South Alabama soccer coach Richard Moodie leaves USA after 7 seasons

Pat O'Donnell
·2 min read

MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — The University of South Alabama Jaguars soccer team is officially looking for a new coach to lead the program.

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The news comes after the school announced Tuesday that Jaguars head coach Richard Moodie would be leaving after seven seasons to become the head coach at Purdue University.

Moodie finished his stint at South Alabama with a 91-36-17 record, four Sun Belt Conference Tournament titles, and four NCAA Tournament appearances.

He was also named Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year in 2023; it was the second time he earned the honor (the first was in 2019).

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“We cannot thank Coach Moodie enough for the tremendous impact he made on our university and community,” South Alabama Athletic Director Joel Erdmann said. “Coach Moodie inherited a program that experienced unprecedented success, and was able to sustain that success while elevating our program to one of the best in the Sun Belt Conference. His leadership will be missed, but we wish him well in this new opportunity.”

The 2023 season was historic for the Jaguars, who finished with a 16-1-3 overall record. They went undefeated in the regular season for the first time in program history, outscoring opponents 52-9. There wasn’t a game throughout the year where the Jaguars gave up multiple goals.

Moodie saw 31 players earn All-Conference honors across his tenure, including four-time First-Team selection Gracie Wilson.

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Five Jaguars players were named Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year, including one in each of the last three seasons: Gracie Wilson (2021), Jasmine Greene (2022) and Gabby Hollar (2023).

Moodie coached four United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region honorees: Jasmine Greene, Nour Imane Addi, Gracie Wilson and Brenna McPartlan.

He also coached three CoSIDA Academic All-Americans at South Alabama: Nour Imane Addi in 2022, Gracie Wilson in 2021 and Tiina Trutsi in 2017.

The South Alabama athletic program has begun nationwide searching for Moodie’s replacement.

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