West Linn, Ore., native Courtney Carter is an accomplished former Oregon State women's soccer player who now calls the Big Apple home. Carter currently works in New York City for ESPN as a director for the network's Sport Management Group, but made her name in Corvallis on the pitch of Lorenz Field during the early 2000's.
In his seventh year at the helm of the Oregon State women's soccer program, head coach Steve Fennah has resurrected a once-stagnant program and returned it to the forefront of college soccer.
In 2003, Fennah's squad won a school-record three Pacific-10 games, topped No. 10 Washington in Seattle and made a late charge at the postseason with a 3-1-1 stretch in conference action to finish alone in sixth place in one of the toughest conferences in the nation.
Fennah's teams have become known for their offensive explosiveness and tough defensive play.
In 2002, Fennah, 37, guided the Beavers to their first back-to-back seasons with winning percentages of .500 or better since the 1994-95 campaigns. In 2001, Fennah's squad recorded its best season since 1995 with a 10-8-2 record and a near-qualification for the NCAA Tournament.
"After being here awhile, I'm excited about the very positive direction of the program," Fennah said. "The interest in our program has increased 10-fold. We've had a huge amount of interest from high school juniors and seniors.
"There's just an overall feeling and belief that Oregon State can again be in the top 10 or top 20 programs, and we're moving in the direction to do that."
Fennah's squads have become known for offensive firepower, recording six games of four goals or more since 2002, as well as stingy defense; the team posted 10 shutouts in the last two years. The Beavers blanked six opponents in 2002, which was the highest total in eight seasons. Multiple OSU individuals appeared among the Pacific-10 Conference statistical leaders.
After the strong campaign of 2001, the program's resurgence put OSU on the national soccer scene once again while playing in what is often regarded as the toughest soccer conference in the country - the Pac-10. The turnaround prompted SoccerBuzz to rate the Beavers' 2001 season among the top 20 turnarounds of any team in the country with a 4 1/2-game improvement from the prior year.
The Beavers have been a smash in the classroom, as well. Women's soccer student-athletes have earned Pacific-10 All-Academic recognition 39 times since Fennah's arrival in 1998 - an average of nearly seven selections per year.
Fennah was introduced as the third head coach in the history of the OSU program on Feb. 6, 1998.
Prior to coaching at OSU, Fennah guided Jesuit High of Beaverton to its fourth straight Oregon Class 4A state title in the fall of 1997. In five seasons at Jesuit, he led the Crusaders to an 84-2-6 record and top-eight national rankings.
Before coaching at Jesuit, Fennah was head coach at Hudson's Bay High in Vancouver, Wash., where he coached the team to its first-ever winning season and state tourney berth.
Fennah is currently in his fifth year as a Region IV Olympic Development head coach and has also worked with other Oregon Olympic Development Programs; he is a coach in the adidas Collegiate Summer League as well.
Fennah has both his United States Soccer Federation and English Football Association coaching licenses. He has earned Coach of the Year awards for the U.S. Soccer Coaches Association West Region, Oregon Class 4A high schools and the Oregon Youth Soccer Association.
As a player, Fennah competed for the Welsh Schools North U-19 National Team, Sheffield Hallamshire University, and several semi-pro teams in England and Wales.
Fennah's early coaching experience included time as a regional staff coach for the English Football Association. At St. David's High in Wrexham, Wales, his teams won three state titles and a national championship; he also guided Clwyd State to the national championship.
Fennah's wife is Amie. A native of Wrexham, Wales, Fennah graduated from Sheffield Hallamshire University in 1989 with a degree in Physical Education, Educational Theory and Environmental Education.
Oregon State Women's Soccer Doernbecher Children's Hospital VisitOregon State Women's Soccer Doernbecher Children's Hospital Visit
Tuesday, March 14
Oregon State's McKenzie Redberg finds herself through Air Force service, returns home to CorvallisOregon State's McKenzie Redberg finds herself through Air Force service, returns home to Corvallis
Thursday, March 02
Recap: Oregon State women's soccer closes out season with win over OregonRecap: Oregon State women's soccer closes out season with win over Oregon
Thursday, March 02
Recap: Cal women's soccer tallies three goals in win over Oregon StateRecap: Cal women's soccer tallies three goals in win over Oregon State
