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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Soccer Adds Fletcher, Thompson As Assistant Coaches
5/25/2010 | Soccer
OXFORD, Miss. - New Ole Miss soccer head coach Matthew Mott announced Tuesday the hiring of Becky Fletcher and Rob Thompson as assistant coaches.
Fletcher, a former Auburn assistant, has spent the last two seasons as the head coach at Tennessee Tech. Thompson has been an assistant coach in charge of goalkeepers at Georgia and Florida State over the last seven years.
"I'm privileged to have the opportunity to hire two outstanding coaches for our staff," Mott said. "I'm very excited to be working with Becky again. She is one of the top up-and-coming coaches in the country and will fit in perfectly at Ole Miss. Her experience as a head coach and recruiter will help us attract some of the top players in the country.
"Rob is one of the top goalkeeper coaches in the country. His passion and intensity for soccer will be a great addition to the staff. The fact that Becky and Rob both have experience in the SEC will allow us to hit the ground running."
In her two seasons as the head coach of the Golden Eagles, Fletcher led them to back-to-back Ohio Valley Conference tournaments after not having made an appearance since 2003. She also directed TTU to the 2009 OVC Tournament championship game, its first appearance since 2000.
Fletcher was an assistant alongside Mott at Auburn from 2003-08. She helped Karen Hoppa's team reach a number of achievements during her time on the Plains, including three SEC West titles, four trips to the NCAA Tournament and a record of 58-34-11 (.617). After Mott left for Texas, Fletcher was tabbed as the program's recruiting coordinator and helped land three nationally ranked classes.
The Columbia, S.C., native started as an assistant at her alma mater, Erskine College (Due West, S.C.), in 1998 before spending three seasons as an assistant at Tennessee Tech. She went back to Erskine as the school's head coach for one year before joining the Auburn staff.
She has also served as a member of the Olympic Development Program staff for Region III since 1997, helping develop some of the top soccer talent in the Southeast.
Fletcher holds a bachelor's degree in physical education from Erskine College (1998) and a master's in health and physical education from Tennessee Technological University (2001).
"I am thrilled with the opportunity to not only return to the SEC, but also to rejoin Coach Mott as he begins to lead Ole Miss Soccer to new heights," Fletcher said. "It is clear that Ole Miss is a special place with limitless potential. I cannot wait to get to know the young ladies already on the team and to get started recruiting quality student-athletes that will build on the tradition of success at such a prestigious institution."
Thompson brings high-level experience in training goalkeepers to the Rebel program. Following a two-year hiatus from college coaching for family reasons, he comes back to the SEC, where he was an assistant at Georgia from 2005-08.
While in Athens, he helped lead the Bulldogs to their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2003 and just their second appearance in the SEC Tournament championship game. Georgia went 40-19-4 during his three seasons, and he helped develop goalkeeper Michelle Betos into an SEC All-Freshman pick who would go on to rank among the all-time school and conference leaders in shutouts and saves.
Thompson was an assistant at Florida State for two seasons, where he helped the Seminoles reach back-to-back NCAA Tournaments, including the 2003 College Cup Semifinals. He trained goalkeeper Joy McKenzie to All-ACC and All-Region status, while she broke several school records along the way.
A native of Grimbsy, England, his extensive experience as a goalkeeper coach on the professional and collegiate levels also includes the WUSA's New York Power (2002-03), Adelphi University men (2001-02), the A-League's Long Island Rough Riders (1998-01) and Lock Haven University men and women (1995-98).
He has also been a member of the ODP Region III coaching staff since 2003.
Thompson holds bachelor's and master's degrees from Lock Haven University (Pa.), where he was a three-time all-conference and two-time all-region player in soccer. He is married to the former April Murphy of Tulsa, Okla., and the couple has a 1-year-old son, Michael.
"I am excited to get back to coaching high-level soccer in the SEC, and I'm looking forward to starting work with Matt and Becky and being part of a successful athletics department at Ole Miss," Thompson said.
