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Eastern Washington University

Eastern Washington Univ Dept of Athletics
207 Physical Education Building Cheney, WA 99004
Division 1 Washington Northwest
Public Medium National competitor

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Missy Strasburg

Missy Strasburg was officially named the fourth head coach in Eastern Washington soccer history on June 23, 2021. The 2023-24 season will be her third at the helm.


“I am so honored to be selected as the next head women’s soccer coach at Eastern Washington University. It has been a long-time dream of mine to take the helm of a program like this and contribute to the local community that has had so much to do with my own growth and development,” said Strasburg. “I am humbled by the trust of Lynn Hickey, Don Ross, Mikayla Anderson and the rest of the EWU community has shown in me. I look forward to getting to the work of helping these young women grow into champions and leaders of character on and off the field.”


2022-23

Eastern finished the 2022 fall schedule with a 2-3-3 record in the Big Sky and 5-8-5 overall in Strasburg second season in Cheney. The first match of the season was against Oregon State in Corvallis, Ore., where the Eagles earned a 1-1 result against the Beavers for the program's first draw against a current Pac-12 school. Eastern protected its home pitch well under Strasburg, holding a 5-1-2 record at EWU Soccer Field. The team earned wins over conference foes Idaho State(1-0) and Weber State(3-1) at home. With Strasburg's leadership, junior forward Maddie Morgan earned Big Sky Co-Offensive MVP and share the Golden Boot Award, recording 10 points during the season. Morgan was named to the All-Conference first team, along with junior midfielder Madison Kem, who earned her fourth-straight selection. Strasburg also helped senior defender Mya Elder-Hammond earn All-Conference second team honors. Grace Terrill earned All-Conference honorable mention as well. Along with the awards on the pitch, 22 Eagles earned Big Sky All-Academic team honors for the fall.


2021-22

In her opening season at Eastern, Strasburg had a 3-6 Big Sky record and went 5-12 overall. Strasburg's first win as head coach was against San Jose State(9/5) in a 5-0 rout of the Spartans at EWU Soccer Field. In the conference opener, Strasburg earned her first Big Sky win with a 3-1 victory over Idaho State(9/24). Eastern would earn wins over Southern Utah(2-0) and Portland State(1-0) during the conference schedule. Strasburg helped guide Madison Kern to an All-Big Sky first team selection, while adding two on the second team in Jordyn King and Kelsee Winston. Mya Elder-Hammond grabbed a defensive honorable mention for the season as well. During Strasburg's first season leading the team, 15 Eagles earned Fall All-Big Sky Academic honors.


Prior to Eastern

At Air Force, Strasburg coached the Falcons to a 10-7-1 record in 2019 for the best single-season win percentage in the program’s Division I history. That season also saw the team score 36 goals with seven shutouts and a program record 28 assists. Three players also earned All-Mountain West honors, including the MWC Player and Newcomer of the Year.


Strasburg guided the Falcons to 14 total wins in 2017 and 2016, qualifying for the Mountain West Tournament for the first time since 2005 during the 2017 season.


“As I transition into this incredible opportunity, I need to make sure I thank my family and all of the incredible coaches and people I have worked alongside during my journey,” continued Strasburg. “This includes my entire Air Force Academy family, especially coaches Larry Friend, Kiha Sutta and the exceptional group of young women in that program who inspired me and challenged me every day to bring my very best. I wish them nothing but success in the future and am so grateful to have their full support as I become a proud member of Eagle Nation. Go Eags!”


Prior to her time in Colorado Springs, Strasburg had assistant coaching stints at the University of New Mexico, Saint Mary’s College (Calif.), Texas-San Antonio, Georgia Southern, Washington and North Carolina-Greensboro.


Strasburg is no stranger to the Spokane area, as she was heavily involved in the youth soccer scene to begin her coaching career. She first served as the head varsity girls’ soccer coach at Riverside High School in Chattaroy, Wash., from 2001 to 2003. There, she guided the program to three state tournament appearances and was named Great Northern League Coach of the Year in 2003.


She spent seven years as the program director and team coach for multiple age groups for the Spokane Shadow Soccer Club.


Strasburg played collegiately at nearby Gonzaga University from 1997-2001 where she earned her degree in Business Administration. A four-year starting defender, Strasburg ended her career third all-time in career assists and second all-time in single season assists.


She continued her education at the University of Washington where she earned her Master’s of Education in Intercollegiate Athletic Leadership in 2010. Currently, she is the founder of the BlueFire Leadership Academy, LLC.

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Nate Ulness

Nate Ulness was hired as an Assistant Coach for Eastern Washington in August of 2022, by head coach Missy Strasburg.


During his first season with the Eagles, Ulness helped develop true frshman Kamryn Willoughby into the team's starting goalkeeper. Willoughby had a 5-7-5 record, starting 16 of the team's 18 games. She finished with 85 saves and had four shutouts during the season. Overall, Eastern had 105 saves during the season.

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