DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Samantha Bohon has been hired away from Embry-Riddle to be the head coach of the women's soccer program at the University of Florida. The announcement was made by the Gators' Director of Athletics Scott Strickland on Monday afternoon.
"Words cannot sufficiently articulate the amount of gratitude I have for my 15 years at Embry-Riddle," Bohon said. "I came here as a single woman with no head coaching experience and leave married, with three kids and a wealth of growth professionally, personally and spiritually. This was my dream job for the entire time I was here. I never dreaded coming into work.
"Now, I feel called to lead a new program and believe wholeheartedly that the time here at Embry-Riddle has prepared me for this new adventure."
Embry-Riddle Director of Athletics
John Phillips said, "I've been trying to come up with the right thing to say regarding this announcement and I keep landing on the same word — bittersweet. On one hand, it's a huge loss for our athletic department to lose Samantha as our women's soccer coach, but at the same time, I am absolutely thrilled for Samantha and her family.
"Samantha is joining one of the nation's premier institutions, both academically and athletically, and the Gators are getting one heck of a soccer coach! She has worked incredibly hard over the years to earn this opportunity and I know she is going to be incredibly successful at Florida and in the SEC."
Bohon became the second head coach of the ERAU women's soccer program in 2007 and in 15 seasons at the helm, she led the Blue and Gold to national prominence at both the NAIA and NCAA II levels amassing a 167-76-17 overall record. In eight seasons of NAIA competition, Bohon led the Blue and Gold to eight consecutive postseason appearances. The Eagles finished as one of the top two teams in the league from 2009-14 and won four consecutive conference tournament titles from 2009-12. ERAU reached the NAIA National Championship round of eight in five straight seasons (2010-14) and enjoyed a banner in a 2014 campaign that featured a perfect 9-0 league record, seven wins over ranked opponents, and a No. 1 NAIA National ranking. The Eagles closed out the campaign at 19-2 overall and advanced to the semifinals of the NAIA National Tournament.
After finishing in the middle of the pack in the Eagles' first two seasons as members of the Sunshine State Conference, Bohon's squad quickly rose to national prominence in NCAA II in 2019. The Eagles won the Sunshine State Conference title and advanced to the first NCAA II Sweet 16 in program history.
Following a one-year layoff due to CoVID, the Eagles entered the 2021 season as the favorites to claim the SSC regular season crown. The Blue and Gold proved the voters right as the went 7-2-1 to win the regular season title and completed the sweep by bringing home their second straight SSC tournament title as well. The Eagles were ranked as high as 13th in the United Soccer Coaches NCAA II poll and earned the right to host the 2021 South Regional tournament.
Bohon coached an NAIA National Player of the Year, 24 All-Americans, four NCAA II All-Region selections, three conference Players of the Year (one offensive, two defensive), four league Newcomers of the Year, two Freshmen of the Year, 39 first-team All-Sun Conference and 10 second-team All-Sun Conference selections. Bohon's teams also performed well in the classroom, posting a 3.0 or better cumulative grade point average for the last 27 semesters in a row.
For her efforts, Bohon garnered several honors, including being named the Sunshine State Conference Coach of the Year in 2021. She was a two-time Sun Conference Co-Coach of the Year and was named the NSCAA/NAIA Regional Coach of the Year three times. She was also selected as the 2013-14 Sun Conference Coach of Character Award winner.
"As much as we hate to see her leave Embry-Riddle, Samantha is leaving our program in great shape," Phillips continued. "She and her staff have built the model program here at Embry-Riddle — not just in women's soccer, but among all sports, achieving at the highest level in every area each year. The program has been top-notch academically and most recently, swept the Sunshine State Conference and regular season titles and made back-to-back NCAA regional tournament appearances. Most importantly, we have outstanding student-athletes who represent our University at the highest level in all they do.
"We are grateful for Samantha's leadership over the last 15 years — she has set the bar very high — and we are committed to keeping it there."
The Embry-Riddle Athletics Administration will convene a search to identify the women's soccer program's next head coach.