Women's Soccer
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
The 2017 season marked Kai Edwards' first as an assistant coach, as he joined the University of Michigan women's soccer coaching staff in May 2017. Edwards has 14 years of experience within collegiate women's soccer, including six as a Division I head coach. He works primarily with the Maize and Blue offense and is also an asset to U-M's recruiting efforts.
In Edwards' first season in Ann Arbor, he helped guide two Wolverines to All-Big Ten honors, including All-Big Ten second team and All-Freshman Team member Sarah Stratigakis and All-Big Ten third team selection Reilly Martin.
Edwards joined the program after being involved with soccer on various levels in the Phoenix, Arizona, area for the past two years. For two years, he has served as the Special Assistant to the Head Coach with Arizona State University's women's soccer program. In that role, he was responsible for match analysis, player analysis and on-campus recruiting. While in Phoenix, Edwards also worked with the Sereno Soccer Club as the Girls Coaching Director and ECNL Director and Head Coach.
Prior to making the move to Arizona, Edwards spent six seasons as the women's soccer head coach at Saint Mary's College of California (2009-2014). The Gaels were ranked in the top 10 in the Western region in four of his seasons in Moraga. Overall, SMC recorded wins over seven top-25 teams, including a pair of top-10 wins, while 21 student-athletes earned All-WCC honors during his time at the helm of the program. Edwards' attractive recruiting style helped bring members of the Canadian U-20, Canadian U-17 and New Zealand U-20 teams, as well as the Peru and Philippines senior national teams to Saint Mary's. During his time in California, he also coached the Mustang Soccer Club (Danville, Calif.).
Edwards' first Division I coaching position came when he served as the Associate Head Coach at the University of California at Santa Barbara for two seasons (2007-08). He helped the Gauchos achieve a top-20 national ranking, win the 2008 Big West Tournament title, and receive the program's first NCAA Tournament berth since 1991. During his tenure, UCSB also defeated three top-20 teams and garnered the Big West Conference's Offensive MVP and Freshman of the Year awards. His recruiting efforts helped the Gauchos land the No. 1 recruiting class in the Big West -- the best class in program history.
Edwards got his start in collegiate coaching at Western Washington University (Division II) during the 2004 and 2005 seasons, where he served as an assistant coach and headed up the program's recruiting efforts. While in Washington, he was also the Associate Director of Development for the Whatcom Football Club Rangers.
After two seasons in Washington, he returned to his alma mater, Sonoma State University (Division II) in Rohnert Park, California. As an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the 2006 season, he helped the Seawolves achieve the No. 6 ranking in the West Region. Edwards also coached the Solano Soccer Club while at Sonoma State.
Prior to jumping into collegiate coaching, he worked with several club programs in California from 1998-2004.
Edwards has been heavily involved with the Olympic Development Program (ODP) since 2002, most recently within Region IV and the Arizona State Team. He received his USSF "A" license and his NSCAA Advanced Regional Diploma in 2006, and continues to have a passion for learning, making 10-plus trips to various European fútbol clubs over the past 10 years.
Edwards earned his bachelor's degree in American Multi-Cultural Studies from Sonoma State in 2003, where he played two seasons for the Seawolves. In 2002, he helped lead Sonoma State to the NCAA Division II national championship. Prior to his two years at Sonoma, Edwards played soccer for two years at San Francisco State, where he was a team captain in 2001.
Professionally, he played for the Seattle Sounders Select team (2002) while at Sonoma State, and went on to play with Surrey United in Canada (2004-06) after graduation. In addition to soccer, Edwards is a second-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and competed on the U.S. Teckno National Tae Kwon Do team.
