| Title: | Head Coach |
| Phone: | 404-727-2839 |
| Email: | spatber@emory.edu |
Sue Patberg was appointed head women's soccer coach at Emory
University prior to the 2005 season. She has led the program
to unprecedented success during her time with the team, and
became the first Emory women's soccer coach to be named the
National Coach of the Year, earning the honor from D3Soccer.com in
2012.
Known for consistently producing one of the top defenses in the
country, Patberg has led the Eagles to the NCAA Tournament six
times, including a program-best runner-up finish at the 2012 NCAA
Division III Women's Soccer Championships, and a
quarterfinal finish during the 2010 campaign. Her squads
at Emory have won at least one game during each of her six
tournament appearances. Patberg has captured a pair of
University Athletic Association (UAA) Championships, most recently
during the 2011 season.
The conclusion of the 2012 season marked Patberg's 20th campaign
as a head coach and she has a 256-112-43 career record that
includes 14 NCAA tournament appearances. Her eight-year mark at
Emory is 110-24-25, good for a .770 winning percentage.
She has coached a pair of all-Americans while at Emory, defenders
Grace Lam (2007 and 2008) and Lauren Gorodetsky (2010, 2011, 2012),
with Gorodetsky earning the D3Soccer.com Defender of the Year and
the NCAA Tournament Most Oustanding Defensive Player honors in
2012. Under her leadership, the Emory women's soccer program
has had three UAA Player of the Year selections (Gorodetsky in 2011
and 2012 and Whitney Briggs in 2008), 45 all-UAA team members and
21 all-region honorees. In addition, she has had four
Academic all-Americans and 20 Academic all-District selections
during her time with the team.
During the 2012 campaign, Patberg lifted the team to its first
NCAA Final Four appearance, and claimed a win over Wheaton College
(Ill.) in the semifinals to give the Eagles' a berth into the NCAA
Championship game. Earlier in the year, she claimed her 100th
career victory with Emory with a 6-0 win over Birmingham-Southern
College on September 21st.
Patberg guided the Eagles to a record-setting campaign in 2011,
recording the first undefeated regular season in Emory Athletics
history and matching the program record for wins in a season with a
17-1-2 overall record. The Eagles advanced to the Round of 16
at the NCAA Championships, marking the team's third trip to the
sectionals of the tournament under Patberg. Emory's 2011
squad also set program records for goals-against average (0.24) and
shutouts (16). For her efforts during the season, she was
named the NSCAA/Mondo South Atlantic Region Coach of the Year.
Patberg became the first Emory coach to lead the team to
back-to-back 16 win seasons, accomplishing the feat during the 2007
and 2008 seasons. In 2010, she once again reached the 16-win
plateau, guiding the squad to a 16-2-4 record and achieving a final
national ranking of fifth in the NSCAA season-ending poll, the
highest final ranking in the program’s history.
Of her 20 years of experience as a collegiate head coach, the 12
years before joining Emory were at Division I schools where she
earned 146 wins and eight NCAA tournament appearances.
Patberg came to Emory after spending five seasons as head coach at
the University of Georgia (2000-2004). While at Georgia, Patberg
guided the Lady Bulldogs to a record of 49-45-9 and two NCAA
tournament appearances. Her first year at UGA saw her team reach
the finals of the Southeastern Conference tournament while in 2001
her team finished with a national ranking of 22nd and third
regionally. Her team also advanced to the second round of the NCAA
tournament. In 2003 Patberg also led Georgia to the NCAA
tournament, where they advanced to the second round.
Before coaching at UGA, Patberg was the women's soccer coach at
the University of Minnesota where she compiled a record of 97-42-9.
She also has the distinction of being the first-ever coach of the
program. Her accomplishments at Minnesota were highlighted by five
consecutive NCAA tournament appearances from 1995-99. Her 1997 team
was ranked as high as ninth nationally. She also garnered two Big
10 Coach of the Year honors in 1995 and 1997.
Patberg also served as an assistant women's soccer coach at
Colorado College from 1991-1993 and the University of Maryland from
1990-1991. At Colorado College she was part of a staff that helped
direct the 1992 team to the NCAA Division I final four.
To go with her collegiate coaching experience she has also been
involved on the national team level. Patberg was the U.S. under-16
national team coach from 2003-2005. She also served as an assistant
coach on the U.S. under-21 national team from 2000-2003.
Patberg graduated from the University of Massachussetts with a
Bachelor of Science in Sport Management in 1989. While at UMass she
was also a member of the women's soccer team where she was a
four-year starter from 1985-88. During her collegiate career, she
helped her team to four NCAA tournament appearances and three final
fours. Patberg was voted most valuable player and best defensive
player during the 1987 season, while also helping her team to the
national championship runner-up.
Patberg is married to Dr. Kurt Patberg, and they have two sons,
Luc and Tye.
