Colleen Pitts
Colleen Pitts
SOC_Bio
UTSA head soccer coach Derek Pittman announced on Tuesday, June 13, that the Roadrunners have hired Colleen Pitts as their new assistant coach. Pitts joins UTSA just in time for summer workouts and will coach the Roadrunners' goalkeepers.  
 
A Dallas native, Pitts came to UTSA after spending the past eight years as a coach and administrator at Austin's Lonestar Soccer Club, while also serving as volunteer goalkeepers coach at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas. At Lonestar, she was the head coach of three teams, while developing the goalkeepers across each level of the club. Pitts also has extensively worked with Lonestar's Women's Premier Soccer League squad, serving five years as a player and coach, while solely coaching for two years. 
 
At Southwestern, Pitts helped guide the career of Mary Cardone, an All-West Region goalkeeper who was the 2017 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Newcomer of the Year and a three-time SCAC All-Tournament honoree. Most recently, Pitts worked with two-time SCAC first-teamer Johnna Campbell, who has racked up a 23-9 record and 21 shutouts on three years in goal for the Pirates. The success of Pitts' keepers has helped Southwestern to three NCAA appearances, the 2019 SCAC tournament championship and the 2022 SCAC regular season title.  
 
During her time at Lonestar, Pitts mentored goalkeepers who have moved on to collegiate opportunities at Auburn, Baylor, Louisiana, Colorado State, Angelo State, UT Dallas and Texas Lutheran. 
 
A former Big 12 student-athlete, Pitts spent the three years prior to Austin as an assistant coach and goalkeepers coach at West Texas A&M in Canyon (2012-15). She saw tremendous success mentoring the Lady Buffs goalkeepers, notably Yvette Bedoy who graduated as the WT all-time saves leader with 306. During Pitts' first season at WT, she helped guide the squad to a 13-7-1 record, Lone Star Conference Regular Season and Tournament Championships and an NCAA Tournament appearance. The following year, WT reached the LSC Tournament Finals.  
 
Prior to moving into collegiate coaching, Pitts built up a robust history working with local clubs, including the Amarillo Lightning and also helping the Palo Duro Soccer Association. She also worked as a camp coach for both Boston University and Texas Tech, also spending three years as goalkeepers coach for the West Texas Olympic Development Program.   
 
A three-time high school All-State player at Ursuline Academy of Dallas, she helped her prep squad four consecutive TAPPS State Championships, while also playing club with Dallas Sting '88 and Dallas Texans '88 – earning a USYSA National Championship and individually garnering that tournament's Golden Glove award. Pitts went on to play goalkeeper at Texas Tech from 2006-10, recording a 1.20 goals-against average with 89 saves and nine shutouts in 32 games in goal. As a senior, Pitts registered a 1.20 GAA with an .804 save percentage, earning six wins. Pitts currently holds two rankings in the TTU career record book for GAA (sixth) and shutouts (t-seventh). She was named First Team Academic All-Big 12 Soccer Team in 2010 and was the Red Raiders' SAAC Communications Officer (2010-11) in the last of her four years on SAAC.

Pitts earned her Bachelor's degree from Texas Tech in Public Relations, and went on to earn her Master's in Mass Communication for Sports and Media just two years later. While working on her graduate degree, Pitts worked in the TTU sports information office and also served a Marketing/Digital internship in Kansas City with the United Soccer Coaches. Pitts earned her  Junior Level VI and Advanced National Goalkeeping Diplomas during her internship with the United Soccer Coaches (NSCAA). She currently holds her USSF D, C and B licenses, as well.