Christian Michner
Executive Director
The 2019 campaign marks the women’s soccer program’s 10th season under the direction of head coach Christian Michner who has guided the Cougars transition into the Colonial Athletic Association era.
In nine seasons, Michner and the Cougars have posted a 75-88-11 record, and under his tutelage, 13 student-athletes have garnered a total of 20 All-Conference honors. He posted a conference record of 17-12-3 over the Cougar's final three seasons in the Southern Conference before the move to the CAA.
In 2017 Michner's Cougars posted a 8-9-1 record, 3-5-1 in conference play, including a four game win and shutout streak heading into the conference slate, before falling in the opening round of the CAA Tournament in only their second appearance in history.
The 2016 year marked the first time in the programs history that the Cougars qualified for the CAA Tournament, thanks to a 3-3-3 conference record and a 10-7-3 overall record. For a full month, between August 28 and September 30, the College peeled off a nine-game unbeaten streak to tie the school record for the longest such spree. During that time, CofC outscored opponents 17-1.
Michner oversaw the team's transition into the Colonial Athletic Association in 2013, and guided the Cougars to their first point in the CAA standings with a 1-1 draw against Delaware.
For the second time in his tenure at CofC, Michner has brought a top-20 ranked recruiting class to The College in 2014. He also saw to it that the Cougars hosted an international friendly with Trinidad and Tobago in 2014, after he organized a self-funded team trip to the island nations in 2012.
In 2012, Michner pitted his team against No. 1 Florida State and No. 3 Wake Forest, proving his drive to put the Cougars on the field against the highest level of competition. After the completion of that season, the Cougars had played three of the four national semifinalists from the 2011 Final Four in a 12-month span.
In 2011, Michner saw the team to its winningest season in program history as the Cougars racked up 13 wins en route to a SoCon runner-un finish. CofC picked up non-conference wins over Murray State, Winthrop, Old Dominion and crosstown-rival Charleston Southern before going 7-3-1 in conference play to finish the regular season.
As the tournament No. 3 seed, the Cougars opened with a convincing, 3-0 win over No. 6 Elon at Patriots Point to advance to the semifinals on the campus of UNC Greensboro. There, the Cougars downed Georgia Southern, 4-2, to advance to the program's third-ever championship game. The match was highly contested but No. 1 seeded Samford provided the lone score with less than three minutes remaining to claim the win.
Michner's team placed three players on the all-conference team and three on the all-tournament team as well. The offense he has implemented led the Southern Conference in goals scored with 44 over the 2011 season.
In his first season with the Cougars, Michner led the Cougars to a 9-10-1 mark including a 6-4-1 record in the Southern Conference. The Cougars finished the regular season as the fourth-place team and earned home-field advantage in the opening round of the SoCon Championships.
Michner picked up his first head coaching win when the Cougars downed Charleston Southern, 3-2, at Blackbaud Stadium on Daniel Island, S.C., on August 23, 2010.
"Returning to College of Charleston is a dream come true for me and my family," said Michner, who earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from The College. "It's a wonderful university in a beautiful city, and you get the sense immediately that there is something really special happening here with the women's soccer program."
Michner, a CofC alumnus, returned to his alma mater after spending two seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Illinois under head coach Janet Rayfield. The Illini we were ranked as high as No. 11 in the nation and produced six All-Americans, 11 All-Big Ten First Team selections and 51 Academic All-Big Ten honorees during Michner's Tenure.
Prior to joining the Illinois staff, Michner spent one season as an associate head coach and three as an assistant coach at the University of Oklahoma under head coach Randy Evans.
Michner has a wealth of soccer experience both as a coach and a player. He spent two years as a member of the U.S. U-20 National Team and his coaching resume includes stints with the Cal South Olympic Development Program and multiple youth soccer leagues across the country. Michner attained his U.S. Soccer Federation "A" Coaching License in 2006 and NSCAA Premier Diploma in 2010. He is also a member of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and U.S. Soccer Federation.
A 1998 graduate, Michner played for current men's soccer head coach Ralph Lundy from 1996-98 after transferring from Creighton University. After graduation on the Cistern, he played five years in the professional ranks with the Colorado Rapids, San Jose Clash, San Francisco Bay Seals, Seattle Sounders, El Paso Patriots and San Diego Flash.
He is married to the former Sarah Popper, who was an NSCAA First Team All-American at the University of Connecticut and played professionally in the Women's United Soccer Association with the Boston Breakers. They are the proud parents of two sons, a three-year-old named Caelen and Brooks who was born on July 5, 2011.
Sarah Michner
Associate Director
Sarah Michner, fomerly Sarah Popper, was an assistant coach for the University of Louisville women's soccer team from 2005-2006, following a stellar playing career at Connecticut and professionally with the WUSA's Boston Breakers.
In April of 2016, Michner became owner and head coach of the Charleston Fleet WPSL team. 2017 marked the inaugural season for the club where they won the Carolina's Region and hosted the Southern Regional playoffs. In addition, 6 players were named to the 2017 WPSL All-Star team.
Michner has coached youth club teams in Connecticut, Oklahoma, Illinois and South Carolina in addition to being involved in Region I and II Olympic Development Programs at both the state and regional levels. She graduated from UCONN in 2003 with a degree in sports marketing, and began her coaching career as a student assistant at UCONN for a season and a volunteer coach for another season.
At Connecticut she was a 2002 NSCAA First Team All-American and First Team All-BIG EAST at UCONN as co-captain her senior season, leading the Huskies to a BIG EAST championship. She was a BIG EAST First Team selection as a junior and a member of the All-BIG EAST Rookie Team as a freshman. Michner was tabbed as the 27th overall pick in the 2003 WUSA draft by the Breakers and played there for two seasons. She was also selected to the U-18 and U-21 National Pools as a youth player.
She currently holds her United States Soccer Federation "D" License.
Shanna Caldwell
Assistant Coach
The College of Charleston women's soccer program made a key addition to its coaching staff on March 27, 2017, announcing
Shanna Caldwell had joined on as the team's new assistant coach.
Caldwell comes to the Lowcountry with 15 years of coaching experience, including a four-season stint as the first ever head coach in program history for the newly formed Texas A&M Corpus Christi women's soccer team.
While with the Islanders, Caldwell took total ownership of the new program, helping to design the brand new $8.8 Million Dugan Stadium, which serves as the home of TAMUCC's soccer and track & field programs. She propelled her student-athletes both on the field and in the classroom, leading them to a program-best 5-5-1 Southland record in 2015 as well as a cumulative team GPA of 3.0.
Prior to her time in Corpus Christi, she served as recruiting coordinator at Akron ('08-'11) and Baylor ('06-'08), and before that was an assistant at Alabama ('05) and Oklahoma ('02-'05). While working for Sooner women's soccer, she and Coach Michner briefly worked together as colleagues for a season.
During her playing career, Caldwell was a goalkeeper for both North Carolina and UConn before going on to play for both the Greensboro Sparks and Virginia Beach Piranhas of the W-League, as well as WUSA's Atlanta Beat. While playing for the Huskies In 2001, she was the national leader in goals against average before earning her BS in Sociology that Spring. Additionally, she was part of the U-20 Olympic Development Program national pool.
Allison Stucky
Assistant DirectorAllison Stucky is in her first season on the College of Charleston women’s soccer coaching staff as an assistant coach.
A former four-year midfielder for the University of Illinois from 2013 to 2017, Stucky comes to Charleston from The Ohio State University, where she recently served as a strength and conditioning administrative intern. There, she assisted with implementation for programming for football, women’s rowing, women’s gymnastics, field hockey, men’s and women’s soccer and synchronized swimming.
Prior to Ohio State, she served as a strength and conditioning coach post-grad at her alma mater, where she was team captain for the Fighting Illini during the 2016 season. Stucky started in a total of 59-of-71 career games played and tallied nine goals, six assists and 24 points during her four years in Urbana-Champaign. In addition, she helped lead Illinois to a NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in 2013 and was named Academic All-Big Ten Conference in 2016.
“We are so excited to announce Allison Stucky as our new assistant coach for women’s soccer,” CofC Head Coach Christian Michner (’98) said. “Allison will add so much to our program both on-and-off the field and I know our players will really enjoy working with her. She brings exceptional playing and coaching experience to Charleston and will continue to help drive our program forward.
“Whether it’s through the recruiting process or adding coaching staff members, my No. 1 priority is to make sure we’re adding great people to our program and Allison certainly fits the bill. I know she will make a huge impact on our program.”
Her coaching resume includes stints with the Illinois Football Club (Summer of 2015 and 2016), University of Illinois Summer Soccer Camp (Summer of 2014 and 2015), Bees Soccer Academy (Summer of 2012-14) and Brecksville Run for Your Life Program (2010-14).
A former member of the 2011 U.S. U-17 Women’s National Team, Stucky played for the Cleveland Football Club from 2015 to 2013. She also was a successful prep athlete winning two state championships and being named all-state and all-conference while at Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School.
Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Stucky is a 2017 graduate of the University of Illinois earning a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology. She later earned her master’s degree in sport, recreation and tourism (sport management) in 2018. Stucky is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and also holds SCCC, CPR/AED and first aid certifications.