Head Coach Melissa Joseph led the Prairie Fire women’s soccer team to a 5-2 start this season, the team’s best opening seven games since 1990. Joseph also doubled their win total in the last two years, compared to the two prior to her arrival. Now, she’s stepping down from her post. Just weeks after the end of the season, Joseph resigned as head coach for the women’s soccer program.

Joseph said she leaves feeling good about the state of the women’s soccer program, saying, “I’m not worried because the administration, including athletic director Chad Eisele and President Teresa Amott, and the other coaches have the same goals for this program that I did.  Not just women’s soccer, but Knox athletics in general.”

Senior Kate Babington defends against Lake Forest Foresters Saturday, Oct. 19. (Casey Mendoza/TKS)

Joseph largely credited the team for their improvement, deflecting much of the praise on to her players.

“The seniors were a huge help. I think they really wanted to go out with a bang and they accomplished that just as much as I did as a coach. I really tried to feed off of their energy and their goals.”

Joseph said the decision was extremely difficult (especially in light of her roles as the Senior Women’s Administrator [SWA] and an assistant athletic director), but that the decision was right for her and her family.

“We thank MJ for her time and commitment to Knox as the head women’s soccer coach, SWA, and this past year as assistant athletic director,” Eisele said. Eisele and Knox are conducting a national search to fill the vacancy.

Gavin Crowell

Gavin Crowell is a senior psychology major with minors in neuroscience and journalism. He has been writing and editing for TKS since his freshman year. He has won three ICPA awards: 1st Place Sports News Story, 2nd Place Sports Feature Story and 3rd Place Sports Page Layout. During the summer after his sophomore year, Gavin had an internship with the Chicago Sun-Times, covering teams such as the Chicago Cubs, White Sox, Bears, Blackhawks and Fire. Following graduation, he intends to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology.