NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt soccer head coach Darren Ambrose announced the promotion of assistant coach Stacey Balaam to associate head coach on Wednesday afternoon.
“Stacey has really made an impact on our team structure and our culture over the past two years,” said Ambrose. “Since her arrival, she has mentored our attacking players and taken a central role in improving our offensive output, which has yielded a significant improvement over the past 12 months.”
Balaam, who will be entering her third season with the Commodores in 2025, spent the last two years as an assistant coach who focused primarily on the offensive side of the ball. Last season the Dores scored 45 goals, tied for the 10th most in a single season in program history. The Commodores scored seven goals in a single match under the leadership of Balaam, the most in a single game since the 2019 season.
Vandy was led by forward Caroline Betts who posted a team-high 23 points off nine goals and five assists, the most points by a Dore since Haley Hopkins tallied 30 points in 2019. Balaam also helped guide midfielder Abi Brighton who was named first-team Scholar All-American, second-team All-American and first-team all-region by United Soccer Coaches in 2024 and would go on to play professionally.
“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to continue working alongside this amazing coaching staff and building on the success we achieved last year,” said Balaam. “I would like to thank Coach Ambrose for valuing my contributions to the program, I’m looking forward to the continued growth and challenges ahead.”
Balaam joined Ambrose’s staff ahead of the 2023 campaign after serving as head coach for six seasons at West Georgia. During that span, she helped guide the Wolves to 40 victories, highlighted by the program’s first-ever berth in the Gulf South Conference Tournament championship match in 2021.
