University of California Merced Women's Soccer

University of California, Merced Executive Director for Recreation & Athletics David Dunham named Roman DuChateau the Bobcats head women's soccer coach on March 11, 2022. DuChateau currently holds an 78-27-8 overall career record coupled with a 38-13-5 mark at UC Merced. In 2024, DuChateau became the first head coach in UC Merced history and in Cal Pac women's soccer history to lead his team to the NAIA Women's Soccer National Championship Quarterfinals. The Bobcats also won a share of the Cal Pac Regular Season Championship. In just his second year at the helm, DuChateau led the Bobcats to their first ever California Pacific Conference Tournament Championship and NAIA National Championship Opening Round victory. He also coached Trinidad Quiroz to the program’s first ever NAIA Third Team All-American honor and the Bobcats won a program-record 16 games. DuChateau and the Bobcats started 2023 on a high note, beating Hope International University for the first time ever. Shortly after, UC Merced embarked on a program-record seven-match shutout streak and a program-record seven-match regular-season winning streak. By the end of the year, the Bobcats set records for wins (16) and shutouts (14) and saw seven Bobcats earn postseason honors. UC Merced beat Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University 2-1 in the conference championship match and shutout Midland 1-0 in the NAIA National Championship Opening Round. The Bobcats win over 14th-ranked ERAU also marked the first Top 25 win in program history. Of many players that had success with DuChateau, Quiroz and Jadyn Gong both broke Cal Pac records with Quiroz scoring 23 goals and Gong notching 12 shutouts. Katy Flores and Yesenia Tijerina joined Quiroz on the All-Cal Pac First Team. Four Bobcats were tabbed honorable mention. Academically, the team sported a 3.2 GPA or better in both the fall and spring semester and eight student-athletes achieved Chancellor’s List honors. Quiroz made more program history when she was named a CSC Academic All-American. DuChateau made a splash in his first year with the team in 2022, winning a Cal Pac Tournament match, finishing second in goals scored, and third in goals against average. In addition, DuChateau coached Trinidad Quiroz to Cal Pac Offensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year honors, as well as a NAIA Honorable Mention All-American nod. DuChateau led the Bobcats to a 10-6-3 overall record in year one and an 8-3-1 record in Cal Pac play. Along with Quiroz, DuChateau also saw three others earn All-Cal Pac First or Second Team honors. Prior to coming to UC Merced, DuChateau, spent the last three years as an assistant coach for Western Kentucky University. While there, Western Kentucky posted a pair of ten-win seasons and won a Conference USA East Division Championship.  Western Kentucky made the postseason all three years with DuChateau on the Hilltop and for the first time in program history earned the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the Conference USA Tournament back-to-back seasons. DuChateau's primary duties included serving as the program's recruiting coordinator and training the field players. He mentored the program's first NCAA All-American in midfielder Ambere Barnett and saw ten field players earn postseason honors overall. In 2021, Western Kentucky held opponents to just 13 goals on the season, which is tied for the second fewest in program history.  DuChateau's 78-21-7 head coaching record stems from six combined seasons at UC Merced (2022-Pre.), Ottawa University Kansas (2018), and University of Antelope Valley (2016-17). In his one season at Ottawa, DuChateau coached the Braves to a 15-4-1 overall record while being ranked as high as No. 14 in the nation at the NAIA level. DuChateau's side featured two First Team All-Conference selections, four Second Team picks and two Honorable Mention players, a group that included Reighna Walker, the KCAC Freshman of the Year. The Ottawa squad also had a 2018 NAIA Women's Soccer All-America Honorable Mention Selection (Brooke Mays) and a 2018 United Soccer Coaches NAIA Women's All Region Selection (Leigh Anne Bartlett). Prior to Ottawa, DuChateau posted back-to-back 12+ win seasons at Cal Pac member school University of Antelope Valley. He was named California Pacific Conference Coach of the Year in his first season with the Pioneers and led them to a runner-up finish in the conference tournament. He also earned coach of the year honors in 2015 while leading Lassen Community College to a Golden Valley Conference Title. Along with a 10-0 record, DuChateau coached the GVC Player of the Year and All-State selection Maria Sanchez. Prior to his head coaching career, DuChateau spent nearly three and a half years as a senior staff coach with Shenzhen United in Shenzhen, China, while helping to develop technical and tactical development for the club's youth academy players. DuChateau developed a goalkeeping curriculum that was adopted across the club and was also responsible for the team's scouting and post-match performance analysis. The Roseville, Calif., native played collegiately at Cosumnes River College and Cal State Stanislaus. DuChateau earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Cal State Stanislaus in 2009 before earning a Master of Science degree from American Military University in 2016.

Anthoni Martin was hired as a men's and women's soccer assistant coach prior to the 2023 season.  In his first year coaching, Martin helped UC Merced women's soccer put together their best season in program history that included a program-record 16 wins and 14 shutouts. The successful season also saw UC Merced win their first ever California Pacific Conference Tournament Championship and NAIA National Championship Opening Round game. The men's squad also made a postseason run, advancing to the Cal Pac Tournament Championship match and winning a NAIA National Championship Opening Round game. Martin is a former UC Merced men’s soccer standout from 2020-2022 and was named a NAIA Honorable Mention All-American his senior year. Martin was also named the Cal Pac Defensive Player of the Year and was selected to the United Soccer Coaches NAIA All-West Region Team a year ago. Just prior to graduation, Martin earned the decorated Bobcat Award which is given annually to the student athlete that best represents what it means to be a Bobcat. Martin appeared in 28 games with UC Merced and helped the Bobcats win back-to-back championships in 2020 & 2021. The Tulare, Calif., native scored two goals and tallied seven assists in his career as an outside back. He has most recently played for Academica SC in USL League Two. His experience as an outside back proved vital in coaching women’s soccer outside backs Yesenia Tijerina and Baleigh Zamudio to postseason recognition in his first year on the job, including Tijerina earning All-Cal Pac First Team honors. Tijerina also finished second on the Bobcats with five goals. Martin graduated from UC Merced in 2023 with a degree in public health.

Dominic Figueroa was hired as an assistant coach in the summer of 2024.