Brian Parker begins his ninth season as head coach of the Frostburg State University women's soccer program in 2010. The 1992 FSU graduate, is the winningest Bobcat women's soccer coach with a 115-40-15 record in his eight seasons.
FSU won the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference championship and has advanced to the NCAA Tournament five times under Parker's guidance (2002-05 and 2009). He also powered the Bobcats to the ECAC Tournament in three-consecutive seasons from 2006-2008. This year, with the return of two of the program's most prolific scorers, Parker and his Bobcat squad should be a force in the Captial Athletic Conference.
Last season, Parker capped FSU's tenure in the AMCC in stellar fashion. Frostburg finished with a school record 18 wins (18-4 overall), scored a program record 90 goals, won 14 of 15 games during the middle part of the season, posted a 9-1 conference mark and advanced ot the AMCC Championshiop game for the 11th-straight year.
FSU breezed through the first two games of the AMCC Tournament with 4-0 and 11-2 wins over Hilbert and Pitt-Bradford, respectively. In the championship, FSU needed an overtime period to down Penn State Altoona as Lauren Russell drilled home a shot four minutes into the extra frame to send FSU to a 1-0 victory. In the NCAA Tournament, FSU lost to No. 9 ranked Otterbein 1-0 in the first round.
In 2008, Frostburg State posted 16 wins for the second-straight season (16-2-4) and set school records in shutouts (15), save percentage (0.873), goals against average (0.35) and fewest goals allowed in a season (8). The Bobcats hosted the ECAC South Region Championship Tournament and finished runner-up after losing to Swarthmore in penalty kicks (5-4). The Bobcats earned NSCAA Ethics/Sportsmanship and NSCAA Academic awards and placed seven players on the All-AMCC teams.
The Bobcats had numerous highlights during the 2007 season including an ECAC Tournament semifinal appearance, a 4-1 upset of No. 18 ranked Johns Hopkins, nine shutout victories and a run of 11 wins in 12 games during the middle of the season.
FSU advanced to the AMCC Tournament finals after downing Penn State Altoona in the semi's 4-1. Frostburg State was later eliminated by rival Penn State Behrend, 2-1, in the championship.
Over his first five years at the helm (2002-06), Parker built one of the most successful programs on the east coast. He led the Bobcats to four-consecutive AMCC Tournament Championships and four NCAA Tournaments. In 2003, the Bobcats were chosen to host an NCAA match for the first time in school history and made the most of the opportunity, defeating Westminster 3-2 for their first NCAA Tournament victory in three tries.
Parker, a two-time AMCC Coach of the Year in 2002 and 2003, led the Bobcats to 63 wins during that stretch, 35 wins in the AMCC and a school record 12-straight wins in the 2003 season.
Parker coached 36 All-AMCC selections and four league Players of the Year, including three-time Great Lakes All-Region honoree Karen Kotofski. Parker has coached several individual school record holders. Current senior Lauren Russell holds career records in points (205) and assists (45) and enters her final season needing just four goals to set that career record as well. Kotofski currently holds the career goal record with 83 during her four year career from 2001-04.
Former goalkeeper Stephanie Zych (2000-03) holds four major career goalkeeping records; wins (48), saves (443), goals against average (.154) and shutouts (19).
Prior to returning to western Maryland, Parker served as head girls soccer coach at Urbana High School in Frederick County, Md., since the school's opening in 1995. He guided the Hawks to an impressive 62-36-6 record and a pair of regional championships during his tenure.
In just his second season at Urbana, Parker was named the Frederick County Coach of the Year after leading a team of freshmen and sophomores to the school's first-ever regional championship crown. The Hawks, who posted winning records in six of Parker's seven years, earned their second regional title in 2001.
Parker is no stranger to FSU, as he was a goalkeeper for the Bobcats from 1987-89. He was a member of two Eastern College Athletic Conference Tournament qualifiers, including the 1989 squad that won the ECAC South Region Championship.
Parker then coached the FSU women's soccer team as a club sport from 1990-1992 and received his degree in social sciences with a teaching certification from FSU in 1992. He moved on to West Virginia University where he serve as a graduate assistant for the Mountaineer men's team for two years while earning a master's in political science.
Parker, who has a USSF "B" coaching license and a Premier Diploma from the NSCAA, is on the coaching education staff of both the Maryland State Youth Soccer Assoc. (MSYSA) and the NSCAA and teaches in the FSU Minor in Coaching program. Parker is also frequently on the Maryland Olympic Development Program Staff and led the Maryland 1990 Girls team to the Region I Tournament championship in 2005 and the 1994 Girls team to an appearance in the Region I Tournament Championship Game in 2009.
Parker was also a founder and staff coach with the Frederick United Soccer Club (now FC Frederick) until his return to FSU. He and his wife, Karen, a 1993 FSU graduate and native of Frostburg, have two children — Elise (8) and Matthew (6).
