Nicole Van Dyke was hired in March 2015 and recently completed her fourth season as the head coach of the University of Pennsylvania women’s soccer program in 2018.
In her latest season, Van Dyke enjoyed one of the best years in program history, guiding the Quakers to a 13-2-1 record and a share of the Ivy League crown - their first since 2010 - after going 5-1-1 in league play. In 16 games, Penn allowed just five goals - the fewest in program history - and secured 12 shutouts on the year, just one off the record. The ability to defend was crucial and much of the reason behind its success. At the conclusion of the regular season, Penn led the nation in both goals-against average and save percentage, while sitting tied for the best shutout percentage. The Red and Blue went over 1000 minutes without conceding a goal in the run of play and put together seven consecutive shutouts. The Quakers trailed just twice all season, and finished 7-1 away from Rhodes Field. The 13 wins are the second-highest total in program history and, consequently, the two losses were the second fewest in a season. Penn entered the season finale at 13-1-1 and 5-0-1, the best records to that point all-time. At one point, Penn went 12 consecutive games unbeaten, matching the longest streak in program history and won seven of those in a row. The Quakers scored 30 goals, tied for the ninth most in a season and scored six against Delaware State, tied for the sixth most in a game. When scoring first, Penn was 13-0 and only allowed an equalizer twice on the year. Most notably, the Quakers entered halftime at 0-0 nine times, but behind Van Dyke's locker room adjustments, they went 8-0-1 in those games and went 6-2 in one-goal games. Penn opened its season 6-1 in non-conference action with the only blemish coming to then-No. 13 North Carolina State in a 1-0 battle. After the NC State game, Penn went on its 12-game unbeaten streak, and opened conference play with a scoreless draw with Harvard then ripped off seven wins, including a 2-0 win over Brown at Rhodes Field that clinched the Ivy title. Six Quakers were rewarded with All-Ivy nods, most notably Cami Nwokedi earning Defender of the Year. Joining her on the first team was Emily Sands and Kitty Qu; Allie Trzaska became the seventh player in program history to garner All-Ivy honors all four years when she was named to the second team; Sasha Stephens and Megan Lloyd were honorable mention picks. Of those six, three of them will return in 2019 and eight of the 11 starters will also be back. Nwokedi was a first-team All-Region pick while Sands, Qu and Trzaska were named to the second team. Additionally, Nwokedi earned second-team Scholar All-American honors while Trzaska was first-team All-Region, the only Ivy Leaguers to earn the distinction.
In her third season at the helm in 2017, Van Dyke led a youth-driven Penn squad to a 5-8-3 record with a 3-3-1 mark in Ivy League play. Despite a challenging non-conference slate to open the campaign, the defense stepped up to play a vital role in the team's success, allowing 12 goals across 16 matches and conceding only four in seven Ivy contests. At season's end, the Quakers 19th nationally in team save percentage (.864) and 33rd in team goals-against average (.708) with a back line comprised of three newcomers to the program. Van Dyke's Quakers became the first team since 2007 to take down Harvard, Dartmouth and Yale in the same season following a 3-1 win over the Bulldogs on Oct. 21. Additionally, Penn's Sept. 23 win at Harvard was the Quakers' first in the last five seasons and first in Cambridge since the 2007 season. At season's end, four women earned All-Ivy laurels for the second consecutive year, led by sophomore keeper Kitty Qu on the first-team after leading the conference in save percentage while ranking ninth nationally (.890). Junior Allie Trzaska was named to the second-team, while senior Erica Higa and freshman Chase Geffert landed honorable mention recognition.
Despite a youth movement, Penn went 9-3-4 in 2016 and made significant strides forward in Van Dyke's second season. On defense, the Red and Blue allowed just 10 goals across 16 matches, posting eight shutouts, and went a staggering 1,350 minutes of match action (covering more than two months) without allowing a goal in the run of play. When the season ended, the Quakers were 13th nationally in goals-against average. At the other end, a young attack had 12 different goal scorers and tallied 31 goals, a program high for a single season since 2011 and 12 more than the team scored in both 2014 and 2015. Following the campaign, four women received All-Ivy recognition -- including two freshmen and a sophomore -- and senior Paige Lombard (first-team All-Ivy) was named one of 30 candidates nationally for the prestigious Senior CLASS Award.
The Quakers went 6-4-6 in Van Dyke's first season at the helm, and allowed just 11 goals which is third on the program's all-time list for fewest goals allowed in a season. The season ended with three women earning All-Ivy recognition -- including two first-teamers -- and Lombard gaining NSCAA All-Region and All-ECAC honors.
This is Van Dyke's third stint as a head coach at the NCAA Division I level. However, just prior to her arrival in University City, Van Dyke spent four seasons at Stanford University -- three as an assistant coach, and the fourth as the Associate Head Coach under Paul Ratcliffe. She was invaluable in helping guide the Cardinal to three NCAA College Cup berths including the 2011 national championship. Stanford went a combined 81-9-7 and won two Pac-12 titles during her four seasons on The Farm.
During Van Dyke’s tenure at Stanford, the Cardinal produced eight All-America players including the 2011 Hermann Trophy winner (Teresa Noyola); 19 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Pacific Region selections; and 26 players who received All-Pac 12 recognition. In addition, Stanford’s 2015 recruiting class is ranked No. 1 in the nation by TopDrawerSoccer.com, and the Cardinal had the consensus National Freshman of the Year last fall in midfielder Andi Sullivan.
Stanford’s winning percentage of .866 over the past four years was the second-highest among any school and the highest among 2014 College Cup teams. In addition, Stanford’s differential of 71 victories over .500 was the highest in the nation during that span.
In addition to its excellence on the field, Stanford excelled in the classroom -- Stanford has had 42 selections to the Pac-12 All-Academic team during Van Dyke’s term as coach. Nine of her Stanford players have been drafted by Women’s Professional Soccer or the National Women’s Soccer League, including three going into the 2015 NWSL season. Seven already have played professionally, including three with full national teams.
Van Dyke was the head coach at her alma mater, Cal State Bakersfield, for five seasons before moving to Stanford. Before that, she was the head coach at Cal State Stanislaus from 2003-05.
Van Dyke was the first full-time women’s soccer coach at Bakersfield, overseeing a five-year transition from NCAA Division II to Division I as the team played as an independent. In 2010, the Roadrunners beat one NCAA tournament team (Sacramento State) while drawing against two others (San Diego and Fresno State).
The Roadrunners twice won the Kegley-McCall Award as the Cal State Bakersfield team with the highest grade-point average during her tenure, and were runners-up in 2010. Their scholastic achievements also earned Bakersfield recognition as an NSCAA All-Academic Team Award recipient in 2009 and 2010. Van Dyke continued that tradition at Stanford, which has won the same honor.
At the tender age of 23, Van Dyke began her collegiate head coaching career at Division II Cal State Stanislaus, leading the Warriors to a combined 35-19-7 record over three seasons and winning a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) North Division title in 2005. That team went 15-4-2 and Van Dyke, who also served as an admissions counselor, earned CCAA Coach of the Year honors.
Van Dyke played college soccer at Cal State Bakersfield from 1998-2000. In 2000, she set the school season record for goals (17), a mark that still stands. She also established career marks in goals (36) and points (88) that are still second in program history while leading the Roadrunners to the CCAA Central Division title. She earned All-CCAA first-team honors in 2000 and was a two-time second-team NSCAA All-Far West selection, in 1999 and 2000. She graduated from Cal State Bakersfield with a degree in liberal studies in 2002 and earned her master’s in education, with an emphasis on curriculum and instruction, in 2008.
Van Dyke played professionally in Sweden for Mallbacken IF, and also was Team MVP for the California Gold of the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL). She is active in youth soccer, and currently works in the Bay Area with the Palo Alto Soccer Club, Stanford Soccer Club, and is currently with the Mountain View-Los Altos Soccer Club.
Van Dyke holds a USSF 'A' coaching license and has an NSCAA Premier Diploma. She is a 2013 WCA #29 NCAA Women's Coaching Academy Graduate.
Nicole married Jason Werner in March 2014 and has a three year-old son, Rory, and they welcomed a second son, Riley, in April.
