One of the top tacticians in the collegiate coaching ranks, Keidane McAlpine returns for a sixth season as an assistant coach on Karen Hoppa[apos]s staff at Auburn. In his five previous seasons on the Auburn sidelines, the Tigers have advanced to five straight NCAA Tournaments and have won the SEC Western Division crown three times.
McAlpline has worked with every part of the Auburn offense and defense during his time on Hoppa[apos]s staff and this year he will again focus on the backs and goalkeepers, tutoring a young bunch of talented players.
For the past three seasons, McAlpine, who was hired on July 20, 2006, has focused primarily on the attacking players, specifically focusing on possession in the Auburn attack, while also handling scouting of upcoming opponents and assisting Hoppa with the goalkeepers. During that time he has played an important role in the development of midfielder Katy Frierson, who has been named to the All-SEC First Team three times and was also tabbed a NSCAA All-America and a Hermann Trophy semi-finalist in 2010.
Turning his attention to the midfield in 2008, he was instrumental in Frierson[apos]s run to a First Team All-SEC and SEC Freshman of the Year selection as she led the team in both goals (nine) and points (25). In addition, Auburn[apos]s midfielders accounted for half of the team[apos]s goals (21 of 41) in 2008 and 27 of the team[apos]s 53 assists, led by Gabi Rivera[apos]s nine. In 2009 the Auburn midfielders accounted for 31 percent of the team[apos]s goals and 44 percent of the team[apos]s assists as the team tallied 35 goals and 39 assists, marks that were essentially equalled in 2010 with 34 goals and 41 assists.
Charged with guiding the offense in 2007, he helped Caitlin King acheive a record-setting 13-assist campaign and Becca Howell[apos]s 19 point output as a sophomore, a 14-point increase over her freshman season.
In his first season on the Plains in 2006, McAlpine was crucial in the development of the Auburn attack as he helped a pair of offensive players, Kristin Stewart and Jenny Zazour, garner All-SEC accolades for the first time in their careers.
Before coming to Auburn, McAlpine spent the previous five years as the head women[apos]s coach at Birmingham-Southern where he took a Panthers[apos] program that was competing at the NAIA level the year before his appointment to a Big South championship and an NCAA Tournament berth in 2004, transforming BSC into a winner at the Division I level from the get-go. In his first year alone, he guided the Panthers to a 5-0-1 mark against Big South Conference foes in their first provisional year in the conference.
McAlpine helped develop 12 all-conference selections and a Big South Freshman of the Year recipient as the Panthers went 40-48-11 (.460) in the first five seasons in NCAA play.
Before becoming the program[apos]s head coach, McAlpine served as an assistant at BSC from 1998-2000. During his three-year tenure as an assistant with the program, the Panthers compiled a record of 42-17-1 (.708) and enjoyed their most successful season in 2000. In that campaign, the Panthers went 18-4-1 and made their first appearance at the NAIA National Tournament, claimed the Region XI Championship, the TranSouth Conference Regular Season Championship and the TranSouth Conference Tournament Championship.
Active in Region III ODP for many years, McAlpione was the head coach for the U-13 group and was on the U-14 staff in the summer of 2010 after joining the U-13 staff in the summer of 2009.
McAlpine holds a National [quote]A[quote] Coaching License from the United States Soccer Federation and a National Goalkeeping License, which is uncommon for a field player by trade to aquire. He has also been actively involved as a coach with the Alabama Youth Soccer Association Olympic Development Program and several club teams. In the summer of 2004, he was selected as a staff coach for the USYSA Region III squad.
McAlpine began his soccer career at Birmingham-Southern in 1992. He was a four-year starter on the BSC men[apos]s team, serving as a captain in 1996. During that season, the Panthers finished runner-up in the NAIA National Tournament after advancing to the semifinals the previous season.
After graduation, McAlpine spent the 1999 season playing for the Tennessee Rhythm of the A League.
McAlpine, a Huntsville native, earned a bachelor[apos]s degree in music business with a minor in computer science from Birmingham-Southern in 1997.