NORTH DARTMOUTH, Mass. -A New England-based soccer coach with a wealth of experience has been named the new head women’s soccer coach at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

Carla DeSantis will become the third women’s soccer coach and the first full-time head women’s soccer coach in UMass Dartmouth history when she joins the staff, effective August 1. DeSantis replaces Alex Silva, who stepped down after 12 seasons in November.

DeSantis joins the Corsairs after coaching at Coast Guard for four years. This past year, she served as a strength and conditioning instructor at Coast Guard. She also currently serves the Olympic Development Program as a regional senior staff coach for Region I, and a head staff coach for Soccer Rhode Island.

DeSantis came to Coast Guard after stints as an assistant coach at both Middle Tennessee State and Minnesota State-Mankato. From 1995 through 1998, she served as the first head women’s soccer coach at Tulane, where she led the Green Wave to three post-season appearances in the first four years of the program. Prior to coaching at Tulane, DeSantis was an assistant at George Washington for two seasons. She also served as a coach with the Olympic Development Program in both Louisiana and Minnesota.

A native of Sudbury, Mass., DeSantis graduated from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, where she earned All-Region, All New England and NCAA Division I All-American honors as a goalkeeper in soccer. A two-sport student-athlete, she also threw the javelin for the track and field team, earning All-East honors and being named the Two-Sport Female Athlete of the Year at UMass for the 1988-89 season. Her teams at UMass twice advanced to the Final Four, hosting the NCAA Division I Finals in 1987 and losing in the championship game to North Carolina.

DeSantis began her coaching career at Lincoln-Sudbury High School and was in the United States national team pool, playing on the U.S. “B” team during the 1991 World Cup. She then went on to George Washington, and began the program at Tulane before leaving to earn her master’s degree at Middle Tennessee State, and was an assistant coach at Minnesota State-Mankato before joining the staff at Coast Guard. DeSantis holds a United States Soccer Federation “A” coaching license and a premier diploma from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

“I’m really excited about the opportunity at UMass Dartmouth,” said DeSantis. “With the move to a full-time position, the commitment level is being elevated, and I am excited to be coming in as part of the new, positive changes that are taking place. I think there’s a lot of talent in this region, the university in a really great location, and we have some great leadership and direction. It’s a unique opportunity, and one that I’m looking forward to being a part of.”

"We are excited to have Carla DeSantis here as part of the Corsair family,” said UMass Dartmouth Director of Athletics Ian Day.”She has a wealth of experience, the highest coaching credentials you can have and is a strong believer in academics, which fits perfectly with our philosophy. We look forward to her arrival at UMass Dartmouth."

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