THE OFFICIAL HOME OF McNEESE ATHLETICS

Consistency has been an essential tool to the overall success of the McNeese soccer program, and in 17 seasons at the helm, head coach Scooter Savoie continues to be a driving force in the success behind the Cowgirls.
 
Since 1996, Savoie has amassed 111 total victories and is the only McNeese soccer coach to reach 50 and 100 wins.  He picked up his 100th career collegiate victory as a coach with a 1-0 triumph over Louisiana-Monroe in 2013.
 
Under Savoie, the Cowgirls bounced back and tallied six Southland Conference wins during the 2014 season that helped propel them to a fourth place finish and an appearance in the postseason league tournament. The turn around was one of the best in program history as McNeese had only scored one league victory the season before.
 
Among the many highlights of Savoie’s career took place during the 2013 season as the Cowgirls finished with a 0-0 draw with No. 7 Baylor in Waco.  Savoie’s Cowgirls survived a 32-shot attack to break a 13-match home winning streak held by the offensive savvy Lady Bears.  McNeese goalkeeper Lauren Sestak’s 17 saves helped the sophomore gain national attention as National Player of the Week by TopDrawerSoccer.com.
 
Savoie was named the program’s first coach in 1996. His teams improved each season during his tenure through 1999. McNeese posted an overall winning record in conference play during that time. He guided the program to three consecutive Southland Conference Tournament appearances, leading his 1999 team to a second place finish in the league’s regular season.
 
Savoie left his mark on the Cowgirl program when he guided McNeese to its first Southland Conference regular season title in 2007 and first SLC tournament title in 2006, advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.  Savoie has guided the Cowgirl program to 10 league tournaments and three championship games. 
 
For his efforts, Savoie was chosen as the Louisiana Coach of the Year in 2006 and was also awarded the Southland Conference Coach of the Year award in 2007.
 
He has mentored 62 all-conference student athletes as well as two Southland Conference Player of the Year recipients during his tenure at McNeese including the 2008 (Kamryn Koch) and 1999 (Joy Keating) SLC “Players of the Year”. Koch is also a two-time SLC Student-Athlete of the Year (2007, 2008), two-time Louisiana “Player of the Year” (2007, 2008) and McNeese State’s “Athlete of the Year” for the 2008-09 season.  Savoie has coached three Louisiana “Freshman of the Year” honorees Alana Clark (2007), Johna Germany (2010) and Sarah LaLanne (2011).
 
Nineteen players have made the SLC All-Tournament Team during Savoie’s tenure. The program led the league with five All-Tournament selections in 2006 and Koch garnered Tournament MVP honors that year. McNeese has had 17 All-Louisiana selections with Savoie at the helm.
 
Program success is not just limited to the soccer field. McNeese Soccer led the Southland Conference in 2006 with five student-athletes selected to the All-Academic Team. The team annually ranks amongst the highest of all team sports at McNeese for academic performance and consistently maintains a GPA above 3.0. Four soccer athletes have been named to the District VI Capital One Academic All-American Team (Brenna Abbitt, Justeen Lords, Kamryn Koch, Alana Clark).
 
Several of his players have earned Southland Conference Academic Honors and many have been named to McNeese’s President’s List.
 
In 2008, Koch was named to the NSCAA scholar All-America Team, the only McNeese soccer player to receive the honor.
 
Savoie is well respected in the university and soccer communities. He is proud to serve both in various capacities. He is in his seventh year as the Chair of Southland Conference Women’s Soccer Coaches. He was a member of the McNeese Committee on Graduation Rates for Black Student Athletes and was a member of the NCAA Certification Peer Review Team, Safety and Wellness Committee. He is an active member of the NSCAA National Ranking Committee. He has also served on the coaching staff of the Louisiana Olympic and the Arizona Olympic Development Programs.
 
Savoie earned his B.S. Degree from McNeese in 1992 and Master in Education from Texas A&M University in 1997. He is happily married to the former Stephanie Byrge of Tucson, Arizona. They have two daughters, Jolie Aunjelle and Gracie Ann.