MOORHEAD, Minn. – MSU Moorhead head soccer coach Christie Kopietz has announced that she is stepping down as the Dragon leader effective Tuesday, January 16. 
 
Kopietz completed her eighth season with MSUM in the fall of 2023. She has opted to step away from coaching to spend more time with her family: wife Karli and children Otto and Olive. 
 
"I am beyond grateful for my time as a Dragon. It's hard to leave a place that has given me so many meaningful relationships and treasured memories but it's the right time for me to step away from coaching to prioritize my family," said Kopietz. "I am looking forward to being a huge fan on the other sideline wearing my Dragon gear with pride. Go Dragons!"
 
Known for her spunk and positive attitude, Kopietz has undoubtedly influenced an entire era of Dragon soccer players. Hired ahead of the 2016 season, Kopietz has achieved milestones in her tenure that the program has never seen. Her 2023 Dragons capped their fall with a victory over 10^th-ranked Minnesota State on Senior Day. The victory over the Mavericks was the first since October 1997 as MSUM netted a pair of goals in the win, their first scores against MSU since September 1999. 

"I want to thank coach Kopietz for her dedication and time for the Dragon soccer program. In addition to her service to the soccer program, she also was a tremendous leader in DEI efforts both within the athletic department and across the entire campus," said MSUM athletic director Chad Markuson. "I wish coach and her family all the best in the next chapter of her journey. We appreciate the positive impact she made with MSUM student-athletes on and off the pitch."

In her tenure, Kopietz guided seven players to All-NSIC honors, most recently defender Sara Alfrida Munk Nielsen and goalkeeper Simone Lewald in 2023. Her student-athletes have exceled in the classroom as well, garnering 91 NSIC All-Academic honorees in her time as a Dragon. Kopietz's players have continually found themselves etched in the program's record books in a variety of categories. Alfrida Munk Nielsen set the program's record for minutes played in 2023 while Lewald is found throughout every major goalkeeping category in both her career and single-seasons. 
 
Kopietz's influence stretches far beyond the pitch, as she has served as the department's Diversity and Inclusion designee. In this role, Kopietz has been in vital conversations, both regionally and nationally, regarding diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. She attended the NCAA Diversity and Inclusion Summit in the spring of 2023. 
 
Kopietz was most recently a featured panelist in the 'Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Division II Schools' education session at the annual NCAA Convention in Phoenix, Ariz. She also worked closely with MSUM's SAAC to build DEIB programming into the athletic year to unite and provide a sense of belonging to all Dragon student-athletes. 
 
A native of Almonte, Ontario, Canada, Kopietz had spent four seasons on the Division I Northern Illinois women's soccer coaching staff prior to joining the Dragons. She was an assistant coach from 2012-13 and promoted to associate head coach prior to the 2015 season.
 
Prior to her time at Northern Illinois, Kopietz was an assistant coach at North Dakota State for four seasons. She also coached four seasons with the Red River Soccer Club, working with U13 boys and U10 girls teams.Kopietz worked at Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference school St. Cloud State from 2007-08.
 
She began her coaching career at her alma mater, Minnesota Crookston, in 2006. Kopietz (formerly Chappell) had a stellar four-year playing career at UMC, setting the program's career record in goals (25) and points scored (62). Those records still stand today as Kopietz is also second all-time in assists in UMC history. Kopietz was a two-time All-NSIC first-team selection for the Golden Eagles. She was an NSCAA/Adidas Third Team All-Region selection in 2004. 

Kopietz is a 2006 graduate of Minnesota Crookston with a degree in business management. She earned her master's degree in sociology from North Dakota State.
 
The search for MSUM's next head soccer coach will begin immediately.