Women's Soccer Coaching Staff
Head Coach Patrick O'Driscoll
Patrick O'Driscoll enters his fifth season as the head coach of the Behrend Lions women's soccer program.
O’Driscoll has led the program to four straight AMCC Championship games appearances, claiming titles in the 2006 and 2007 seasons. He has bolstered the winning soccer tradition at Behrend, forging a 53-22-9 record over four seasons.
A year ago the blue and white finished 11-7-3 and won the program’s sixth AMCC Championship, defeating arch rival, Frostburg State, 2-1, and earned its third bid to the NCAA Tournament. The 2006 season showed much of the same success for the women’s soccer program. With their third straight AMCC Championship trip, the blue and white again dropped Frostburg State in the title match. In the NCAA Tournament Behrend lost to Messiah, the defending National Champions. It marked the third straight season the program won 14 games.
In 2005 the blue and white enjoyed another outstanding season earning their second straight trip to the AMCC championship game, losing to rival Frostburg State 4-3 on penalty kicks. The blue and white played in their fifth ECAC Tournament and were selected as the number-one seed. Behrend finished the season with a record of 14-3-4, which tied for the fewest losses in school history, while O’Driscoll was named AMCC Coach of the Year. During the 2004, O'Driscoll's first year at the helm, the blue and white lost in double-overtime in the AMCC finals, 3-2, but were selected to participate in the ECAC Playoffs and posted a 14-6-1 mark.
In the summers of 2003 and 2005,
O'Driscoll played soccer for the Fort Wayne Fever in Indiana in the Premier
Development League (PDL). O'Driscoll spent four successful years playing for
NAIA power National American University of South Dakota. As a four-year
starter for the Mavericks, O'Driscoll helped steer the team toward three
regional championship appearances, one national tournament bid, and a No. 11
national ranking. In his junior and senior year, O'Driscoll earned
all-section honors and was tabbed team MVP as a senior. He also was a member
of the bronze medal team at the 2002 Western New York Empire State Games.
O'Driscoll came to South Dakota from Aberdeen, Scotland. As a youth player
in Scotland, O'Driscoll played for Glasgow Celtic F.C. and represented his
country on the Scottish Schoolboys teams.
O'Driscoll earned his bachelor's of science degree in business
administration from National American University in 2001, and his master's
in business administration in 2003 from Behrend. In addition to serving as
the head coach, he will be a lecturer in the health and physical education
department. O’Driscoll holds a U.S.S.F “A” License.
E-mail Head Coach
Patrick O'Driscoll:
pjo120@psu.edu
Assistant Coach Katie Ritchey
Katie Ritchey will be rejoining the blue and white as an assistant coach this fall. Ritchey was a four-year standout for the blue and white and an instrumental contributor to two AMCC championship teams.
Ritchey played in 80 games for the Behrend Lions leading the program to a 53-22-9 overall record. She also scored the game-winning goal in the 2006 AMCC semi-final. As a senior, she was named to the AMCC All-Conference Team.
Ritchey is completing her degree in plastics engineering technology.
Assistant Coach Brian Kightlinger
Brian Kightlinger begins his first season as a member of the women’s soccer staff.
Kightlinger has a large soccer background. He is coming to Behrend from Gannon University where he was an assistant coach from 2003-2007. Previously he served as the head varsity coach at Fort LeBoeuf High School where he led the Bison to a 60-54-3 record. In addition, in 1996 Kightlinger was an assistant coach at Gardner-Webb College and in 1994-95 he was the head coach of the Edinboro Soccer Club.
Kightlinger, an outstanding soccer player while at Gannon, will focus on working with the Behrend goalkeeper’s. He is a teacher at Fort LeBoeuf Middle School.