|
|
|
The 2007 season is Neil Sedgwick's fourth as head coach of the University of Montana women's soccer program. In his first three seasons leading the Grizzlies, Sedgwick has compiled a record of 21-29-5, including an 8-9-2 mark in Big Sky Conference matches. He has taken Montana to two Big Sky tournaments in three seasons.
Sedgwick is in his sixth season as a head coach overall, with a career record of 40-44-5. He coached the University of North Dakota in 1999 and 2000.
Sedgwick led the Grizzlies to a 10-8-2 record in 2006, tying for second in the Big Sky Conference with a 4-2-1 league mark. Montana advanced to the conference tournament for the ninth time in the last 10 years, where the Grizzlies fell in the semifinal round to Sacramento State.
Under Sedgwick's guidance, Lindsay Winans earned BSC Offensive MVP honors, while Grace Harris was selected as the BSC's Newcomer of the Year. Montana also had four All-Big Sky Conference performers, five honorable mention selections and nine players make the Academic All-Big Sky team.
The Grizzlies topped the league in both goals allowed (0.90/g) and shutouts (eight).
Hired as Montana's second-ever women's soccer coach on Jan. 22, 2004, Sedgwick led the Grizzlies to an 8-8-2 overall record and 3-2-1 Big Sky mark in his first season in 2004.
UM qualified for the league tournament for the eighth straight year and advanced to the tournament title match for the sixth time in those eight appearances. Winans earned her first BSC Offensive MVP award, while Wendy Stuker was named the league's Defensive MVP. In addition, Montana had six all-conference selections and seven on the Academic All-Big Sky team.
The Grizzlies went 3-13-1 in 2005, 1-5-0 in league play. Montana had four players earn All-BSC recognition and six selected to the Academic All-Big Sky team.
A native of Sackville, Nova Scotia, Sedgwick has been coaching soccer since 1988. After stints as an assistant coach, Sedgwick got his first head coach position at King's College in Halifiax, Nova Scotia, where he coached in 1992 and '93.
In 1996, Sedgwick took an assistant coaching position at Dalhousie University in Halifax, where he had played collegiately in the early '90s. At DU, Sedgwick coached under Neil Turnbull, then the head coach of the Canadian national team. The position allowed Sedgwick to work on the national team staff for the next three years.
In 1997 Sedgwick moved west to British Columbia, where he worked in player development and as an assistant at Malaspina University in Nanaimo, B.C.
Sedgwick began his American coaching career in 1999 when he was hired to start the women's soccer program at the University of North Dakota. In the program's first season, the Fighting Sioux went 7-9.
In 2000, Sedgwick and UND made additional strides, going 12-6 overall.
Sedgwick joined the Southern Cal staff in 2001 as associate head coach. In his three seasons, the Women of Troy posted a record of 30-23-9 and went to three NCAA tournaments.
In addition to his extensive coaching career, Sedgwick also had an impressive playing career. He competed collegiately for both Saint Mary's (1989) and Dalhousie (1991-92), played professionally in Canada for three seasons (1990-92), then represented Canada at the 1993 World University Games.
Sedgwick graduated from Dalhousie in 1995 with degrees in education and physical education. He received a master's degree in coaching studies from the University of Victoria in 2001.
Sedgwick holds a Level 5A license, the highest level of certification from the Canadian Soccer Association. He earned his 'A' license from the United States Soccer Federation in 2001.
In 1996, Sedgwick, who is married to Riki Peacock, graduated from Canada's National Coaching Institute with a diploma in the methodology of high performance coaching.
|
|
|
|
