Texas Woman's University Women's Soccer

THE ABOUZAR FILE   College: Lipscomb (B.A. '08, MBA '09)   Hometown: Mesquite, Texas   Experience: 13th Year at TWU (12th as head coach) YEAR-BY-YEAR REVIEW   Year Record Highlights  2013 5-11-2  2014 9-8-1  2015 11-7-2 Lone Star Conference Tournament Semifinals  2016 9-8-2 Lone Star Conference Tournament  2017 6-9-4 Lone Star Conference Tournament  2018 11-6-3 Lone Star Conference Tournament Semifinals 2019 15-5-1 Lone Star Conference Tournament Semifinals  NCAA Tournament Appearance    2020 3-3-0 COVID Season Lone Star Conference Tournament     2021 12-5-2 Lone Star Conference Tournament 2022 1-10-6 2023 11-4-4 Lone Star Conference Tournament NCAA Tournament Appearance    2024 11-4-4 Lone Star Conference Tournament    2025 16-4-3 Lone Star Conference Tournament NCAA Tournament Appearance  Total 13 yrs.  120-84-34 Nine LSC Tournament Appearances Two NCAA Tournament Appearances Babak Abouzar became the second head coach in Pioneer Soccer program history in July 2013 after serving as the team’s assistant coach for one year. As head coach, Abouzar has led the Pioneers to a 120-84-34 record after taking over a program that accumulated a mark of 63-119-23 in the previous 15 years. Most recently, in 2024, Abouzar led the Pioneers to an 11 win season in his 12th year as head coach, which marks the sixth double-digit win season at TWU. The Pioneers went on to advance to the LSC Tournament for the second consecutive season. Abouzar coached two All-South Central Region Second Team honorees in Erica Brelove and Alyssa Valdez. He also coached six Academic All-District honorees.  In 2024, the Pioneers advanced to the LSC Championship Semifinal for the first time since 2019.  In 2023, the Pioneers recorded the best start to a season in program history with a 5-0 record. In 2021, Abouzar coached the Pioneers to a double-digit win season (12) for the fourth time at TWU. The Pioneers lost in the Conference tournament. In 2019, Abouzar helped guide the team to a historical season. The team finished with the most wins in program history with 15, the most wins at home with eight and the most road wins with six. They also recorded the program's best winning percentage at .738. The Pioneers fell in the Lone Star Conference Tournament Semifinals to No. 1 Dallas Baptist, but their season did not end there. For the first time in program history, the Pioneers earned a bid to the Division II NCAA Tournament. They received an at-large bid as the fourth seed in the South Central Region. In their first game of the NCAA Tournament, the Pioneers lost to No. 5 seed Dixie State in Colorado Spring, Colo on a penalty kick shootout.  More history in the Abouzar era at TWU happened during the 2017 season when Abouzar led TWU soccer to the program’s first national ranking in program history; the Pioneers debuted at No. 25 before moving up to No. 15.  The success of the Pioneers under Abouzar has been evident in the classroom as well. During the Fall 2013 semester, the squad posted its highest-ever GPA of 3.586, which included a record-setting 10 student-athletes with a perfect 4.0. In addition, the Pioneers have been recognized on the LSC Commissioner’s Honor Roll over 110 times with Abouzar’s tutelage. Abouzar came to TWU after two seasons as the head coach at Lubbock Christian University where he was the first coach in program history and guided the Lady Chaps to a 14-18-4 record and two straight Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament appearances. Prior to his stint at LCU, Abouzar was a graduate assistant coach for two seasons at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee. Abouzar played two years at Lipscomb as a defender and earned Atlantic Sun All-Academic honors. He was also a NJCAA All-American at Richland College in Dallas where his team won an NJCAA National Championship. Abouzar earned his bachelor's degree in Business Administration in 2008 and his MBA in 2009 from Lipscomb.

Kayla Wyrsch brings more than six years of coaching experience at the collegiate, club and youth levels, along with a strong background in player development and leadership. She most recently served as the head coach of the reserve team at MidAmerica Nazarene, where she helped launch the program and led recruiting efforts for the newly established squad. In addition to her role at MidAmerica Nazarene, Wyrsch has been actively involved in club soccer, coaching multiple teams with Rush Soccer Club and previously working with Legends Soccer Club and Toca FC. Her experience spans a wide range of age groups, where she has focused on developing technical skills and fostering a competitive and positive environment for student-athletes. Wyrsch also gained experience at the semi-professional level, serving as an assistant coach for Sunflower FC of the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL), where she contributed to training sessions and match preparation. Throughout her coaching career, Wyrsch has emphasized player development, communication and leadership, while helping guide teams to success. She was part of a coaching staff that earned Coaching Staff of the Year honors and helped lead her team to a conference tournament championship and back-to-back national final site appearances in 2024 and 2025. As a student-athlete at MidAmerica Nazarene, Wyrsch served as team captain during the 2021 season and earned Dean’s List honors. Wyrsch earned her bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from MidAmerica Nazarene in May 2024 and previously completed her Master of Science in Management in December 2021. She also holds a U.S. Soccer “C” License, after earning her “D” License in 2024.  

The Pioneers proudly welcome Jimmy Garcia back as an Assistant Coach in 2024. Most recently, before returning to TWU, Garcia served as the Assistant Men’s Soccer Coach (2018-2020) and Women’s Goalkeeper Trainer (2019-2021) at Dallas Baptist University. During his tenure, Garcia and the DBU women’s coaching staff were honored as the United Soccer Coaches National Staff of the Year after leading the Patriots to a remarkable 20-4 record in 2021 and their first Final Four appearance. In 2019, the DBU women’s team clinched both the regular-season and tournament titles in the Lone Star Conference. The following year, the Patriots secured the No. 2 seed in the South Central Region and hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, earning recognition as the United Soccer Coaches Regional Staff of the Year. That same year, goalkeeper Hope Koym was named Goalkeeper of the Year in the Lone Star Conference. Garcia returned to DBU after coaching at Texas Woman’s University (2013-2015) as the goalkeeper trainer for the Pioneers. Garcia began his collegiate career as a student-athlete at Mountain View Community College (2002-2003) before transferring to Richland Community College (2004-2005), where he helped lead the Thunderducks to a national title and earned First Team All-Tournament honors.   Continuing his playing career, Garcia joined the USL PDL-Pro League's El Paso Patriots in 2005, contributing to a conference championship. In 2008, he played for La Paz F.C. in Bolivia's Primera Division. From 2009 to 2011, he played semi-professionally for Vitesse Dallas in the PASL League, helping the team secure two national championships. Garcia began his coaching career at Richland Community College in 2009, where he worked with both men’s and women’s goalkeepers. That year, both teams advanced to the National Championships, with the Richland women being crowned national champions with an impressive 18-3-1 record. The Richland men's goalkeeper, Damian Peralta, earned First-Team All-Tournament honors. In 2010, Garcia spent a season as the goalkeeper trainer at Northwood University, guiding the team to a 15-4-1 record. Goalkeeper, Lyndzey Goff, earned First Team All-Conference honors and was named RRAC Newcomer of the Year. Following two successful seasons at Northwood, Garcia became the interim head coach at Mountain View Community College in 2012, leading the men to a 7-9-1 season and the women to an impressive 11-4-1 record, falling short in the conference final. Garcia graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a certification in Gerontology, as well as a Computer Aided Drafting and Design Degree in Engineering Studies from ITT Technical Institute. In addition to his coaching experience, Garcia has been involved in multiple facets of coaching over the years. He was part of the Academy Professional coaching staff at FC Dallas from 2010 to 2012 and currently serves as a club coach and goalkeeper trainer with youth teams. He has also been a member of the North Texas ODP Regional Coaching Staff (2010-2016) and holds National Youth, D, and E Coaching licenses, along with a United Soccer Goalkeeping Diploma Level 2 and the Metodologia y Planificacion para el Arquero (International Goalkeeping Certificate).