Cincinnati women’s soccer program hires Maddie Dobyns

CINCINNATI (Via University of Cincinnati) – Maddie Dobyns has been hired as an assistant coach for the University of Cincinnati women’s soccer program, head coach Neil Stafford announced today. A former standout at the University of Kansas, Dobyns will work with the Bearcats goalkeepers while assisting will all other aspects of the program.

“I am really excited to join the Bearcats family,” Dobyns said. “I think Neil and Gavin MacLeod are both incredible at what they do and I can’t want to learn and grow with them as my mentors. I am so grateful for this opportunity that Neil has given me. After speaking with him for the first time, I knew UC was going to be a great fit. His emphasis on the ‘Culture of Excellence’ both on and off the field really drew me to Cincinnati. I also have to thank my family and all of the staff at KU that believed in me and helped get me to where I am now. I can’t wait to get started in Cincinnati!”

Stafford, who has seen seven of his former assistants become head coaches, most recently Matt Cosinuke at Eastern Kentucky, sees Dobyns as a great fit for the Cincinnati program.

“Maddie Dobyns will be a fantastic role-model and mentor for our young team, more specifically with (our GK’s) Madison Less, Jane Sensibaugh and Julia Flake,” Stafford said. “For a young professional, Dobby has quality experiences that will translate to helping us on and off the field and in the office. She has great character, is driven, task orientated and an excellent trainer of goalkeepers. She fits exactly what we need at this time and I’m humbled and proud she chose to come to UC with all the other job opportunities she had. I think it’s a great fit for both parties; with all the quality resources and people within the soccer program and at Cincinnati, Dobby will have a fantastic opportunity to really become the person and coach she wants and we are excited to have her here.”

Dobyns was a member of the Kansas program from 2013-17 and appeared in 60 matches for the Jayhawks between 2014-17 after utilizing a redshirt in 2013. The team’s primary starter over her final three seasons, Dobyns anchored KU to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2016 and was in goal to help the Jayhawks take runner-up honors at the 2015 Big 12 Tournament as the #6 seed in the event. For her career, she left KU ranked #2 in goals against average at 1.06, third in shutouts with 14 and fourth in wins with 29. She also earned a spot in a pair of season Top 5 record books, including #4 in season GAA (0.81 in 2016) and #5 in season shutouts (6 in 2015).

Following the completion of her playing career, Dobyns remained in Lawrence for the 2018 season and served as the team’s Director of Operations where she gained a wealth of experience both on and off the pitch. As the director, she was tasked with the day-to-day operations of the women’s soccer program while assisting in various duties as they related to recruiting, communications, travel and fan engagement, areas she will continue to assist with at UC. During that time, she also began her coaching career working along side Nicole Barnhart at KC Athletics. Barnhart is a former member of the U.S. Women’s National Team that earned 54 caps for the Americans and currently plays in the NWSL for the Utah Royals.

A native of Kansas City, Mo., Dobyns earned two degrees from KU, graduating with her Bachelor’s in Communications before earning a Master’s in Digital Content Strategy. While working toward her degrees, she was named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team twice (2015 & 2017) and its Second Team once (2016)