UNI soccer welcomes Kylie Gazza as assistant coach

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa --- UNI soccer coach Alex Place Thomas on Wednesday announced the addition of former Division I standout Kylie Gazza to the Panther staff as assistant coach.

"I am extremely excited to welcome Kylie Gazza to the UNI women's soccer staff," said Place Thomas. "Her competitive standards, energy, and leadership will elevate our program and play a key role in building a winning culture in the Missouri Valley Conference."

A native of Cumming, Georgia, Gazza comes to Cedar Falls after spending the last two seasons as an assistant coach at Abilene Christian University in Texas. With the Wildcats, she oversaw training with defensive players, helped with scouting and tactical analysis, helped manage recruiting operations and helped direct all aspects of the program's annual ID Camp.

While in west Texas, Gazza also served as a youth coach and program director for the Sting WTX Soccer Club, working as the head coach for the pre-ECNL U12 girls team, while also working with the U13 NPL NTX and '09 NPL NTX teams, focused on technical development and tactical systems.

"I am super blessed to be a part of the UNI family," said Gazza. "This position will not only develop me as a coach, but an overall person. I can't wait to work with Coach Alex and the staff to compete for conference championships annually. I am excited to grow and develop student-athletes both on and off the field, helping them win championships, but also developing them as leaders."

As a student-athlete, Gazza played five years and was a two-year captain at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama with 100 match appearances and 99 career starts. Rounded with a winning and championship mentality, she helped lead the Bulldogs to four Southern Conference (SoCon) regular season titles, three conference tournament championships and three NCAA Tournament berths.

A four-time First Team All-SoCon selection, Gazza was named the SoCon's Defensive Player of the Year as a junior in 2021, earning National Player of the Week honors twice during her career, four SoCon All-Tournament Team selections and two United Soccer Coaches (USC) All-Southeast Regional Team nods, including first team recognition in 2022. Gazza was also named to the NCAA Defenders To Watch List during her 2023 senior season, as well as the Herman Trophy watchlist, awarded by the Missouri Athletic Club to the nation's top Division I soccer player.

Gazza finished her collegiate playing career with 15 total goals and six assists for 36 points, with 84 shot attempts and 37 shots on goal.

In addition to being a representative on Samford's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), she also coached with Alabama FC as part of the Birmingham United Soccer Association during her final three years in college. Gazza coached the U7 and U9 academy teams and also assisted in coaching the pre-ECNL U12, U13 and U14 teams.

Gazza graduated from Samford in 2023 with a bachelor's degree in human development and family science. She is currently completing her master's degree in sports leadership and coaching at Abilene Christian.

UNI women's soccer action can be followed all season long on social media on Facebook (UNI Panther Soccer), X (@UNI_Soccer) and on Instagram (@unipanthersoccer). Schedule and roster information, along with the latest Panther news and information can be found online at UNIpanthers.com.

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