ECU soccer program gets new head coach
Dec. 14—East Central University Athletic Director Matt Cole announced on Tuesday the hiring of Alyssa Taramona as the new head coach for the women's soccer team. She becomes just the third coach at the helm in program history.
"I am very happy to announce Alyssa Taramona as our next women's soccer coach," said Cole. "Coach Taramona stood out from the start of this search as an ideal candidate to lead this program. She brings a lot of experience into the position and her passion for the sport and leading young adults really shined. I am very excited for our student athletes and the future of Tiger Soccer."
With a rich background as a former accomplished goalkeeper and seasoned head coach, Taramona offers a wealth of expertise and a fresh outlook that aligns seamlessly with ECU's culture.
"I am humbled and very excited to join the East Central Athletics family and am eager to lead Tiger soccer," Taramona expressed. "I cannot wait to begin this journey with the student-athletes, support staff, and athletic department to build a culture that strives for excellence in every aspect within the program! I am grateful for my time working under Coach Babak Abouzar at Texas Woman's University as well as all of my past coaching experiences that have prepared me for this opportunity at ECU.
"I am extremely thankful to President Godwin, Athletic Director, Matt Cole, and the coaches at ECU for their belief and trust in me to lead the soccer program. We are ready to get our hands dirty and dive into the work in order to grow our success both on and off the field so that we represent East Central University to our fullest capability."
Taramona most recently served as the assistant women's soccer coach at Texas Women's University in Denton, TX. During her tenure at TWU, Taramona contributed to the Pioneers' advancement to the NCAA tournament, marking only the second appearance in program history. The team also made a remarkable turnaround, transitioning from a 1-10-6 overall record in 2022 to an impressive 11-4-4 record this past season.
Before her role at TWU, Taramona held the position of women's head coach at LeToureau University, a Division III program out of Longview, Texas. In her two-year stint with the Yellowjackets, Taramona helped produce eight All-American Southwest Conference Team selections, 10 All-American Southwest Conference Academic Team honorees, and two recipients of All-District Academic accolades.
Prior to LeToureau, Taramona landed her first head coaching job at Schreiner University in Kerrville, Texas. Despite facing adversity due to multiple injuries and navigating through 10 overtime games, she successfully led the program to its seventh consecutive SCAC conference tournament appearance during the 2019 season.
Taramona began her collegiate coaching career as a graduate assistant coach at her alma mater, St. Mary's University. In her three years on the coaching staff, she helped guide the Rattlers to 13 shutout performances.
As a student-athlete, Taramona enjoyed a distinguished four-year career at StMU where she earned All-Heartland Conference honors as a goalkeeper. To this day, she holds the Rattlers' career records for saves (261), shutouts (15), and minutes played (4779:41).
The Forney, Texas, native received her bachelor's degree in exercise and sports science with a minor in math in 2016 and completed her master's in educational leadership in 2019 from St. Mary's.
