University of Nebraska at Kearney Women's Soccer

Rob Breton was tabbed as the fourth head women's soccer coach in Nebraska-Kearney history in April 2022.  "He has an impressive soccer background, and his core values align with the Athletic Department's mission. Coach Breton has a clear, can-do, forward-thinking vision for elevating the program. I appreciate that he is committed to developing the entire student-athlete, focusing on academic and athletic success, University and community involvement, and all aspects of the student-athlete experience," said UNK AD Marc Bauer.   In his first year at the helm, UNK tied three games, lost four contests by 1-0 scores and held eight opponents to one or zero goals. Four players were named All-MIAA, five qualified for Academic All-District Honors with team having a 3.56 GPA for the spring semester. Finally, the Lopers went undefeated during the 2023 spring season where they scored nearly 20 goals in four games.  During the 2023 regular season, the Lopers won three games, tied two others and showed statistical improvement across the board. Two upperclassmen were named to the All-MIAA squad with six qualifying for Academic All-District honors. Finally, 26 UNK players made the MIAA Academic Honor Roll.  The 2024 campaign was a breakthrough and one of the top seasons for a program that just began in 2009. The Lopers went 8-6-5, returned to the MIAA Tournament, had five named all-conference with Hanna Schimmer being an All-Region selection. She and UNK set a slew of new school season records with the team once again having well over a 3.25 team GPA.   Prior to coming to UNK, Breton spent three years as an assistant women's coach at Division II Alderson Broaddus University (Philippi, W.V.). With an enrollment of 800, the school competed in the Mountain East Conference (MEC) with the women's soccer team led by head coach and former Creighton assistant Jaron Hulme. Breton was involved in all aspects of AB soccer (academics, athletic and administrative). He helped coach three all-conference players, had one player sign an overseas professional contract, saw the team's cumulative GPA rise to 3.63, and had 45 student-athletes earn a 4.00 semester GPA. "I'm honored to be taking on the role of Head Coach for Women's Soccer at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. When I applied for this position and looked at the University, I saw tons of potential for growth in the program to be something special. The University has many opportunities for students to grow and learn at an exceptional level and a community that fully supports them," said Breton. At AB, he also assisted with the Battler men's soccer program and worked with Clarksburg's Excel Futbol Club (girl's head coach). Before his time in Phillipi, he worked with the Empire Futbol Club (boy's and girl's head coach) in Bridgeport and the Marion Futbol Club (boy's and girl's head coach) in Fairmont. Finally, Breton served as a boy's assistant coach for Harford Kicks and was a camp instructor and counselor in Maryland and West Virginia during the summer. He also helped create and manage the Appalachia Steel F.C., a men's amateur club working towards USPL and/or NISA status. On the pitch, he helped win the 2018 Men's Amateur State Cup. Holding a USSF National C & D license, Breton also is certified by the U.S. Soccer Coaches Association in goalkeeping, attacking positions, and 1v1, head coach and assistant coach. Breton played at Division II West Virginia Wesleyan (Buckhannon, W.V.), helping the Bobcats reach the 2010 Elite Eight and earn a No. 2 national ranking. The team co-captain also helped Wesleyan reach the conference finals three straight seasons. Breton holds a B.S. degree from Wesleyan in Exercise Science. "I feel that the University has set up the athletic department in a way where success is not just a want, but a capability and a place for the student-athlete to have a wonderful experience. I believe that this program is in a conference that will allow us to compete against some top-quality talent and get to challenge ourselves every game," said Breton. "I look forward to helping push this program to new heights and competing for the conference tournament immediately. There is a lot of talent and potential on this team. I am really excited to be a part of the Loper family and can't wait to get started."  

Haley Chitwood joined the Nebraska Kearney soccer program in the summer of 2025 and serves as a graduate assistant coach.  She is a dedicated and accomplished soccer player and coach whose journey began at an early age. Chitwood trained with the U.S. Women’s National Team at just 13 years old and developed her game with Palo Alto (Calif.) Soccer Club throughout her youth. She began her collegiate career in 2018 at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) before transferring to Las Positas College (Livermore, Calif.), where she earned Freshman of the Year honors. Continuing her athletic and academic journey, she joined Ottawa University (Surprise, Ariz.), where she made an immediate impact, being named First Team All-Conference in the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) three times and earning NAIA All-American honors in her final year (2023). Following her playing career, Chitwood transitioned into coaching, serving as a Graduate Assistant for the women’s soccer team at Division II Upper Iowa University in 2024. Now, she is excited to take the next step in her coaching career at UNK where she looks forward to mentoring and developing the next generation of student-athletes.  

Daniel Jamies joined the Nebraska Kearney soccer program in the fall of 2024 as a volunteer assistant coach.  He was raised in Lexington, Neb., and came to UNK as an undergraduate student to become a teacher. Since graduating, Jamies has moved around to different parts of the state in a professional capacity and has always worked in education. He began seriously coaching after a friend of his reached about an available assistant coaching position. Since then, Jaimes has dedicated his time outside of work to becoming a better coach. Jamies has coached in and around the Omaha area when he lived there, with his hometown’s club when he can and with the Nebraska Olympic Development Program. Professionally, he works for UNK’s Office for Intercultural Engagement and Leadership as the Leadership and Success Coordinator. He graduated from UNK with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Science secondary education and from Creighton University with a Master of Science in Educational Leadership.