Murray State University Athletics
Lodge Adds Paul Cox to Coaching Staff
12/3/2020 8:58:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Former Briar Cliff women's head soccer coach brings winning ways to Murray
Murray State women's soccer is excited to announce the hiring of Paul Cox as its new assistant coach, as announced by MSU head coach Matt Lodge on Thursday.
"I'm looking forward to having Paul join us. This is a huge hire for Murray State and our soccer program. Paul not only brings in college head coaching experience, but he is also a proven winner. Within three short years, he has built a championship powerhouse in the GPAC. His passion and knowledge for soccer are second to none, and I'm extremely excited to work alongside him. We have a championship mindset here at Murray State, and Paul will fit in perfectly," said Lodge.
"Firstly, I would like to thank Kevin Saal, Matt Kelly, coach Lodge, and the rest of the search committee for this opportunity. I am very excited to get to Murray and start working with coach Lodge, coach Racheal Foxley, and the rest of the team. After my first conversation with Matt, I knew this was a project I wanted to be involved with and I look forward to adding to this already-successful team and can't wait to start preseason in January," added Cox.
Cox, an Andover, England native, comes to Murray State after spending three seasons as the head women's soccer coach at Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, Iowa. Making an instant positive impact on the program during his first campaign in 2018, he led the Chargers to the semifinals in the GPAC Tournament for the first time since 2014. After a return trip to the conference tournament semifinals in 2019, Cox would conclude his stint at Briar Cliff with championship glory – guiding his side to the program's first-ever GPAC title and NAIA National Tournament appearance with a 10-1-2 overall record in 2020. Through his three seasons at Briar Cliff, Cox compiled a 30-18-4 record overall that included a 25-10-1 mark against conference opponents.
Prior to his run with the Chargers, Cox was the Director of Coaching for the Blair Football Club in Blair, Nebraska. Overseeing a coaching staff of 38 members with 19 competitive teams within the club, he was also responsible for obtaining and implementing a world-class curriculum with the club's global partner, Southampton FC.
A 2012 graduate of Midland University in Fremont, Nebraska, Cox earned his bachelor's in Business Administration in Management and Marketing before going on to complete his master's in Leadership and Teaching in Learning. The former All-GPAC First Team selection himself, Cox was an all-conference honoree in three of his four years as a player at Midland. In 2009, he scored the game-winning goal that sent Midland to its first NAIA National Soccer Championships appearance in program history. He would go on to serve as the assistant coach for the Midland University men's and women's soccer teams while holding various responsibilities as an academic advisor and human performance professor until early 2018.
Cox earned his USSF 'C' License in 2018 and also possesses a Level 3 Goalkeeper Certification from the NSCAA.
