gophers/ncaa

New Gophers athletic director Norwood Teague wasted little time in naming a new women’s soccer head coach. The school announced Wednesday the hiring of Stefanie Golan, previously the head coach at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, to replace Mikki Denney Wright, who stepped down last month.

Golan, 33, led Army to a 33-18-10 record in three seasons as head coach and was named the 2010 Patriot League Coach of the Year

"Stefanie is one of the most respected young coaches in the country,” Teague said in a statement, “and throughout the search process, her vision, passion, work ethic and track record of developing student-athletes clearly set her apart.”

Denney Wright resigned to spend more time with her family but left the program in good shape. The Gophers reached the NCAA Sweet Sixteen in two of the past four seasons.

“Everything is in place to be a contender on the national scene,” said Golan, who played college soccer at Duke and graduated from the school in 2001, “and that is something that is really exciting for me and my family to come in and be a part of.”