University of Minnesota Athletics
Golden Gopher Soccer Hires Krystle Kallman
6/12/2009 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
Minneapolis, Minn. - University of Minnesota head soccer coach Mikki Denney Wright is pleased to announce the hiring of recent graduate Krystle Kallman as an Assistant Coach. Kallman will replace current associate head coach Kate Cortis who will be marrying John Simpson on July 11th, 2009 and moving to Denver, Colorado. Cortis recently accepted a position as the girls Director of Coaching with the Evergreen Soccer Club in Evergreen, Colo.
"We are very excited to add Krystle Kallman to our coaching staff," said Denney Wright. "Krystle is one of the most successful collegiate soccer players to ever come from Minnesota, and has the great distinction of leading every team she ever been a part of to a championship. She has a championship quality that is undeniable and is one of greatest competitors I have ever coached. Krystle will be a fantastic role model for our players and for our recruits. It is an honor to have her as part of our staff as we continue our mission of building champions at Minnesota Soccer."
Kallman joins the staff fresh off her senior season with the Golden Gophers where she patrolled the defense and led them to the top of both the Big Ten and NCAA charts. As a starter in every match in 2008, Kallman helped lead the Golden Gophers to the best record in school history (22-4-0) and an appearance in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. Defensively, the Gophers earned 17 shutouts in 2008, which led the league, set a Big Ten record and ranked fifth nationally with a shutout rate of more than 65%. Kallman and her teammates on the backline also produced the Big Ten's best goals against average (0.45) on their way to allowing a league-low 12 goals.
In her senior campaign, Kallman earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors on Oct. 13 after leading Minnesota to their third and fourth consecutive shutouts, tying a season high. She collected three points on the weekend, assisting on the game-winner in a 1-0 victory over Purdue, before scoring the game-winner in a 1-0 win over Illinois.
"My passion for the University of Minnesota Soccer team has been growing since I was a youth player in Minnesota," said Kallman. "Initially, I played the role of fan where I was able to root on the team from the stands. My senior year of college, I was able to take part in the Minnesota Soccer Family in a new role, a player. Here is where I realized what Minnesota is all about: competition, family, academia, winning attitudes, and hard work. This is where I found my true passion for Minnesota soccer and the attributes the program possesses. I was lucky enough to be a part of a championship team here at Minnesota and am looking forward to my new role as assistant coach where I will be able to help build champions on the soccer field and in the classroom. I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to work with such a wonderful staff in a program that constantly strives to be the best it can be."
Kallman is one of the most decorated high school players to come out of Minnesota. From high school to college she has been a champion on every team she had been a part of, which includes State Championships, Big East Championships and the 2008 Big Ten title. Kallman began her collegiate career at West Virginia University where she played for three seasons (2005-07). With the Mountaineers, the defender started in all 67 matches, collecting seven goals and five assists for 19 points in her career. She also earned herself a reputation as a stellar one-on-one defender and was twice named the Mountaineers Most Valuable Defender. Another milestone at WVU was when she was named to the SoccerBuzz Elite Team of the Week, along with her sister Kylie who was a freshman at Minnesota at the time. The pair became just the second set of sisters to be named to the team in the same week.
In addition to the college game, Kallman has also been an important member of the Minnesota Lightning W-League team for the past three seasons. In 2007 she earned All-Conference honors when she helped the Lightning to the Midwest Division title.
As a prep at nearby Woodbury High School, Krystle was named the 2004 Minnesota High School Gatorade Player of the Year. Her high school career included, four years as a starter on a team that claimed four conference titles and four section titles, as well as state championships in 2003 and 2004. In her sophomore, junior, and senior seasons, Kallman was named to the All-State Tournament team. She was an All-Conference selection in her last three seasons, and was an All-Metro and All-State choice following her junior and senior campaigns. Finally she was named a high school All-American by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).
On the sidelines, Kallman's coaching career began in 2004 with the Woodbury Soccer Association. There she has been the head coach for the Woodbury Azzurri U14 team, while assisting on the Woodbury Inferno U17 team. With the WSA, she has coached her teams at the highest level of Minnesota soccer and in numerous elite level tournaments. In addition she has instructed several Olympic Development Program players, Regional Team players and National Pool players. After finishing her playing career, Kallman joined the Minnesota staff in the spring of 2009 as a volunteer coach.
Kallman comes from a decorated soccer family, as one of five successful soccer playing children. Her older brother Brain played at Jacksonville University and Creighton, and is currently with the Minnesota Thunder. Her sister Kylie will be a junior with the Golden Gophers in 2009 and plays for the Minnesota Lightning W-League team. Her brother Brent will be a freshman this fall at Creighton University, where he will play soccer, and currently plays for the State Champion MN Thunder Academy. Her youngest sister Kassey will be a senior at WHS, and plays for the State Champion Woodbury Inferno as well as the Minnesota Lightning W-League team.
She will begin her duties with the University of Minnesota on July 1st.
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