COACHING STAFF
14 STRAIGHT NCAA TOURNAMENTS | SIX CONFERENCE TITLES IN THE LAST FOUR SEASONS
HOMETOWN: Wantagh, N.Y. ALMA MATER: West Virginia University, B.S. 2007;
PLAYING CAREER: (midfielder) West Virginia, 2002-05; West Virginia Illusion, 2007-08 COACHING CAREER: West Virginia, 2010-present
2014 SEASON
DATE OF BIRTH: February 3
West Virginia University, M.S. 2009
Kanela helped guide senior forward Frances Silva to Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2013; in total, WVU secured eight All-Big 12 awards. Additionally, she oversaw a Mountaineer frontline that tallied a Big 12-best 141 points on 47 goals. WVU went unbeaten in Big 12 play in 2012, just the sixth time a Big 12 team has won the regular season without a loss. West Virginia’s seven All-Big 12 selections were the most of any conference program, including defensive player of the year Bry McCarthy. Kanela helped WVU win back-to-back Big East Championships in its final two seasons in the league. The Mountaineers earned 11 all-conference honors in 2010 and 2011, including 2011 Big East Rookie of the Year Kate Schwindel. She also heads up the academic, audio/video, scouting, compliance, camps and clinics and community service efforts of the team. Ten Mountaineers were named to the 2013 All-Big 12 Academic Soccer Team, with eight landing on the first team, including 4.0 student-athletes Amanda Hill and Carly Black. Additionally, Silva was named a NSCAA Scholar All-American and the Capital One Academic All-America of the Year. Kanela has continued the program’s vision to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer research. WVU women’s soccer has raised more than $100,000 over the last 11 years for the Betty Puskar Breast Cancer Fund.
Since 2005, Kanela has been active in the state’s youth soccer programs, coaching U-10 thought U-18 MUSC (Mountaineer United Soccer Club) teams. She also has worked as the state’s Region 1 coach for the West Virginia Olympic Development Program for the past four years. Kanela spent one season with the West Virginia Illusion, a former member of the W-League, as an assistant coach. She also spent time as a player/coach with the Illusion during its inaugural season and worked out at the 2008 Women’s Professional Soccer Combine in Tampa.
2013 SEASON
A four-year letterwinner from 2002-05, Kanela participated in four NCAA Tournaments at WVU while being named an NSCAA Scholar All-American, Big East Academic All-Star, Garrett Ford Academic Honor Roll member and the Big East Institutional Female ScholarAthlete. Upon graduation, she ranked in the school’s Top 10 record book for career goals, assists and points and led the 2004 and 2005 teams in scoring. A two-time NSCAA all-region selection, Kanela earned First Team All-Big East honors in 2005, second team honors in 2004 and was an all-rookie team pick in 2002. The former New York State Gatorade Player of the Year was team captain of the 2005 WVU soccer team. Kanela earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education/health education from WVU in 2007 and a master’s degree in physical education/teacher education in 2009.
WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY
A former All-Big East midfielder, Kanela has translated her experience on the field to success with the Mountaineers with conference titles in each of her four seasons.
Kanela spent three seasons (2007-09) as a volunteer with the Mountaineers, assisting Izzo-Brown and her staff in a variety of roles on and off the field. She witnessed the program’s first Big East championship and Elite Eight appearance in 2007 while assisting with administrative tasks, team travel, on-campus visits, game day management, academic tutoring, practice sessions and other duties.
She served as a youth soccer coach and personal trainer at Pro Performance Rx in Morgantown from 2006-08. At Pro, Kanela ran private soccer lessons, conducted clinics for players ages 4-12 and instituted a summer soccer camp program. Kanela holds Level I & II regional and state goalkeeping licenses and National Youth Soccer Association coaching licenses. A member of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) since 2007, she has her USSF “C” license.
MEDIA INFORMATION
Marisa Kanela enters her fifth season as an assistant coach with the Mountaineer women’s soccer team.
RECORD BOOK
SEASON AT WVU: 5th
MOUNTAINEER PROFILES
Assistant Coach Marisa Kanela
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