GREEN BAY, Wis. – Monday afternoon, Green Bay women's soccer head coach Julie Grutzner announced the promotion of Evan Connolly to assistant coach. Connolly had initially joined the staff in the spring of 2019 as a volunteer coach.
"I am grateful for the opportunity to help move this program forward and continue to build on the success we had last year," Connolly said. "The goal has always been to coach at this level, and over the past three seasons, I have found a home here at Green Bay. I would like to thank Head Coach Grutzner, Director of Athletics Josh Moon, and Deputy Director of Athletics and Compliance Jermaine Rolle for this opportunity."
Connolly has worked primarily on the defensive side of the ball, helping Phoenix defenders record eight shutouts in 2021. Green Bay had one of the most stout defensive squads in the Horizon League, allowing just 16 goals in 17 games played, which resulted in Savanna Hayes being named First Team All-League while Emily Sirois was tabbed All-Freshman Team Defender. Connolly also helped guide the team to a Horizon League Semifinal appearance in 2021.
Before his time at GB, Connolly was a graduate assistant with the University of Mary men's soccer team in Bismarck, North Dakota from 2016- 2018.
Prior to Mary, Connolly began coaching with Magic City Soccer Club in Billings, Montana. Under his tutelage, Magic City SC won the Montana State Championship. During his time in Bismarck, he was also the Technical Director of Dakota United.
Before his coaching days, Connolly spent five years at Rocky Mountain College (NAIA) in Billings, Montana. The first four years were spent playing soccer, where the team went to three consecutive National Tournaments. Connolly captained the team his senior season where they fell short in the first round of the tournament. His fifth year of play was for the Rocky Mountain College Football team, where he earned First Team All-Conference and Second-Team All-American awards as a placekicker. Connolly was also tabbed Special Teams Player of the Year and Frontier Conference Player of the Week. He went on to pursue the NFL, attending the college senior Combine and free agent Combine where he showed his skills in front of NFL teams. Eventually, he signed to play with the Bismarck Bucks, a team in Indoor Football League and played two seasons in 2017 and 2018.
Connolly is originally from Waterford, Republic of Ireland. He was a three-sport athlete in high school, participating in soccer, hurling, and Gaelic Football. In 2008, Connolly was a part of the hurling team that won a national championship.
"We are fortunate to have a coach who sees the tactical and technical aspects of the game at the level of Coach Connolly," Grutzner added. "Over the past three years, he has earned the respect of the players, coaches, and administrators here at Green Bay. I am excited to reward his three years as a volunteer with a full-time role on my staff. He is what this program needs to compete consistently for the Horizon League title."
He is also currently assisting Wisconsin United FC, which is located in Green Bay.
Connolly holds a USSF "C" License, and he graduated with a Bachelor's in Exercise Science from Rocky in 2016, pairing it with a Master's in Business Science from Mary in 2018.
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