University of North Carolina - Wilmington Women's Soccer

Chris Neal's Honors at UNCW Neal was named as the Seahawks' skipper for his alma mater in July 2018 and has led the squad to a 64-47-18 overall record through eight seasons, including a 36-23-12 mark in Coastal Athletic Association play. The success also includes three regular season championships (2020, 2021 and 2025), the only regular season titles in the program’s 32-year history. As a head coach at three different programs since 1998, Neal's overall coaching record is 190-145-53. He has been named Coach of the Year in both the CAA (2021, 2025) and in the Southern Conference (2012). In addition, Neal has prepared several players for the professional ranks and has mentored the first two athletes in program history to be picked in the National Women's Soccer League Draft. Goalkeeper Sydney Schneider was the first-ever selection in 2021 when she was taken with the No. 29 overall selection by the Washington Spirit. The Spirit came back to the Seahawks' roster in the 2022 event, when Audrey Harding heard her name called with the No. 38 overall pick. Neal captured his third regular season title at UNCW during 2025 season, leading the Seahawks to an 11-3-4 overall record and the No. 1 overall seed for the CAA tournament with 23 points and a 7-0-2 record in CAA play. UNCW's unbeaten record during conference play marked the first time in program history that the Seahawks finished a full slate of conference play undefeated. The Seahawks kept six clean sheets during the 2025 season and finished the year with a .722 win percentage, surpassing the mark of .719 set in 2021 for the best single-season win percentage in program history. UNCW also ended the 2025 season unbeaten in 10 straight matches, tying the all-time program record which was set during the 2004 campaign. During the 2025 season, five Seahawks earned all-league honors. Forward Hailey Longwell became the first player in program history to be named CAA Attacking Player of the Year after leading the CAA with six goals and 15 points during conference play. Sophomore defender Ava Chuderewicz was named to the All-CAA first team. Defender Rachel Fry, goalkeeper Morgan Hobbs, and midfielder Ava Vaughan all earned a spot on the league's second team. Neal also earned his 150th career victory as an NCAA Division I women's soccer head coach on Sept. 28, 2025 with a 3-2 victory at home against the College of Charleston. Since Neal's arrival in 2018, the Seahawks have earned an impressive 37 All-CAA conference honors including 2019 Goalkeeper-of-the-Year Sydney Schneider, 2020 Rookie of the Year Blair Barefoot, 2020 Goalkeeper of the Year Blair Barefoot, 2021 Defender of the Year Sophie Trepohl and 2025 Attacking Player of the Year Hailey Longwell. Since 2018, six Seahawks have earned all-region honors. In 2021 Audrey Harding was named the program’s first ever Academic All-American. In 2021, the squad finished with a program-record tying six student-athletes earning All-CAA recognition.  In 2018, Neal, spent the spring season as the chief assistant coach at Arkansas (SEC) following a 10-year stint as the head women's soccer coach at fellow CAA member Elon. "We want to welcome home a native Wilmingtonian, a UNCW graduate and a true Seahawk," said Jimmy Bass, UNCW Director of Athletics. "Chris is a high-caliber head coach with a tremendous commitment to academic excellence. Our student-athletes are going to really enjoy playing for Chris and we're all looking forward to what the future holds." The experienced Neal is just the third coach in the 26-year history of the UNCW program, following Keith Cammidge and Paul Cairney. "This program has experienced tremendous success, in both the CAA and NCAA, and I am determined to build on that legacy," Neal said. Before his brief stop in Fayetteville, Ark., Neal was the winningest head coach in Elon women's soccer history with a 90-76-31 record. He was named SoCon Coach of the Year in 2012 after leading the Phoenix to their first SoCon championship appearance until overseeing Elon's transition to the CAA in 2014. Before arriving at Elon, Neal worked as an assistant coach at UNCW from 2001-07, helping the Seahawks compile a 70-55-8 record. Neal earlier enjoyed a successful stint as the head men's soccer coach at Pfeiffer in Misenheimer, North Carolina. In three seasons at Pfeiffer (1998-2000), Neal piloted the Falcons to a 36-22-4 (.613) ledger and their first-ever NCAA Division II ranking (No. 13). In 2000, the squad advanced to the CVAC Tournament Championship match that ended in a 1-1 draw with Longwood advancing in a penalty kick shootout.  Neal also served two campaigns as a graduate assistant men's coach at Augusta State (1996-97) and the Jaguars improved from a 7-8-0 in 1996 to 14-6-0 in 1997.  From 2001-2008, Neal gained experience as a coach educator, serving on the coaching education staff’s for both US Soccer and the NSCAA (now United Soccer Coaches). In these roles, he served as the NSCAA State Director and organized and taught a variety of courses for thousands of coaches from all levels. From 2001-2005, Neal was a volunteer assistant for the men's and women's soccer teams at UNCW. In 2003, Neal, along with Dr. Colin Barnes, created and founded the Port City Soccer Club for local youth players and served as the Director from 2003-2005. Prior to the creation of the Port City Soccer Club, he served as the first full-time Director of Coaching for the Cape Fear Youth Soccer Association, now known as the Wilmington Hammerheads. Neal earned his B.A. Degree in Political Science from UNCW in 1995 and M.A. in Education from Augusta State in 1998. He holds the United States Soccer Federation "A" license and the NSCAA "Premier" diploma. A goalkeeper by trade, Neal played locally for the ’72 Wilmington United and Cape Fear Breakers club teams. He also was a letterman in goal for the New Hanover High School Wildcats. Neal and his wife, Amy, have a daughter, Josi, and son, Rex. Chris Neal Year-by-Year History Year Position Record Conf. Record 1995 Student Assistant Coach (UNCW Women's Soccer) 9-10-0 2-5-0 CAA 1996 Graduate Assistant Coach (Augusta State Men's Soccer) 7-8-1 2-3-0 1997 Graduate Assistant Coach (Augusta State Men's Soccer) 14-6-0 4-3-0 1998 Head Coach (Pfeiffer Men's Soccer) 12-7-1 6-4-1 1999 Head Coach (Pfeiffer Men's Soccer) 11-9-0 8-3-0 2000 Head Coach (Pfeiffer Men's Soccer) 13-6-3 8-2-1 2001 Volunteer Assistant Coach (UNCW Men's Soccer) 3-15-0 0-6-0 CAA Volunteer Assistant Coach (UNCW Women's Soccer) 10-8-1 0-4-1 CAA 2002 Volunteer Assistant Coach (UNCW Men's Soccer) 9-9-0 2-7-0 CAA Volunteer Assistant Coach (UNCW Women's Soccer) 11-8-0 3-6-0 CAA 2003 Volunteer Assistant Coach (UNCW Men's Soccer) 10-7-3 4-4-1 CAA Volunteer Assistant Coach (UNCW Women's Soccer) 9-8-2 3-4-2 CAA 2004 Volunteer Assistant Coach (UNCW Men's Soccer) 12-6-2 5-3-1 CAA Volunteer Assistant Coach (UNCW Women's Soccer) 10-7-1 1-7-1 CAA 2005 Assistant Coach (UNCW Women's Soccer) 8-10-1 4-6-1 CAA 2006 Assistant Coach (UNCW Women's Soccer) 13-6-0 8-3-0 CAA 2007 Assistant Coach (UNCW Women's Soccer) 9-8-2 5-5-1 CAA 2008 Head Coach (Elon Women's Soccer) 8-8-3 4-6-1 SoCon 2009 Head Coach (Elon Women's Soccer) 12-5-2 7-3-1 SoCon 2010 Head Coach (Elon Women's Soccer) 12-8-1 6-5-0 SoCon 2011 Head Coach (Elon Women's Soccer) 8-8-4 6-3-2 SoCon 2012 Head Coach (Elon Women's Soccer) 7-9-6 4-3-4 SoCon 2013 Head Coach (Elon Women's Soccer) 13-3-6 5-1-4 SoCon 2014 Head Coach (Elon Women's Soccer) 5-12-0 1-8-0 CAA 2015 Head Coach (Elon Women's Soccer) 9-8-2 1-7-1 CAA 2016 Head Coach (Elon Women's Soccer) 7-9-3 2-5-2 CAA 2017 Head Coach (Elon Women's Soccer) 9-6-4 2-3-4 CAA 2018 Head Coach (UNCW Women's Soccer) 9-6-1 3-5-1 CAA 2019 Head Coach (UNCW Women's Soccer) 10-6-1 6-2-1 CAA 2020 Head Coach (UNCW Women's Soccer) 7-3-0 4-0-0 CAA 2021 Head Coach (UNCW Women's Soccer) 11-4-1 7-2-0 CAA 2022 Head Coach (UNCW Women's Soccer) 7-7-3 3-4-2 CAA 2023 Head Coach (UNCW Women's Soccer) 5-9-3 4-5-3 CAA 2024 Head Coach (UNCW Women's Soccer) 4-9-5 2-5-3 CAA 2025 Head Coach (UNCW Women's Soccer) 11-3-4 7-0-2 CAA

UNCW women’s soccer head coach Chris Neal has announced the promotion of Dr. Colin Barnes to Associate Head Coach ahead of the 2024 season. “Colin deserves this promotion, and I am very happy for him. On top of being a highly respected professional in our industry, he is a relentless worker behind the scenes,” said Neal. “The amount of above-and-beyond hours he puts in, on behalf of our student-athletes and team, is astonishing. Barnes recently completed his fifth season with the Seahawks in 2025. Barnes helped UNCW capture its third regular season title in program history during 2025 campaign. The Seahawks finished with an 11-3-4 overall record and the No. 1 overall seed for the CAA tournament with 23 points and a 7-0-2 record in CAA play. UNCW's unbeaten record during conference play marked the first time in program history that the Seahawks finished a full slate of conference play undefeated. The Seahawks kept six clean sheets during the 2025 season and finished the year with a .722 win percentage, surpassing the mark of .719 set in 2021 for the best single-season win percentage in program history. UNCW also ended the 2025 season unbeaten in 10 straight matches, tying the all-time program record which was set during the 2004 campaign. During the 2025 season, five Seahawks earned all-league honors. Forward Hailey Longwell became the first player in program history to be named CAA Attacking Player of the Year after leading the CAA with six goals and 15 points during conference play. Sophomore defender Ava Chuderewicz was named to the All-CAA first team. Defender Rachel Fry, goalkeeper Morgan Hobbs, and midfielder Ava Vaughan all earned a spot on the league's second team. A veteran coach with over two decades of playing and coaching experience, Barnes was recently named a South Region technical advisor for the United States Youth Soccer Association’s Olympic Development Program. ”He has a very unique way of successfully executing his teaching, analytical, playing, and tactical experiences while also developing meaningful and professional relationships with our student-athletes.” A native of Hoover, Ala., Barnes has coached, taught, or played at the youth, collegiate, professional, and international levels and worked with U.S. Soccer as a Coach Educator. Before Wilmington, Barnes spent four years as a Senior Lecturer of Football Coaching at Solent University in Southampton, England. Barnes was a four-year letter winner at UNC Asheville from 1998 to 2001. He was named to the Big South First-Team as a junior and senior after leading the Bulldogs with 12 assists across two seasons. The Bulldogs increased their win total in each of Barnes’ four seasons, culminating with the program’s first Big South regular season championship in his senior year. Barnes spent the 2002 season with the Wilmington Hammerheads, where he helped the Port City squad to its first USL D-3 Pro League Finals appearance. While with the Hammerheads, Barnes also began his coaching career with the Cape Fear Youth Association. In 2003, Barnes and Neal co-founded the Port City Soccer Club, where he served as the Director of Coaching, coordinating 240 recreational players and 30 select players. Following Barnes’ Wilmington beginnings, he became the Academy Director for the Peachtree City FC (2004-06) in Peachtree City, Ga., before briefly joining the Chicago Magic SC in 2006. Barnes returned to the south as a Technical Director for Concorde Fire SC in Atlanta, Ga., in late 2006 and spent the next five years in the Georgia capital. After a decade in youth soccer, Barnes ventured into collegiate coaching as a graduate assistant at Columbus State in 2011. In 2016, Barnes joined Alabama’s staff as a volunteer assistant coach and spent three seasons under Crimson Tide coach Wes Hart before moving to Southampton in 2019. Barnes earned his Bachelor of Science in Atmospheric Sciences from UNC Asheville in May 2002. In December 2013, he graduated from Columbus with a master’s in teaching. Barnes completed his Ph.D. in Sport Pedagogy at Alabama in 2022. Barnes resides in Wilmington with his wife, Jessica, and dog, Lucy.  

Savannah Stoughton completed her second season as an assistant coach with the UNCW women's soccer program in 2025 after joining Chris Neal's staff in December 2023. During the 2025 campaign, Stoughton helped UNCW capture its third regular season title in program history. The Seahawks finished the season with an 11-3-4 overall record and the No. 1 overall seed for the CAA tournament with 23 points and a 7-0-2 record in CAA play. UNCW's unbeaten record during conference play marked the first time in program history that the Seahawks finished a full slate of conference play undefeated. The Seahawks kept six clean sheets during the 2025 season and finished the year with a .722 win percentage, surpassing the mark of .719 set in 2021 for the best single-season win percentage in program history. UNCW also ended the 2025 season unbeaten in 10 straight matches, tying the all-time program record which was set during the 2004 campaign. During the 2025 season, five Seahawks earned all-league honors. Forward Hailey Longwell became the first player in program history to be named CAA Attacking Player of the Year after leading the CAA with six goals and 15 points during conference play. Sophomore defender Ava Chuderewicz was named to the All-CAA first team. Defender Rachel Fry, goalkeeper Morgan Hobbs, and midfielder Ava Vaughan all earned a spot on the league's second team. Before arriving in Wilmington, Stoughton spent two seasons on staff at Auburn. She was also a four-year letter winner at High Point from 2015-18. A team captain, she helped the Panthers to the 2017 Big South Championship and subsequent NCAA berth. While at Auburn, Stoughton helped facilitate goalkeeper training, opponent scouting, practice planning and contributed to game strategy meetings. She also oversaw the Tigers' student manager staff and interned in Auburn's equipment room. "From the beginning of the interview process, Savannah felt like a great fit for our coaching staff. She has also played at a high level and has done a wonderful job of developing a well-rounded coaching experience over the last several years," said Neal. "She was successful at Auburn, in a very intense and high-demand SEC environment, and that experience will serve her well at UNCW. I am very excited for her to join the team." Stoughton began her coaching career at Bishop McGuiness High School in Winston-Salem, N.C. before ascending to the collegiate level at Wabash Valley College, a NJCAA school, in Mount Carmel, Ill. The Rohnert Park, Calif., native assisted in all aspects of the Warriors program including coaching, recruiting, film, budget management and fundraising. A total of 15 players went on to earn scholarships at the NCCAA, NAIA and all three NCAA Division levels during her season at Wabash Valley. Stoughton was a forward at High Point, where she appeared in 59 games and made seven starts in her four-year career. She totaled four assists and collected 23 shots with the Panthers. Following graduation, she enjoyed a stint with Bergerac Perigord FC, a women's professional league in France. Stoughton completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in French and Francophone Studies from High Point, along with minors in Computer Science and Business Administration, in May 2019. She completed her Master of Education in Adult Education from Auburn in Dec. 2023. She holds a United States Soccer Federation (USSF) National D License as well as a USSF Grassroots Certificate. Stoughton is a registered Yoga instructor and is certified in CPR and AED by the American Heart Association.