LOS ANGELES – The West Coast Conference announced on Wednesday afternoon that the LMU women's soccer head coach Chris Chamides has been named the 2024 WCC Coach of the Year.
Chamides has led an impressive turnaround at LMU over his first three seasons at the helm. Chamides took the jump from Division II Cal State LA to the Bluff in 2022 and has seen growing success in each season.
The Lions were fresh off a winless season in 2021 when Chamides took over. He earned his first Lion victory against CSUN on the road on August 28, 2022. The Lions won three games that season, followed by six in 2023 and now eleven in 2024.
With the wins comes an impressive offensive and defensive turnaround. Prior to Chamides taking over, the Lions allowed 42 goals and scored only 7 in 2021. In 2022, the Lions jumped to 20 and 12 respectively. In 2023, it was 26 and 17. In 2024, the Lions have reversed the differential: 31 scored and 21 allowed.
The highlight of the Lions' season was a 3-0 win over No. 13 Pepperdine on Oct. 19. It was the first ranked victory of the Chamides era.
Chamides is the second Coach of the Year winner on the women's side, with the only other award earned in 2016 by former head coach Michelle Myers.
In addition to Coach of the Year, the Lions took home some all-conference awards as well.
Kylie Dobbs was named to the All-WCC First Team after finishing first in most of the major offensive categories. The Dallas native led the conference in shots, shots on target, tied for the lead in goals, led the conference in game-winning goals and led the conference in points after adding four assists. Dobbs is now the single-season record holder for goals in a season at LMU.
Jennessa Groves was named to the All-WCC Second team after notching nine goals in her final season on the bluff. The Palos Verdes native tied for fourth in the conference with nine goals and 20 points. Groves will leave LMU as one of the most accomplished goal scorers in school history, finishing her career with 16 total goals.
Megan Rucker and Genevieve Watkins were named as honorable mentions after spectacular seasons on the Lions' defensive line. The pair were a part of a defense that allowed just over a goal per game. The Lions' defense pitched six shutouts in 2024. Watkins added an assist while Rucker notched four goals and three assists, season highs in both categories.
Maci Land was named to the WCC All-Freshman team after starting in every single game in her first year on the Bluff. The Irvine native notched a game-winning goal against UC Davis early in the season and added a pair of assists as well.
The Lions finished the season 11-5-2, with a 5-3-2 conference record and were fifth in the conference after being picked to finish ninth in the preseason poll.
