Ashley Hart Bio
6/20/2008 4:20:00 AM | General
Ashley Hart begins her seventh season at the helm of the Georgia Southern women's soccer team, a program which celebrates its 17th season of success both on the field and inside the classroom.
A byproduct of Hart's leadership on the field is the continued success her team exhibits academically. The Eagles earned the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Team Academic Award in 2007 - its ninth such academic honor since 1996. The 2007 team included then-juniors Michelle Carlson and Holli Finneren as individual recipients of NSCAA regional academic honors. Nine student-athletes were named to either the Dean's or President's list during the 2009 spring semester.
Only the second head coach in the program's history, Hart owns an 22-61-8 overall record in four seasons on the sidelines.
In her inaugural season, she inherited a young team that was coming off just its second losing season since the program began in 1993, and had to break in two true freshman goalkeepers and four more first-year players in the field.
The youth movement continued in 2005 with a roster that had just one senior and no juniors, and in 2006, last year's senior-less squad combined the leadership of the juniors and sophomores with the youth and vitality of an incoming class that saw a lot of playing time.
The 2006 squad produced its most wins within a four-year frame and advanced to the Southern Conference semifinals for the first time since 2002.
In the classroom the Eagles maintained their success, earning NSCAA Team Academic honors for the fourth straight year in 2004 and eighth time since 1996.
The 2007 season pitted the Eagles against one of the toughest schedules it has ever faced. The Eagles fell just short in a number of games and lost six games by just one goal. The Eagles finished with a 3-12-2 overall record and a 2-6-2 conference.
“We were definitely in a majority of the games we played, and we played probably one of the toughest schedules since we have been here,” said head coach Ashley Hart. “We played an SEC team (Mississippi State), and Samford made it into the NCAA tournament. We had two teams from our conference make it to the NCAA tournament (Furman, UNC Greensboro). So it definitely shows we can compete at the highest level. Our team has to be ready now to take that step.”
The 2008 season saw the Eagles pull one of their greatest combacks in history after being down 3-1 to High Point (Sept. 21) at halftime. The two teams traded goals in the early part of the second half, but the Eagles scored two straight unanswered goals to force a 4-4 tie.
Hired on Dec. 30, 2003, Hart was asked to continue the tradition established by Tom Norton which includes nine seasons of .500 or better and seven top-three finishes in the conference standings.
“I wanted someone that had an understanding of what it takes to succeed at being both a student and an athlete,” said GSU athletics director Sam Baker. “In Ashley, I found that perfect combination that I knew would lead our women's soccer program to continued success.”
Prior to accepting Georgia Southern's top women's soccer position, Hart spent four seasons at the University of Alabama at Birmingham as an assistant coach. At UAB, she was responsible for overseeing the Blazers' financial budget, video operations, team travel and recruiting management while aiding with on-field coaching duties.
During her four years at UAB, the Blazers maintained a 3.20 team grade point average and produced six individual Academic All-America selections.
In 2003, Hart helped lead the Blazers to an overall record of 13-5-1, which included a Conference USA regular season championship mark of 8-2. That followed a 9-9-1 record, including a 5-5 Conference USA tally, in 2002.
Hart was instrumental in one of the biggest turnarounds in Blazer history that saw UAB record an eight-win improvement from her first season to her second. The Blazers were 3-14-2 during her initial campaign in Birmingham, but improved to 11-9-0, including 7-3 in league play, in 2001.
Before joining the UAB program, Hart served as an assistant coach at Briarwood (Ala.) Christian School where she played a key role in the Lions' Class 4-A state title in the spring of 2000. She coached several players which earned NCAA Division I scholarships, including current U.S. Women's National Team performer Cat (Reddick) Whitehill.
Hart's coaching career began in 1999 as she spent a season on the Samford (Ala.) University staff, helping guide the Bulldogs to a 9-8-2 record.
As a player, Hart was a four-year starter at the University of North Carolina at Asheville where she was a part of a Big South Conference championship squad in 1995 and a league runner-up finisher in 1996 and 1998. She was a two-time All-Big South choice (1995, 1998) and served as team captain as a senior. A four-time Big South All-Academic Team selection, Hart finished her collegiate career as UNCA's third all-time leading scorer.
Hart earned her bachelor's degree in biology from UNCA in 1999, graduating with distinction as a research scholar.
As a prep standout at Vestavia Hills High School, Hart was named Alabama's High School Player of the Year in 1995. She was also a member of the Alabama Angels Club Team, which garnered eight state titles.
