Beth Acreman - Women's Soccer Coach - Murray State University Athletics

Beth Acreman

Title:
Head Coach
Email:
bacreman@murraystate.edu
Phone:
(270) 809-3136

Beth Acreman became Murray State University’s second head women’s soccer coach on April 10, 2006 and is currently in her eighth season.

The advances the program has shown in her eight seasons has been a success story, as the Racers have been positioned to compete for the Ohio Valley Conference regular-season and tournament championship, year in and year out. The Racers have realized each goal under Coach Acreman with back-to-back league titles. The Racers won the OVC regular season championship in 2008 and won the OVC Tournament and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 2009.

BUILDING A CHAMPIONSHIP PROGRAM
MSU Soccer is one of the premier programs in collegiate soccer. Performance on and off the field is emphasized and expected.

“Everything we do has a purpose,” Acreman said. “We look for young women who can be excellent student-athletes. This starts with the recruiting process. We look for those who have a strong academic base and a love for the game. When you get a group that takes instruction very well and when we’re all going in the same direction, a special season can happen and this group is certainly putting in the work.”

When Acreman arrived at Murray State in 2006, she quickly began setting the foundation for a championship program.

Her first Racer squad made many improvements and finished 5-9-4, but in the 2007 season, the team jumped to a different level. Murray State’s 11-8 overall mark and 6-3 record in the OVC set a program record for most wins in a single season and tied the team mark for conference victories. Somis Sports named the Racers as the 11th most improved squad in the nation, and Soccer Buzz tabbed MSU as one of the teams to watch in 2008.

They were right, because in the 2008, the Racers exploded to a 12-5-3 record and won their first OVC regular-season championship when they posted their first undefeated home conference season at 4-0. However, the Racers lost a heartbreaking OVC Tournament semifinal game in a shoot-out to Morehead State.

The pain of that loss only spurred the Racers to greater things as they returned to the 2009 OVC Tournament as the third seed. MSU buzzed through the field and won the title with wins over Eastern Kentucky (1-0), UT Martin (1-0) and Tennessee Tech (4-0), all by shutout. MSU’s 4-0 victory in the title game over TTU is an OVC Tournament record for largest margin of victory.

MSU got a taste of the NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament when they represented the OVC in a first round game against Virginia Tech.

“The last couple of seasons, we’ve fallen short of where we want to be,” Acreman said. “We’ve been training with the thought of winning the OVC and getting back to the NCAA’s and that’s what everyone wants. It has been a joy to see our student-athletes improve and see our program get to the level we’re now at.”

Like any championship coach, Acreman knows each team, each season is different.

“The fun part of coaching for me is the yearly process. Taking a group and seeing what path they need to take to be the best they can be. Leadership is paramount, and we’re getting that from our returners and the newcomers are learning quickly. I am excited to see where this group can take us from here, and hopefully we’ll be able to contend for the OVC Championship again.”

ACHIEVING IN THE CLASSROOM
Not only has MSU Soccer achieved great things on the field in the Beth Acreman era, the Racers are also performing at a high level in the classroom.

In her eight seasons at MSU, Beth Acreman has produced teams that have ranked among the best in the nation. For each of the past six seasons, including the 2012 campaign, the Racers have been recognized National Soccer Coaches Association of America with the organization's team academic award.

In the 2007-08 school year, the Racers reached the top when they were recognized by the NSCAA with the best grade point average in the nation among all NCAA D-I schools. MSU’s GPA of 3.61 shared the top spot with Central Michigan University.

In the 2010-11 school year, MSU Soccer had several student-athletes recognized for their work in the classroom. The National Consortium for Academics and Sports (NCAS) named nine MSU Soccer players to their list of academic winners. Another 10 student-athletes from MSU Soccer were named to the OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll.

“Our team works hard in the classroom both on and off the field, because you can’t have one without the other.” Acreman said. “Our academic achievements are just as important and our program takes academics very seriously.”

MSU Soccer now has produced 135 student-athletes that have earned MSU Dean’s List honors since the program was started in 2000.

ACREMAN BEFORE MURRAY STATE
Acreman prepared for her first job as a head coach at Middle Tennessee. During her time in Murfreesboro, Tenn., as an assistant coach, the Blue Raiders compiled a 64-48-7 record, won the 2004 Sun Belt Conference Championship and broke or tied the school record for wins in a season four times. During the same time, the Blue Raiders lost just three Sun Belt Conference matches, going a combined 17-3-5 in league games. Prior to arriving at Middle Tennessee State, Acreman completed a stint with the UK Elite Soccer Academy in New Jersey and served as the head coach at the American Community School in London.

Acreman holds the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Premier Diploma, the highest coaching level of the NSCAA. In addition, she holds two NSCAA goalkeeping diplomas. She is also a head coach for the US Olympic Development program and is a course instructor for Kentucky Youth Soccer.

Acreman is a native of Yateley, England and graduated from Barton College (N.C.) with a bachelor’s degree in physical education in 1999. She was a team captain, three-time CVAC All-Conference performer and an All- South Region selection. She was a two-sport athlete.