Marla Nelson Named GW Women's Soccer Assistant Coach
2/29/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Feb. 29, 2012
"Marla brings the experience of knowing how to build a conference champion and NCAA tournament team, which will be invaluable to our program," Coach Barnes said. "She developed a lot of talented players over her years of coaching and we look forward to the impact she will make at GW. Marla understands what it takes to develop a strong team culture and we are excited to have her on board."
"To represent the name of this country's first president in the heart of the nation's capital is a great honor, and I thank Coach Barnes and the athletics administration for the opportunity to be a part of the GW women's soccer staff," Coach Nelson said. "The reputation of academic excellence that this university holds, and the new strategic plan to give the GW athletic programs the resources to reach that same reputation, equals the opportunity to take the women's soccer program to new heights. It is an exciting time to be a part of GW athletics and I am looking forward to working with Coach Barnes and the members of the women's soccer team to continue to move the program forward."
Coach Nelson joins the Colonials' staff after spending the past three seasons as the second assistant women's soccer coach at
The Cal State Fullerton grad has been coaching since 2000, when she started assisting club teams and coaching goalkeepers in
Coach Nelson also spent time on the pitch as a player, as she was a member of the Cal State Fullerton women's soccer team. As a Titan, she was the starting goalkeeper in 1997, 1999 and 2000, and a team captain during her senior season. She earned Big West Scholar-Athlete honors and received the Titan Scholar-Athlete award for four straight years. She also played for the Utah State Select soccer team in 2004 in a regional tournament in
She earned a bachelor's degree in English in 2001 and completed her master's of education degree at