Margueritte Aozasa
UCLA Extends Aozasa Through January 2028
December 13, 2022 | Women's Soccer
After winning the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship in her first year as head coach, UCLA's Margueritte Aozasa has signed a two-year contract extension that will keep her in Westwood through January 2028.
Aozasa made history in 2022, becoming the first rookie head coach and first woman of color to lead her team to a NCAA Division I women's soccer championship. She is also just the second Asian American coach and fourth female head coach to win the title. The Bruins made an unprecedented comeback from two goals down in the championship game, which UCLA won 3-2 in overtime over North Carolina in Cary, N.C.
"I could not be more grateful for the opportunity to stay in Westwood and to continue building this program into something truly special," said Aozasa. "As a staff, we have been blown away by the support and encouragement we have received from our Bruin family and the greater Los Angeles community. Special thank you to Martin Jarmond and Erin Adkins for this incredible gesture and for always believing in our staff."
Hired in December of 2021 after seven seasons as an assistant coach at Stanford, Aozasa guided the Bruins to a 22-2-1 record in her first season, the 22 victories tying the all-time school record, and the .900 win percentage ranking fourth all-time at UCLA. The Bruins' 13-0 start to the season was a new school best and included a pair of road victories over No. 2 Duke and No. 1 North Carolina on Labor Day weekend. The wins catapulted UCLA to the No. 1 national ranking, which they held for the final nine weeks of the regular season.
Aozasa was named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year, becoming the first rookie head coach ever to win the award. She and her coaching staff of Gof Boyoko, Molly Poletto and Chelsea Tudela were chosen as the Pacific Region Staff of the Year. Aozasa coached eight Bruins to All-Pac-12 honors, including Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Lilly Reale, who also earned second-team All-America honors.
"Margueritte is an elite leader," said Martin Jarmond, the Alice and Nahum Lainer Family Director of Athletics. "Coming off a national championship season, where she earned both Pac-12 and regional coach of the year honors, our priority was to demonstrate our commitment to keeping her and the staff at UCLA. I am thrilled about the direction of this program, both on and off the field, under her guidance."
Aozasa made history in 2022, becoming the first rookie head coach and first woman of color to lead her team to a NCAA Division I women's soccer championship. She is also just the second Asian American coach and fourth female head coach to win the title. The Bruins made an unprecedented comeback from two goals down in the championship game, which UCLA won 3-2 in overtime over North Carolina in Cary, N.C.
"I could not be more grateful for the opportunity to stay in Westwood and to continue building this program into something truly special," said Aozasa. "As a staff, we have been blown away by the support and encouragement we have received from our Bruin family and the greater Los Angeles community. Special thank you to Martin Jarmond and Erin Adkins for this incredible gesture and for always believing in our staff."
Hired in December of 2021 after seven seasons as an assistant coach at Stanford, Aozasa guided the Bruins to a 22-2-1 record in her first season, the 22 victories tying the all-time school record, and the .900 win percentage ranking fourth all-time at UCLA. The Bruins' 13-0 start to the season was a new school best and included a pair of road victories over No. 2 Duke and No. 1 North Carolina on Labor Day weekend. The wins catapulted UCLA to the No. 1 national ranking, which they held for the final nine weeks of the regular season.
Aozasa was named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year, becoming the first rookie head coach ever to win the award. She and her coaching staff of Gof Boyoko, Molly Poletto and Chelsea Tudela were chosen as the Pacific Region Staff of the Year. Aozasa coached eight Bruins to All-Pac-12 honors, including Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Lilly Reale, who also earned second-team All-America honors.
"Margueritte is an elite leader," said Martin Jarmond, the Alice and Nahum Lainer Family Director of Athletics. "Coming off a national championship season, where she earned both Pac-12 and regional coach of the year honors, our priority was to demonstrate our commitment to keeping her and the staff at UCLA. I am thrilled about the direction of this program, both on and off the field, under her guidance."