East Central University Women's Soccer

Alyssa Taramona enters her first season as the East Central University head soccer coach. The ECU Athletic Department announced the hiring of Taramona on December 12, 2023.   With a rich background as a former accomplished goalkeeper and seasoned head coach, Taramona offers a wealth of expertise and a fresh outlook that aligns seamlessly with ECU's culture.   Taramona most recently served as the assistant women's soccer coach at Texas Women's University in Denton, TX. During her tenure at TWU, Taramona contributed to the Pioneers' advancement to the NCAA tournament, marking only the second appearance in program history. The team also made a remarkable turnaround, transitioning from a 1-10-6 overall record in 2022 to an impressive 11-4-4 record this past season.   Before her role at TWU, Taramona held the position of women's head coach at LeToureau University, a Division III program out of Longview, Texas. In her two-year stint with the Yellowjackets, Taramona helped produce eight All-American Southwest Conference Team selections, 10 All-American Southwest Conference Academic Team honorees, and two recipients of All-District Academic accolades.   Prior to LeToureau, Taramona landed her first head coaching job at Schreiner University in Kerrville, Texas. Despite facing adversity due to multiple injuries and navigating through 10 overtime games, she successfully led the program to its seventh consecutive SCAC conference tournament appearance during the 2019 season.   Taramona began her collegiate coaching career as a graduate assistant coach at her alma mater, St. Mary's University. In her three years on the coaching staff, she helped guide the Rattlers to 13 shutout performances.

Makenzie Saul begins her first season as an assistant coach with the ECU soccer program in 2026. Prior to joining ECU, Saul served as a graduate assistant coach for the Tigers in 2024, transitioning into coaching after completing her collegiate playing career at Southwestern College. As a senior, she appeared in all 21 matches with six starts, recording three goals and four assists for 10 total points. She tallied 11 shots and logged 794 minutes of action as a forward, capping off a well-rounded collegiate career. Before heading to Southwestern, Saul played her first two collegiate seasons at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College. Not only was she the third sister in her family to come to the NEO program, but Saul had the unique experience to be coached by her sister, Haley Saul, the assistant women’s soccer coach for NEO.   The Claremore, Oklahoma, native, graduated with a degree in psychology from Southwestern College in December 2022 and an associates in science from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College in May 2020. Saul is currently pursuing a masters in sports administration at ECU.