Mizzou Soccer hires Molly Poletto as assistant coach

COLUMBIA, Mo. (Via Mizzou Soccer) – Mizzou Soccer head coach Bryan Blitz filled a vacancy on his staff Friday morning, adding Molly Poletto as an assistant coach. Poletto brings a combined eight years of experience, both as a player and coach, to the Tigers in 2019.

“I am thrilled to be joining the Mizzou Soccer family, and I am very excited to continue to build on the rich tradition already in place here,” Poletto said. “I am grateful for the knowledge and skills I gained at Boston University working with Nancy Feldman, and I look forward to making an immediate impact on this team and its goals of winning and building character.”

“We are so excited to welcome a coach of Molly’s caliber,” Blitz said. “She brings a lot to the table for our program, most notably her work ethic, her ambition and the wonderful example she will set for all our student athletes.”

Poletto helped BU return to the top of the Patriot League this past season, as the Terriers claimed their fourth Patriot League title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 14th time in program history. BU finished with an 11-7-4 record, including an unbeaten mark in Patriot League play at 7-0-2. Poletto was instrumental in guiding the goalkeeping unit to a combined 11 shutouts in 2018.

In Poletto’s first season in 2017, she helped guide her goalkeepers to a then-record 10 shutouts as the Terriers finished with a 10-8-3 record and reached the Patriot League tournament semifinals. Under Poletto’s tutelage, BU surrendered just 0.86 goals per game and the goalkeepers combined for a .798 save percentage.

“Molly is a great young professional,” Boston University Women’s Soccer head coach Nancy Feldman said. “She is enthusiastic and passionate about coaching and had a positive effect on not only the goalkeepers, but on the entire squad. We loved having her here at Boston University during her two years working with us.”

The Englewood, Colo., native worked primarily with the Utes’ goalkeepers unit in 2016 as a volunteer assistant coach after spending the previous three years as an undergraduate assistant coach. Following her promotion, the goalkeeping crew improved its goals against average from the 2015 season’s 1.21 to a miniscule 0.65, while boasting a .860 save percentage after finishing the previous year at .784. The Utes also totaled 10 clean sheets that season.

“Molly is a fantastic coach and person,” Utah Women’s Soccer head coach Rich Manning said. “She was presented with a tough challenge when her playing career was cut short due to injury during her freshman year of college, but she has responded by dedicating herself to becoming a great coach. She made our goalkeepers better and contributed to the success of the entire team with her ability to be detail oriented and bring a winning spirit to work every day. She will be a great addition to Missouri’s program.”

Poletto originally joined Utah as a student-athlete in the fall of 2011 but saw her collegiate career cut short by injury, leading her to focus on coaching. Besides assisting the Utes, she has also served as the Director of Goalkeeping and an age group head coach for the Utah Avalanche club team, while also working with the state’s ODP program.

As a high school goalkeeper, Poletto was named Most Outstanding Player three straight years (2008-10) at Cherry Creek High School in Colorado. She helped lead CCHS to the 2011 Region championship, while also participating in the U.S. Women’s National Team Youth program.

She holds a USSF “B” license and serves as an instructor for the USSF “E” licenses. After graduating cum laude from the University of Utah in 2015 with a degree in communications and a minor in psychology, she completed her Master’s degree in sports psychology in the spring of 2017.