utah, Nelson played for the State Select Soccer Team representing the state of Utah in 2004 in a regional tournament in Southern California. Nelson received a bachelor's degree in English from Cal State Fullerton in 2001 and completed her Master's in Education degree from Utah State University in 2011. She holds a NSCAA Advanced National Diploma. |
