Fairmont State University Women's Soccer

The Fairmont State University Athletic Department and Director of Athletics, Greg Bamberger named Alex Zaroyan as the fifth head women's soccer coach in program history on February 26, 2026. "We are excited to bring on Coach Zaroyan as our new head women's soccer coach," said Bamberger. "He comes from a diverse background from working at the professional level all the way down to junior college. I have full confidence that he is going to help our program to continue to excel both on and off the field." Zaroyan comes to Fairmont State after spending the past two-plus years at Syracuse University as the assistant women's soccer coach. During his time there he assisted in training sessions, planning, organization, game preparation, and video analysis. He also contributed to the program's best five-game start since 1997 during the Fall 2024 season. He also helped foster academic excellence; team earned a 3.66 GPA in Fall 2024, highest among all 18 Syracuse teams. "I'm thankful and honored for the opportunity to be here and want to thank President Dr. Mike Davis, Athletic Director Greg Bamberger, Deputy Athletic Director Ryan Courtney, and the search committee for their belief in me," said Zaroyan. "Since I stepped foot on campus, it was clear Fairmont State is a university built on strong values that puts people first and is deeply committed to its student-athletes and community." Prior to Syracuse, Zaroyan spent a year at George Washington University where the program doubled its win total in that span and had the 14th-ranked defense in the nation. Before his time in the nation's capital, Zaroyan helped lead the University of Tennessee at Martin where they won the 2021 Ohio Valley Conference League Championship while also earning a third-place finish in the league in 2020. At UT-Martin, he led individual, group, and goalkeeper sessions through the season that eventually led to Erica Meyers being named All-OVC Second team twice. The team also broke the shutout record (23), while also finishing first in goals against average (.802), fifth in save percentage (.769), and had an OVC Goalkeeper of the Week be named three times. Before spending a few months with the Colorado Rush (United Soccer League 2), Zaroyan was the co-head coach at Angelina College for both the men's and women's soccer programs. He helped lead the men's team to a record finish of 8-11-1. The women's team finished fourth in the conference with a record of 10-7-1. The men's team beat a nationally ranked side for the first time in the program's history, reached postseason for the first time, and reached the semi-finals of the postseason as an interim co-head coach. Two of his players at Angelina received national team call ups. "Being named the head coach at Fairmont State means a great deal to me," mentioned Zaroyan. "This role is about building relationships, establishing clear standards, and creating a competitive environment where student-athletes are challenged every day to grow and succeed. I believe strongly in developing the whole student-athlete and fostering a culture built on the individual before the player." A native of Monrovia, California, Zaroyan graduated from Temple University with a Bachelor of Science in Sport and Recreation Management before earning a Master of Arts in Strategic Communication from the University of Tennessee at Martin. Coach Zaroyan will be joined by his golden retriever, Maverick, as they move to West Virginia.  

Emily Gallagher is in her fifth season as Assistant Women’s Soccer Coach at Fairmont State. Gallagher joined Kernell Borneo’s staff in August 2021. As assistant coach with the Falcons, Gallagher has helped Fairmont State make three consecutive Mountain East Conference Tournament appearances and assisted the program in earning the school’s first MEC Tournament Title in 2022. Gallagher has also helped lead the Falcons to numerous school program records, including the most consecutive unbeaten streak in the 2022 season, the most shutouts in a season, and reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history in 2022. Before joining the Fairmont State program, Gallagher coached girls’ soccer, boys' swimming, and softball at East Fairmont High School. Gallagher played soccer and softball collegiately at Concord University from 2008-12. She was a goalkeeper for the Mountain Lions and a shortstop/outfielder for the school’s softball team. Gallagher graduated from University High School in 2008. She was a standout goalkeeper for the girls’ soccer team and a shortstop for the softball team. She was named to the West Virginia High School Soccer Coaches Association All-State Team in her junior and senior seasons. Gallagher also earned numerous NCAC Conference All-Team soccer and softball selections during high school. She played club soccer for West Virginia United and was part of multiple West Virginia ODP teams. Gallagher is a Morgantown, W.Va. native. She received her bachelor's degree in communications and journalism from Concord University and earned a master's degree in integrated marketing communications from West Virginia University. Gallagher holds a USSF Certified Coaching License.  

Nat Wilkes enters his second season after joining the Fairmont State University women's soccer staff in the summer of 2024. "I am absolutely thrilled to become the assistant coach at Fairmont State University," said Wilkes. "This opportunity is a dream come true for me, and I can’t wait to embark on this incredible journey with such a fantastic team." Nat comes to Fairmont State after serving a year at Glenville State University in 2023. Prior to Glenville State, Nat was an assistant coach at Alderson Broaddus on two different occasions with time spent at Addenbrooke Classical Academy in Colorado. As a player, Nat played two seasons at Potomac State College before attending Alderson Broaddus University.