By John Ostapowicz / The Jambar
The Youngstown State University women’s soccer team found its new head coach in Rich Wall on Jan. 2.
With the retirement of former Head Coach Brian Shrum on Nov. 8, 2024, a national search started for his successor. Wall became the eighth head coach in program history.
In a press release from ysusports.com, Ron Strollo, executive director of Intercollegiate Athletics, stated Wall was the right fit for the program based on his variety of experiences.
“We are confident that his head coaching experience and history of coaching in our region will enable him to lead our program to the heights we all expect,” Strollo stated.
In response to his recent hire, Wall said Strollo and Rebecca Fink, senior associate athletic director, were instrumental in his hiring process. He said he wants to see the program grow at YSU.
“This [program] is a hidden gem in all honesty. Hopefully, over the next few years, people are able to see a transformation,” Wall said. “It’s up to me and the athletes at this point to get it going, and hopefully, put together a program that everyone can be proud of.”
Wall is the former head coach of the women’s soccer program at Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania. He also comes to YSU with 13 years of collegiate coaching experience at the NCAA Division I and Division II levels.
Over two seasons at Mercyhurst, Wall accumulated a 20-15-5 record. In 2023, Wall led the Lakers to their best season since 2006 with a 16-4-1 record.
In the same year, Wall was named the 2023 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Division Coach of the Year and led the team to a PSAC West Division championship. The team also qualified for the NCAA DII women’s soccer tournament.
Wall said he was thankful for his time at Mercyhurst, as his experiences with the program will help guide him as the new head coach at YSU.
“We achieved a lot in two years time. We had the highest team GPA in Division II during that academic year, won a championship together and went to a national tournament. Tons of highs and memories during my time at [Mercyhurst],” Wall said.
At the start of 2024, Mercyhurst switched from DII to DI competition. At the upper division level, Wall’s team went 4-11-4 overall.
Prior to Mercyhurst, Wall served as the associate head coach at Coastal Carolina University for the 2022 season and spent two seasons with the University of Cincinnati as an assistant coach.
Now an official member of the Horizon League, Wall has coached in several DI conferences such as the American Athletic Conference, Mid-American Conference and the Sun Belt Conference.
Although a new coach is in charge of the women’s soccer team, Wall said he’s in contact with both incoming players and returnees to ensure a smooth transition.
“I’m super excited to see how this all plays out and obviously, we want to make sure we put the best program out there that we can. Everybodys got to be bought into being a Penguin and doing it our way,” Wall said.
With spring practice underway, the women’s soccer team will hit the pitch at the beginning of August.
