Amanda Raso enters her third season as the Western Colorado women's soccer head coach in 2022.
In 2021, Raso guided the program to 5-11-1 overall record and 2-9-1 in RMAC play. Started the season off 2-0, something that has not been done since the 2014 season. Additionally, the program hasn't won five games in a season since the 2017 season. Earned a must win 1-0 victory on Oct. 31, 2021 against Black Hills State, which kept their hopes of making the RMAC tournament alive. Had two Mountaineers earn All-RMAC honorable mention: Jessie Jacobson and Malia Yang.
The Mountaineers went 1-8 in her first season - a pandemic-shortened season that took place in Spring 2021. Raso guided the program to its first win at its new facility - Katy O. Rady Field - in a 3-1 win over Colorado Christian on April 1, 2021. Three Mountaineers earned All-RMAC honors in her first season: Jessie Jacobsen (second team), Parker Barnhardt (honorable mention) and Caileen Sienknect (honorable mention).
Raso comes to Gunnison after spending the previous two years at NCAA Division I North Dakota where she supervised the goalkeepers during two of the most successful seasons in Fighting Hawks D-I history. The Aurora, Colorado, native was also an assistant coach at Fort Lewis (2015-17) and played for the Skyhawks (2010-14) and also served as a graduate assistant at Midwestern State.
Raso helped guide North Dakota to a 9-6-2 record in 2018 thanks to her goalkeepers finishing in the top 15 nationally in save percentage and goals against average. She helped the Fighting Hawks to their best season in program history this past season as they went 10-8-1 and played in their first-ever Summit League Tournament match – the program’s first postseason contest as an eligible NCAA Tournament participant in the Division I era.
As the lead assistant coach at Fort Lewis, Raso had complete oversight and session planning for the goalkeepers while helping the Skyhawks reach the RMAC Tournament each of the three seasons she was in Durango as an assistant. Raso also tutored 2015 RMAC Goalkeeper of the Year Caitlyn Espinosa.
Raso got her start in collegiate coaching at Midwestern State in Wichita Falls, Texas, as a graduate assistant. There she was in charge of overseeing goalkeepers and coached the 2014 Lonestar Conference Goalkeeper of the Year. Raso also has coached with the New Mexico Olympic Development Program, Durango High School (assistant coach from 2013-18), numerous youth programs and at college camps.
Raso was a four-year letter winner and a two-year starter for Fort Lewis from 2010-13 (graduating in 2014) and left the Skyhawks ranked second in school history winning percentage (.744), third in wins (26), fifth in shutouts (11) and seventh in games played (43), minutes played (3,614) and saves (126). She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Fort Lewis in 2014 and a master’s degree in sport psychology from Lock Haven University in 2016.
