University of Minnesota Athletics
Soccer
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- chastain@umn.edu
Erin Chastain enters her fifth season as head coach of the Minnesota women's soccer program in 2025, following a standout 2024 campaign that led the team to one of the most successful seasons in program history.
A four-year starter and three-year captain for the Golden Gophers in the 1990s, Chastain is the fifth head coach in program history. The Plymouth, Minn., native earned her bachelor’s degree in International Business from the Carlson School of Management in 1997.
In her first season as head coach (2021), Chastain guided Minnesota to an 8-6-3 record, including an unbeaten 4-0-3 mark in non-conference play to open the year. The Golden Gophers finished the season with nine shutouts and were the last NCAA Division I team to concede a goal, doing so in the eighth match of the season. At home, Minnesota outscored its opponents 18-7, finishing with a 5-3-2 record at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium.
Offensively, Minnesota ranked second in the Big Ten in goals scored (19 in 10 matches) and had 10 different players record at least one goal. Notable victories included a 4-1 home win over Penn State on Oct. 3, which handed the Nittany Lions their worst conference loss in nearly a decade, and a 5-0 shutout against Illinois.
In her second season (2022), Chastain led the Gophers to an 8-8-3 record, earning the program’s first Big Ten Tournament berth since 2018. Minnesota did not concede more than two goals in any match and earned its first result against a top-10 opponent (No. 8 Rutgers) since 2015. Graduate transfer Gabbie Cesarone earned recognition as a CSC Academic All-American, the first Gopher to achieve this since April Bockin in 2018, and was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team and All-Tournament Team.
In 2023, Chastain’s squad posted a 7-6-4 record, competing against three top-25 teams. The Gophers outshot their opponents 264-141 and outscored them 26-16. Following the season, four players earned All-Big Ten honors: captain Sophia Boman and graduate transfer Megan Nemec (Second Team), Kate Childers (All-Freshman Team), and Elizabeth Overberg (Sportsmanship Award).
The 2024 season marked Chastain’s most successful to date. Minnesota finished with a 14-5-3 record and a final national ranking of No. 17, with Chastain earning her 150th career win with a 3-0 victory over Michigan. The Gophers posted an undefeated regular-season home record (7-0-2) for the first time since 2008. Minnesota also earned three top-25 wins, including victories over No. 8 Ohio State (3-2), No. 11 Iowa (2-1), and No. 14 South Carolina (2-1). The Gophers drew 2-2 against No. 24 Southern California, handing the Trojans their only non-win of the regular and conference seasons.
After finishing the regular season with a No. 22 RPI ranking, Minnesota hosted the first round of the NCAA Tournament, defeating South Dakota State 2-0. The team advanced to the Chapel Hill Regional, where they defeated South Carolina to reach the Sweet 16, only to fall to eventual College Cup Champion North Carolina.
Chastain’s leadership paved the way for her players to earn conference, regional, and national recognition. Khyah Harper was named a United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-American, Big Ten Forward of the Year, and a semifinalist for the prestigious MAC Hermann Trophy—Minnesota’s first-ever semifinalist. Four other Gophers—Sophia Boman (First Team), Paige Kalal (Second Team), Ashley Thurk (Freshman Team), and Elizabeth Overberg (Sportsmanship Award)—were also recognized by the Big Ten. Boman, Harper, and Overberg earned CSC Academic All-American honors, and were joined by Kate Childers, Evelyn Calhoon, and Sophia Romine in earning CSC Academic All-Region honors. A total of 17 Gophers were named to the Academic All-Big Ten list.
Chastain brings over 20 years of coaching experience to Minnesota, including 14 years as head coach at DePaul. Under her leadership, DePaul posted a record of 78-44-26 over her final eight seasons, winning the Big East regular-season title in 2014 and 2016 and the Big East Tournament in 2014. The Blue Demons earned NCAA Tournament berths in 2013 and 2014 and were nationally ranked for the first time in program history (No. 20 in 2009), climbing to a program-record No. 7 in 2014.
In 2014, Chastain led DePaul to the best season in program history, finishing with a 16-1-4 record and the fifth-best winning percentage in the country. The Blue Demons set a school record with a 20-match unbeaten streak, and Chastain was named Big East Coach of the Year. She also earned NSCAA Northeast Region Coach of the Year honors in 2013 and 2014.
Chastain served on the NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship Committee and recruited and developed five conference players of the year at DePaul. She also coached one All-American, four Academic All-Americans, one MAC Hermann Trophy candidate, and one Senior CLASS Finalist.
Before her time at DePaul, Chastain spent five seasons as an assistant coach at Santa Clara, where she helped the Broncos reach the NCAA Championship game in 2002, the semifinals in 2004, and the quarterfinals in 2005. She also played a key role in recruiting, landing three top-four ranked classes from 2002 to 2006. Prior to Santa Clara, she was the top assistant coach at Northwestern for three seasons.
As a player, Chastain (then Hussey) was a four-year starter and three-year captain for the Golden Gophers from 1993 to 1996. She played in all 82 matches during her career and ranks in the top 10 in program history in several categories, including points (7th with 83), goals (8th with 29), assists (tied for 7th with 25), game-winning goals (tied for 6th with 10), and shots (tied for 10th with 178). Chastain earned All-Big Ten honors in 1995 (Second Team) and 1996 (First Team) and was named All-Great Lakes Region Third Team in 1996. She helped lead Minnesota to the 1995 Big Ten Championship and NCAA Tournament appearances in both 1995 and 1996. Off the field, she was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and earned Academic All-District honors in 1996.
Chastain and her husband, Chad, have two daughters, Harper and Brooklyn. Chad’s sister, Brandi, is a legendary figure in U.S. soccer, having helped lead the United States to the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup title.
