Yale Athletics

The head coach of the Yale women’s soccer team, Rudy Meredith, has resigned from his position, the Yale University Department of Athletics announced on Thursday.

Meredith won many accolades over his 24 year career as the head coach of the Bulldogs. He was a three-time Northeast Region Coach of the Year and led the Elis to the NCAA College Cup in 2002, 2004 and 2005.

“After 24 years at the helm of the women’s soccer program, it is time to explore new possibilities and begin a different chapter in my life,” Meredith told Yale Athletics. “It is the right time to hand the team over to the next Yale women’s soccer coach who can guide the team into the future.”

2005 was a momentous year for Meredith and the program. Yale won a school record 15 games, received its first outright Ivy League title and reached the third round of the NCAA College Cup for the first time in its history.

Under Meredith, the Elis also made their first appearance in the NCAA tournament in 2002, making it past heavily favored Villanova, before falling to Nebraska in the second round.

“Coach Rudy has been instrumental in fine tuning me as a player,” forward and 2017 Ivy League Co-Offensive Player of the Year Michelle Alozie ’19 said. “I remember after my freshman season, I had a meeting with the coaches and Coach Rudy told me something like, ‘Michelle, I believe you can be a better player than you think. But to get there, it is going to be a lot of hard work and I am going to have to get on you so that you can grow into the player I know you can be.’”

However, results took a turn in recent years. This past season left the Bulldogs with a disappointing 7–9–1 record (1–6 Ivy), albeit with a severely depleted squad due to injury. The Elis have finished in the last four seasons with a winning record only once.  

The search for Bulldogs’ new head coach is already underway.

Bill Gallagher | william.gallagher@yale.edu