JACKSON, Miss. – Millsaps College has hired Courtney Murdoch as its new women's soccer head coach. Murdoch comes to Millsaps from Texas Southern University, an NCAA Division I institution, where she has worked as an assistant coach since March 2019. Murdoch assisted with the defensive unit, set plays and scouting to help TSU earn a conference playoff spot in the 2019 season.

"I'd like to send a special thanks to Aaron Pelch, Jaime Fisher, Dr. Robert Pearigen, and the entire hiring committee for giving me the opportunity to represent such a prestigious institution," said Murdoch. "I look forward to leading a women's soccer program with so much potential. I'm excited to begin working with these intelligent young women, and everyone in the welcoming athletic department at Millsaps."

During the 2017-18 season Murdoch also worked as assistant coach at another Division I institution, the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, where she trained the goalkeepers. That season the starting goalkeeper earned Second Team All-America East Honors, and posted the highest save percentage in the conference, while twice earning Save of the Week.  
 
Director of Athletics Aaron Pelch shared his excitement about the future of the women's soccer program.
 
"We are very excited to have Courtney Murdoch as our new women's soccer coach. Courtney brings a wealth of experience in many different settings, and a lot of technical soccer knowledge with her to Millsaps," said Pelch. "She is competitive, energetic, and a great teacher. I look forward to seeing our women's program grow and thrive under Courtney's leadership." 

Beyond collegiate coaching, Murdoch has experience playing, coaching, and managing in the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL), the largest semi-professional women's soccer league in the world. She worked with the Houston Aces during the 2012-2013 seasons, played for the Fort Worth Panthers in 2014, and has been both a player and a coach with the Texas Titans since 2015. The Titans compete in the formidable Red River conference, and have seen six players go on to play professionally overseas. They also develop young, local talent to compete at the university level.
 
Murdoch also spent four years coaching high school soccer, three of those years as the head coach at Morton Ranch High School, where she had seven players offered scholarships to play college soccer.   
 
Her pervasive coaching career has also included coaching for various youth clubs throughout her career, including the Boston Breakers, and TUFC in Houston, Texas; as well as college club at both LSC-Cy-Fair, and the University of Houston winning multiple championship titles.
 
Murdoch holds F, E ,and National D licensures from US Youth Soccer Coaching Education, and Goalkeeping Diplomas 1&2 from the USC (NSCAA).

Murdoch is a graduate of Lone Star College Cy-Fair (2011) where she earned an associate of arts degree. She then graduated with a bachelor of science in business administration from the University of Houston in 2013, where she was one of just 40 students selected to the exclusive Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship, the #1 Entrepreneurship program in the US.