Meredith Flaherty, goalkeeper for the Gators’ 1998 NCAA Championship team, returns to Florida in 2015 for her second season as Florida’s volunteer coach.
Before joining the Gators for the 2014 season, Flaherty spent three seasons at Sam Houston State as an assistant coach for the Bearkats.
The Bearkats’ goalkeeper Kylie Hambleton earned Southland Conference recognition in both her seasons under Flaherty. Hambleton was the 2012 Southland Conference Freshman of the Year after allowing 17 goals in 16 matches with six shutouts. In 2013, Hambleton was an All-Southland Conference honorable mention selection after turning in the league’s second-highest number of shutouts (6) in league play.
Flaherty was drafted to play professionally for the New York Power of the WUSA and played for the Hampton Roads Piranhas of the W-League.
She was a three-year starter and an All-ACC selection for Clemson from 1994-97 before transferring to Florida to begin graduate school in 1998. Flaherty was the 1998 NCAA College Cup Defensive Most Valuable Player after leading the Gators to a pair of 1-0 wins in NCAA semifinal and championship match action. She was a U.S. National Team pool member from 1996 to 2001.
Flaherty served as volunteer assistant women’s soccer coach at the University of Florida (1999) and LSU before becoming director of coaching for the Manatee Soccer Club in Bradenton, Florida, from 2000 to 2003. For the next 11 years, she served as director of coaching for the Rush Soccer Club, serving eight years in Virginia and three in Texas.
Her duties in Virginia Beach included seasonal training and game programming for individual teams, player development for competition in the Elite Clubs National League and training and game day coaching of individual teams and players.
Flaherty served as regional goalkeeper coach for seven years, traveling with regional teams to national and international soccer events. She also served as the Virginia Youth Soccer State ODP team coach.
She also has served as coach of the Texas Rush Soccer Club.
Flaherty received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Clemson in 1997. She is a doctorate candidate in the University of Florida’s Sports Management program.
