Jessica Nei is entering her fourth season as an assistant coach for the University of Toledo women’s soccer program in 2018.
“Jessica is one of the brightest, young coaches out there and we’re very fortunate to have her on our staff,” said Toledo head coach TJ Buchholz. “The success of our recruiting is in large part because of the work that she has put in to build the program.”
Nei focuses on the goalkeepers and defenders at Toledo and her defensive group has registered 15 shutouts in her time with the Rockets. In 2017, Nei mentored redshirt freshman goal keeper Madison Perrin to Mid-American Conference All-Freshman honors in her first year of action.
Additionally, senior defender Chiara Paradiso was selected second-team All-MAC and senior Regan Price was named to the all-tournament team after the Rockets clinched their league-best fifth conference championship. She previously mentored Sam Tiongson, who earned MAC Defensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 21 after blanking Northern Kentucky in 2015.
Nei joined Toledo after serving as an assistant coach at Arkansas State from 2011-14. She helped the Red Wolves to their first winning season in school history in 2012.
While at ASU, Nei helped the RedWolves achieve some of the best goalkeeping in the Sun Belt Conference. The Arkansas State netminders ranked third in the league with 112 saves in 2013, and had a 1.38 goalsagainst average in 2012, the second-lowest average in school history.
Individually, Nei helped mold Aja Aguirre into one of the most successful goalkeepers in Arkansas State history. Aguirre set the record for the lowest GAA (1.19) in 2012.
In 2013, Nei coached Amanda Lee to the third-most saves in school history with 92, and the third-lowest goalsagainst average at 1.34. Her 8.07 saves per match average is tied for the most in school history. Before joining the Red Wolves, Nei spent three years at St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minn. During her three seasons with St. Cloud, she helped the Huskies to a 28-21-8 record, including two 10-win seasons and the first winning record in school history.
Along with serving as an assistant at St. Cloud, Nei was an Olympic Development Program coach, instructing the ‘97-99 boys team and goalkeepers. She was also a coach at Becker Youth soccer, working with U10 boys, U14 and U17 girls.
Nei also worked with the Red River Soccer Club, coaching U-10 boys, as a goalkeeper coach for U-10 girls and as the head coach for the Central Minnesota Youth Soccer Association in St. Cloud.
As a player, Nei was a goalkeeper for North Dakota State University (2003-07) and helped the Bison amass a 46-22-5 overall record.
Nei earned a bachelor’s degree with a double major in physical education and health education from NDSU in 2008 and received her master’s in recreation and leisure administration from UT in 2016.
