University of Connecticut Athletics
Women's Soccer
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- margaret.rodriguez@uconn.edu
Margaret Rodriguez enters her eighth season as head coach of the Huskies in 2025.
Rodriguez was named the third-ever head coach in the history of the program on Jan. 2, 2018, after spending 10 years as an assistant coach/associate head coach under 37-year head coach Len Tsantiris.Â
The Huskies have continually made progress in each of her head coaching seasons at UConn as the team has posted a better winning percentage each season.
The 2024 season was a breakthrough for the Huskies with 14 wins, a BIG EAST Tournament Championship and an NCAA First Round win against Rutgers. The NCAA Tournament appearance was the first since 2016. Chioma Okafor was named a United Coaches All-American for the second-straight year. Okafor also earned BIG EAST First Team status while Lucy Cappadona and Anaya Johnson landed on the All-BIG EAST Second Team.Â
The Huskies won 10 games in 2023 and advanced to the BIG EAST Championship semifinals. Chioma Okafor earned United Coaches Third Team All-American accolades while landing on the All-BIG EAST First Team.Â
In 2022, the Huskies went 8-6-4 and earned a spot in the BIG EAST Championship. The Huskies finished the year ranked first in BIG EAST with 1.81 goals per game, second in points per game (4.69) and goal differential (+.94), third in corners per game (5.75) and fourth in goals allowed (.88) and shutouts (6). Jada Konte earned First Team All-BIG EAST honors while freshman Chioma Okafor landed on the All-BIG EAST Second Team and All-BIG EAST Freshman Team.
During the 2021 fall season, Rodriguez notched a 9-8-1 overall record and earned a spot in the BIG EAST Championship. The Huskies ended the regular season with a 1-0 upset over No. 21 Georgetown on Oct. 28. Jaydah Bedoya earned All-BIG EAST First Team Honors while Jada Konte and Jessica Mazo earned Second Team Honors. Evelyn Arsenault and Joyce Ryder were tabbed to the All-BIG EAST Freshman Team.
In her third season in spring 2021, Rodriguez earned an 8-3-1 record. The Huskies made an appearance in the BIG EAST Championship. Melina Couzis and Jessica Mazo were All-BIG EAST First Team selections while Yamilee Eveillard was named to the Second Team. Lucy Cappadona and Jada Konte earned spots on the All-BIG EAST Freshman Team. Randi Palacios was named the BIG EAST Co-Goalkeeper of the Year as the Huskies notched eight shutouts.
During her second season at the helm in 2019, Rodriguez led the Huskies to a 6-8-3 record, improving on a 4-14Â campaign in 2018. Kess Elmore and Yamilee Eveillard earned Second Team All-Conference honors while Jessica Mazo landed on the American Athletic Conference All-Rookie team.
Rodriguez secured her first career win as head coach on Aug. 23, 2018, in a 3-2 come-from-behind win vs. CCSU.
Rodriguez was a major part of the Huskies resurgence from 2014-16, by leading the team to three-straight NCAA Tournament appearances. Rodriguez coached and developed three All-Americans during her time at UConn, Rachel Hill, Stephanie Ribeiro and Brittany Taylor.
While an assistant on staff, the Huskies won 114 games, made five NCAA tournament appearances and won a pair of American Athletic Conference regular season (2015, 2016) and tournament championships (2014, 2016). Off the field, 59 players earned All-Academic Conference honors while she was an assistant. The 2011 team secured the highest-team GPA (3.88) on campus during the 2011-2012 academic year. During the 2015 & 2016 seasons the Huskies finished with a top-20 ranking with an overall ranking of No. 10 in the country in 2015 and No. 20 in 2016.Â
A 1999 Connecticut graduate, Rodriguez played for the Huskies from 1995-98. She is tied for fourth on the all-time Husky scoring list with 128 points. Her 43 goals and 42 assists make her one of only four UConn alumni to be a part of the elite NCAA “40-40” Club. Her 42 assists ranks fourth in program history in assists, while ranking 10th all-time in goals scored. She played in 99 games and made 91 starts during her illustrious Husky career, both ranking 5th in program history. During her time in Storrs, her teams recorded a gaudy 85-12- 4 overall record.
Rodriguez led her team to three NCAA quarterfinals and one NCAA final appearance in 1997. She earned All-BIG EAST second team honors in 1998 and was named Connecticut’s Outstanding Senior Athlete that year. In 1997, she helped lead the Huskies to the National Championship game. After graduating with a Kinesiology/Fitness Management Degree from Connecticut, she went on to play professional soccer for three years in the WUSA. Rodriguez was drafted in the eighth round (64th pick overall) by the San Diego Spirit. She played two seasons (2001-02) with San Diego, and then finished out her professional career with the New York Power from 2003-04.
Rodriguez was also called into the U.S. U-20 National Team camps in 1997 and 1998. The Long Island native also played for the Long Island Lady Riders in the W-1 League from 1997-2000. She was awarded the W-1 league "Golden Boot" award in 2000 and was selected to the W-1 League All-Star team.Â
Prior to returning to Connecticut, Rodriguez spent four seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Hartford. While at Hartford, she helped lead the team to the 2006 America East regular season and tournament championships, as well as a berth in the 2006 NCAA Tournament. For her efforts, she was named part of the 2006 America East Coaching Staff of the Year.
Rodriguez was inducted into the Long Island Soccer Hall of Fame in 2019 with her twin sister Jennifer Tietjen Prozzo.Â
While at Hartford, she also served as a staff member for the Girls U-14 Olympic Development program from 2005-07. Rodriguez currently holds a NSCAA National Soccer Coaches License.
A native of Huntington, N.Y., she was named an All-American, All-East Region and New York State Co-Player of the Year (with her twin sister Jennifer Tietjen) while at Huntington High School. She currently resides in Glastonbury, Conn., with her husband Casey and their daughters Lucy and Maya.
