February 2, 2010
GUIDING THE HUSKIES
Leone takes over at Northeastern

Tracy Leone has been named the head women’s coach at Northeastern University, talking over the Huskies after spending the last three years as an assistant under her husband Ray Leone and helping lead the Crimson to back-to-back Ivy League championships in 2008 and ‘09. Harvard went 29-16-7 while Leone was in Cambridge. She takes over for Ed Matz who resigned to move over to UMass.

Leone, who is the program’s third head coach since its inception in 1996, takes over a Northeastern team that has risen to the top of the Colonial Athletic Association in recent years. The Huskies won the 2008 CAA Championship, advanced to the NCAA Tournament and won their first-round game. In 2009, the Huskies were the class of the conference in the regular season, going 7-1-3 to take the regular season crown.

“To say that we are thrilled to welcome a coach and person the quality of Tracey would be an understatement,” Northwestern Athletic Director Peter Roby said. “Tracey brings world class qualifications to our women’s soccer program and to Northeastern. We are excited for her and for our student-athletes.”

Leone has spent 13 seasons coaching with her husband at multiple institutions. She was an assistant coach for Ray at Arizona State from 2005-06 and at Creighton from 1991-92. Leone left Creighton in 1993 to start Clemson’s women’s soccer program as head coach, and Ray joined her as assistant coach a year later. In the program’s first season, 1994, Leone guided the Tigers to an incredible 15-4-1 record, an NCAA Tournament appearance and a final ranking of 13 in the NSCAA national poll. For her efforts, she was named the NSCAA South Region Coach of the Year.

Leone went on to lead Clemson to six consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including trips to the quarterfinals in 1997 and ‘99. In total, she was 89-39-4 at Clemson, including four NCAA Tournament victories. Her Tigers were in the national rankings 57 consecutive weeks from 1994 to 1999.

Between collegiate coaching positions, Leone brought her expertise to the international level, serving as the head coach for the United States Soccer Federation Under-19 women’s national team from 2000-03, winning a world championship in 2002, and then serving as an assistant coach to the U.S. women’s soccer national team during the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, winning a gold medal.

Leone was four-year letterwinner as a midfielder at North Carolina under legendary head coach Anson Dorrance. She helped lead the Tar Heels to national championships in 1986, ‘87 and ‘89 with a runner-up finish in 1985. She was a three-time NSCAA All-America second team selection and was also an All-College Cup honoree in 1987 and ‘89, taking Defensive MVP honors in ‘89.