BERKELEY – Women's soccer head coach Neil McGuire announced the addition of new volunteer assistant Kai Edwards on Wednesday, rounding out the Golden Bears' coaching staff for the 2019 season. Edwards brings 16 years of collegiate coaching experience to Cal's staff, including six as a Division I head coach.

"We are very excited to have Kai join us," said McGuire. "He is a very talented coach who has a strong track record in player development. His experience will benefit us on many levels."
 
A California native, Edwards returns to the west coast after spending the past season as an assistant coach at Oakland University in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The year prior, Edwards was an assistant coach and the director of recruiting at the University of Michigan, helping cultivate several All-Big Ten and All-Freshman selections as well as signing one of the top recruiting classes in the country. While in Michigan, Edwards also served as technical director and an assistant coach for Nationals Soccer Club, helping the U-17s reach the final eight at the recent U.S. Soccer Development Academy Playoffs in southern California.

Known for his attacking style of play, Edwards is no stranger to Bay Area soccer, having spent six seasons as the head coach at Saint Mary's (Calif.) from 2009-14. The Gaels were ranked in the top 10 in the region in four of Edwards' six seasons in Moraga, during which he led the Gaels to seven top-25 wins. During his tenure in Moraga, Edwards helped develop 21 All-WCC honorees, including members of the Canadian and New Zealand Youth National Teams. While at SMC, Edwards also coached with Mustang Soccer Club and won an ECNL Championship as an assistant with Rampage in 2010. Following his time at Saint Mary's, Edwards spent two years in Arizona, working as a special assistant to the head coach at Arizona State and girls coaching director for the Sereno Soccer Club.

Edwards got his start in collegiate coaching at Western Washington University, serving as an assistant coach and head of recruiting for the 2004 and 2005 seasons. After two seasons in Washington, Edwards returned to Sonoma State, his alma mater, and helped the Seawolves earn a sixth-place ranking in the region. From there, he spent three seasons as an assistant and later associate head coach at Santa Barbara, helping the Gauchos win the Big West Conference Tournament in 2008 and make the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance in over a decade.

Edwards earned his bachelor's degree in American Multi-Cultural Studies from Sonoma State in 2003, where he played two seasons and led the Seawolves to the NCAA Division II national championship in 2002. Prior to his two years at Sonoma, Edwards played soccer for two years at San Francisco State, where he was a team captain in 2001. Edwards played for the Seattle Sounders Select team (2002) while at Sonoma State, and went on to play with Surrey United in Canada (2004-06) after graduation.

Prior to jumping into collegiate coaching, Edwards worked with several club programs in California from 1998-2004, including heavy involvement with the Olympic Development Program (ODP) in Region IV.

Edwards holds a USSF "A" license and has also spent extensive time studying the game abroad, completing licensing courses in both Spain and the Netherlands.

The Bears will officially kick off the 2019 campaign on Aug. 22, hosting Weber State at Edwards Stadium at 4 p.m. The Golden Bears' full schedule for the upcoming season can be found here.

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