Ben Madsen was named assistant coach on Feb. 29, 2012. Madsen joined Auburn from Iowa State, where he was an assistant coach for four years and served as the Cyclones’ head assistant since 2009.
| COACH MADSEN | |
|---|---|
| Hometown | Mount Horeb, Wisconsin |
| Alma Mater | Lincoln Memorial (2003) |
| Family |
wife, Ann children, Maggie & Beckett |
| Birthday | April 13 |
| Collegiate Coaching Experience | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Title |
| 2021-24 | Auburn | Associate Head Coach |
| 2012-20 | Auburn | Assistant Coach |
| 2009-11 | Iowa State | Assistant Coach |
| 2004-08 | South Alabama | Assistant Coach |
| 2003 | Alabama-Huntsville | Assistant Coach |
| 2002 | Lincoln Memorial | Assistant Coach |
Since Madsen's arrival on The Plains, the Tigers have made consistent improvements along the defensive front and have had 16 All-SEC selections along the back line, including a two-time All-America in Kala Faulkner (2014 and 2015) and SEC Defender of the Year and Second Team All-American in Alyssa Malonson (2021).
Auburn has ranked in the top half of the SEC in both goals against average and shutout percentage eight times in Madsen's tenure, including every year from 2013-16. Before Madsen arrived, the Tigers were eighth in defense in 2011.
Auburn's defense got off to a white-hot start during the 2024 season, issuing eight consecutive clean sheets to begin the year, which included shutouts over No. 5 Clemson and No. 17 Ohio State. Auburn joined Oklahoma State as the final two Division I programs that had yet to concede a goal in the first 720 minutes of the season. The Tigers concluded the year with 12 total shutouts, matching the program's single-season record originally set in 2003.
Defender LJ Knox was recognized as a Second Team All-SEC player in 2024, Auburn's first center back to receive the honor since Sarah Houchin in 2020. Goalkeeper Maddie Prohaska also turned in a dazzling season, becoming the new program leader with 36 career shutouts. Prohaska wrapped her final season on The Plains with a 0.75 goals-against average, her third season with a sub-one average.
In 2023, the Auburn defense posted seven shutouts for the second consecutive season. Four of the team's clean sheets came in league play, including a shutout in the regular season finale at SEC East Champion Georgia. Madsen led the Tigers' starting goalkeeper Maddie Prohaska to a historic season in which the senior achieved a pair of milestones, 25 career shutouts and 250 career saves.
As the program's academic liaison, Madsen was responsible for a 3.59 team GPA during the fall 2023 semester, which included 24 of 28 players earning over a 3.30 GPA. Senior Anna Haddock also earned top honors as the 2023 SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
The Orange & Blue back line showed resounding dominance during the 2022 campaign as it held its opponents to a single goal or less in 17 of 18 matches, including a national-leading streak of 1,348 consecutive minutes of not allowing multiple goals to start the season.
Madsen's defenders tallied a 0.72 goals against average in 2022, the second-best clip in the 30-year history of the program. Goalkeeper Maddie Prohaska notched a 0.74 GAA of her own, tying All-American Megan Rivera's mark set in 2004 for the second-best total by an individual Auburn player.
Along with mentoring Alyssa Malonson to earning SEC Defender of the Year and Second Team All-America honors in 2021, Madsen guided Auburn's defensive unit as a whole to seven shutouts, marking the ninth season under Madsen with seven or more clean sheets. The Tigers allowed just eight goals in the first 10 contests of the season with the D-Team playing a major role in leading the team to a program best 11-game winning streak and tied for the second best start to a season in program history (6-0-0).
The 2020-21 season marked arguably the team's most impressive defensive performance as the Tigers tied the program record by allowing only 15 goals, including three in eight contests during the spring, and turned in the second-best goals against average (0.78) in program history.
Madsen mentored freshman goalkeeper Maddie Prohaska, who led the league in save percentage (.843) and turned in the fourth-best goals against average (0.80) in program history, headlining a defensive unit that pitched eight shutouts on the season. Prohaska earned SEC All-Freshman Team honors, while senior defender and team captain Sarah Houchin was named Second Team All-SEC, United Soccer Coaches Third Team All-Southeast Region, United Soccer Coaches Second Team Scholar All-Region and CoSIDA First Team Academic All-District.
Madsen guided a relatively new back line and graduate transfer goalkeeper in Kate Hart in 2019 and helped lead the unit to six shutouts on the season, including a pair in SEC play. All six shutouts came in the team's first 12 contests, and the Tigers were holding opponents to a 1.00 goals against average to that point in the season.
A year prior, Madsen and the Tigers turned in nine shutouts, tying the 2002 and 2015 squads for the fourth most in a single season in program history.
Madsen played an instrumental role in helping Sarah Le Beau cap off her career with the SEC record for consecutive starts by a goalkeeper (87). Her 87 career starts also tied the conference mark for starts by a goalkeeper. He also mentored Second Team All-SEC honoree Alysaa Malonson, who not only played a role in the nine shutouts, but also ranked third in the league in assists (8).
With the defensive unit's performance in 2018, five of the program's top eight shutout totals have come under Madsen's watch.
In 2017, Madsen helped guide the Tigers back line to eight shutouts, which is tied for the sixth most in program history, and mentored a pair of All-SEC performers in first-team selection Caroline Bado and all-freshman honoree Alyssa Malonson. Bado was also named Third Team All-Southeast Regoin by the United Soccer Coaches and was joined on the team by Le Beau. Additionally, five of the team's eight shutouts in 2017 came during conference play, which matched a SEC program record.
In 2016, Madsen guided a trio of All-SEC performers in Kiana Clarke, Karli Gutsche and Le Beau. In total, Auburn amassed seven shutouts, including four in SEC play and the NCAA Tournament. Despite being focused on keeping opponents off the board, players who saw time along the back line combined for 14 points, including two game-winning goals.
The Tigers set a program record with 17 wins in 2016, and much of that could be credited to keeping high-powered offenses off the board. In total, Auburn held the opposition to one goal or fewer in 17 matches.
In 2015, Madsen was instrumental in the development of All-SEC choice Sarah Le Beau. In 23 matches between the sticks, Le Beau ranked third in the SEC with a 0.987 goals against average, pacing the freshman to multiple accolades by the league. Madsen's tutelage of Le Beau paced the first-year keeper to post seven shutouts, ranking second among league foes.
In 2014, Madsen guided Alyse Scott, who started in the net for all 22 matches of Auburn’s season, tallying 76 saves and only allowing 22 goals for a 0.96 goals against average. That GAA was the fourth-best average in the conference. Scott also garnered 10 shutouts in 2014, tying for the most in the SEC last season.
Working with defenders and goalkeepers, Madsen helped the Tigers post the most saves in the Southeastern Conference in 2013 with 135 and register the third-best saves percentage at 82.4.
Madsen was the recruiting coordinator and goalkeepers coach at Iowa State and helped bring a recruiting class that increased the program’s win total for three straight seasons from 2009-11. In 2011 the ISU club tied the program record for shutouts in a season with nine and he coached goalkeeper Maddie Jobe to two Big XII Player of the Week awards. On the recruiting trail his 2010 freshman class accounted for 92 percent of the team’s points and scored every goal in Big XII conference play.
Prior to ISU Madsen was an assistant at the University of South Alabama from 2004-08. During his stay in Mobile the team made four Sun Belt Conference tournament appearances and finished as the conference runner-up in 2005. He also coached the 2004 First Team All-Sunbelt goalkeeper.
Madsen started his coaching career with the Lincoln College men’s team from 2002-03 before moving on to Alabama-Huntsville from 2003-04. At Lincoln he trained the 2002 Collegiate Conference of Central Illinois First Team All-Conference goalkeeper while at UAH he recruited the 2004 Gulf South Conference Freshman of the Year.
Madsen has been very active in youth soccer acting as a Region II and Region III goalkeeper coach, a U14 girls head coach and an ODP assistant and co-head coach.
Madsen earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from Lincoln Memorial University in 2003, where he also played from 1998-01. He has a NSCAA Advanced National Diploma and a NSCAA National Goalkeeper Diploma.
Madsen and his wife, Ann, have a daughter, Margaret Kate (Maggie) and a son, Beckett.