Entering in his fourth season, UK head women's soccer coach Jon Lipsitz has continued to develop the culture it takes to build a championship program from the ground up. In doing so, fans have had an opportunity to see the team grow right before their very eyes.
"When I look back over our development at the end of last season and this spring, it's exciting to see how far we've come," Lipsitz said.
"The strides made on and off field during the offseason were fantastic. This team has been great in their dedication to service in the community and work off the field; becoming the best student athletes we could be.
UK head coach Jon Lipsitz ranks second among league coaches in all-time winning percentage. Entering the 2011 season, Lipsitz has posted a .682 percentage throughout his career.
"Playing our best soccer at the end of last season coupled with our offseason improvement, we're excited to pick up where we left off and continue the development of this program."
Lipsitz put his stamp on the program midway through his inaugural season when the Wildcats upset No. 13 LSU, 1-0.
Last season he helped guide the Wildcats to a 2-1 upset of No. 15 Virginia Tech and later coached UK to a 1-1 tie at perennial power and 17th ranked Georgia.
After after a two-year absence from the SEC Tournament, Lipsitz led Kentucky back to Orange Beach (eight-year home of the SEC Tournament) where the Wildcats dropped a heartbreaker to 12th ranked Souh Carolina, 3-2 in penalty kicks.
On Dec. 16, 2008, Lipsitz became the second head women's soccer coach in University of Kentucky history. Lipsitz, who owns a career record of 116-50-15 (.682) in nine seasons, came to Lexington after spending four seasons as the head coach at Charlotte where he guided the 49ers to a 58-23-4 (.706) record including three straight Atlantic 10 titles in 2006, '07 and '08. Each season, Charlotte increased their win total, going from 11 in 2005, to 13 in 2006, to 16 in 2007, to a school record 18 in 2008.
In his four seasons at Charlotte, he guided the 49ers to 34 A-10 wins with a Carolinas' Cup title, three A-10 regular season titles, two A-10 Tournament titles and two NCAA Tournament appearances. The 49ers' success on the field during Lipsitz's tenure translated into recruiting success, as well.
The two springs prior to his arrival in Lexington, he signed two of the highest-ranked recruiting classes in the program's history including the 19th ranked class in the nation according to Soccer Buzz in 2007.
While in Charlotte, he also coached seven Academic All-Americans and two athletic All-Americans. In 2007, Lipsitz was named Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year after leading the 49ers to 16 wins and a school-record nine Atlantic 10 wins en route to the program's third-ever bid to the NCAA Tournament. The 49ers captured their second straight A-10 regular season title which was the fourth regular season championship in the program's history. Charlotte also won their first A-10 Tournament Championship when they captured the title with a victory over Fordham. Lipsitz and the 49ers continued their momentum through the 2008 season where they finished with a school record 18-4-1 mark including a perfect 11-0 mark in conference play. The team won their second straight A-10 tournament title and capped the magical season with an NCAA second round appearance, defeating the Tennessee Lady Vols 2-0 in the first round. The 49ers finished the 2008 campaign ranked fifth nationally in scoring (3.00) and 19th in shutout percentage (56.5).
Winningest Coaches in the SEC
Winningest Active Coaches by percentage
Coach (School)
W
L
T
Pct.
1. Becky Burleigh (UF)
365
95
32
.774
2. Jon Lipsitz (UK)
116
50
15
.682
3. Angela Kelly (UT)
145
77
20
.640
4. Brian Lee (LSU)
210
119
34
.625
5. Neil MacDonald (MS)
192
117
15
.616
6. Karen Hoppa (AU)
200
137
30
.586
7. Shelley Smith (USC)
156
107
30
.584
8. Steve Holeman (UGA)
176
130
35
.567
9. Todd Bramble (UA)
103
79
22
.559
10. Ronnie Woodard (VU)
102
97
31
.511
11. Matt Mott (OM)
7
9
4
.450
12. Erin Aubry (ARK)
41
56
16
.434
Before taking over the 49ers women's soccer program, Lipsitz spent four seasons (2001-04) as an assistant coach for national-power Ohio State. During his four seasons with the Buckeyes, he was the chief recruiter for a program that won 52 games, two Big Ten Tournament titles and made three straight trips to the NCAA Tournament. In 2004, Ohio State won a school-record 19 games en route to an NCAA Tournament Elite Eight appearance. His efforts produced nationally-ranked recruiting classes, including players that earned freshman All-America honors in each of his last two seasons in Columbus.
Prior to his time at Ohio State, Lipsitz spent three seasons at NCAA Division III Denison University where he tallied a 43-10-4 record in three seasons.
No stranger to the UK women's soccer program, Lipsitz served as the Director of Coaching and Player Development for the Ohio Premier Girls' Soccer Club from 1993 to 2005, which produced former Kentucky standouts Annie Gage and Elizabeth Ramsey, as well as 2008 seniors Tara Herold and Kristin Kover.
Lipsitz has also served as a Regional Staff Coach for Region II and III Olympic Development Program, as well as the 1991 North Carolina ODP Head Coach. He holds the United States Soccer Federation "A" license.
The Chapel Hill, N.C., native graduated with a Bachelor's of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina in 1993. He earned a Master's of Education from Ohio State in 1998.
Lipsitz and his wife, Kathryn, have two sons Zachary (14) and Max (7).
Lipsitz Year-by-Year
Year
School
Season
Conference
Postseason
1990
Denison
13-4-2
5-1-2
1991
Denison
14-3-1
6-2-0
19921
Denison
16-3-1
7-0-1 1
NCAA D3 Tour. (Elite Eight)
2005
Charlotte
11-9-0
6-3-0
A-10 Semifinals
20062
Charlotte
13-5-2
8-1-0 2
A-10 Semifinals
2007
Charlotte
16-5-1
9-1-1
NCAA Tournament
20083
Charlotte
18-4-1
11-0-0 3
NCAA Tour. (2nd Rd.)
2009
Kentucky
5-10-4
2-8-4
2010
Kentucky
10-7-3
4-5-2
SEC Tournament Quarterfinal
2011
Kentucky
13-7-1
6-5-0
SEC Tournament Quarterfinal, NCAA Tournament First Round
2012
Kentucky
14-7-1
8-4-1
SEC Tournament Quarterfinal, NCAA Tournament Second Round
Eight Years
133-57-14
69-25-9
1 NCAC Conference Champions; 2 A-10 Regular season champions; 3 A-10 regular season champions; A-10 Tournament champions
