By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – A standout goalkeeper on the NCAA DI stage with experience in the professional ranks, Kelsey Brouwer has joined the Tennessee Tech soccer program as an assistant coach under Steve Springthorpe. The former Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year recipient during a star-studded career at Middle Tennessee State, Brouwer comes to the Golden Eagles where she will work with the TTU goalkeepers, among other coaching responsibilities.
"Kelsey is a great addition to our team and program," Tech head coach Steve Springthorpe said, on the staff's newest member. "When we started our search for a new assistant coach, we were hoping to find someone that would bring a high level of passion and desire to help the program continue to build towards being an OVC [Ohio Valley Conference] championship worthy team. Kelsey brings that level of enthusiasm and work ethic to the table, but also an experience playing the game at a high level on both the college and professional side of things. She will be able to provide our players with the opportunity to be mentored by someone that can relate and share experiences with them that will benefit them now and into their future after collegiate athletics."
A four-year member at MTSU from 2012-15, Brouwer started each and every match from her sophomore through senior seasons for the Blue Raiders, while the Franklin, Tenn. native also stood between the pipes for nine starts as a freshman, a year in which she helped lead MTSU to a Sun Belt Conference regular season championship.
As a senior in 2015, Brouwer was named the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year and was a first team All-Conference USA recipient, thanks to a sterling campaign in which she dented her name within the Blue Raider record books. Brouwer's .876 save percentage was the second-best single-season mark in school history, while her 113 saves ranked fourth-highest in program history, and Brouwer's 10 shutouts broke her own record of seven, set as a junior.
"It means a lot to be a part of the coaching staff at Tennessee Tech," Brouwer claimed. "Before I accepted the job at Tech, I heard nothing but great things about Steve and [Associate Head Coach] Corey [Boyd] as people and as coaches. I believe this will be a great opportunity to learn and grow under their guidance."
Following her remarkable run at Middle Tennessee State, Brouwer went on to play professionally, suiting up for F.C. Kansas City and in the UEFA Women's Champions League as a member of Apollon Ladies F.C. in Limassol, Cyprus. Brouwer's stints within the professional setting have the potential to play dividends with a group of Tech goalkeepers that includes back-to-back OVC Defensive Player of the Year, Kari Naerdemann.
"One thing that intrigued me about begin a part of the Golden Eagles is the opportunity to train Tech's high-level goalkeepers, one of which is the two-time Defensive Player of the Year," Brouwer said. "The Golden Eagles have had great success over the years and I want to be a part of a team that has the potential to compete for a championship in the Ohio Valley Conference."
Brouwer does possess coaching experience on the NCAA DI stage, serving as a volunteer assistant coach last year for Drake University, a Missouri Valley Conference member out of Des Moines, Iowa. The Bulldogs posted a 12-4-3 record in her one season with the club, highlighted by a Drake goalkeeping core that led the MVC in goals allowed, goals against average and shutouts.
"Kelsey will work with our goalkeepers and I am confident that she will help them get to an even higher level of play as our team continues to grow and improve," Springthorpe said. "We are excited that we are able to bring another high quality coach into our program that is well respected, has a strong character and has the background that will help develop the players in the program."
