Marcia Oliveira was named as Bearkat women’s soccer head coach on
June 1, 2002, and worked for a year to prepare the Bearkats for their
inaugural women’s soccer season in 2003.
Each year, the program has seen marked improvement.
Sam Houston State’s first season in 2003 the Bearkats ranked sixth
nationally among the 13 NCAA Division I first year programs. The Kats
closed their second season with their first Southland Conference win
with an overtime victory over Southeastern Louisiana.
With
five victories and a tie in its final eight matches, SHSU reached the
finals of the 2005 Southland Conference post-season tournament. Then,
to open the 2006 season, the Kats posted their first non-league win
over a team from a major conference, defeating Mississippi State of the
SEC.
“All the hard work our girls have done the first four years of this
program has paid off,” Oliveira said. “Those teams have given us so
much to build upon for the future. Each season, we have played a hard
schedule to help the girls understand the level they need to play to be
successful. The challenge of playing top teams may hurt the coaching
record, but the benefits of playing against the best are worthwhile. We
are looking to play with confidence and more focus. We want to impose
our style of play on our opponents.”
Now, Sam Houston State women’s soccer moves into its fifth year with higher expectations and goals.
“Each year we have increased our scholarships and have recruited
talented student-athletes who will be part of a team that can compete
for the conference championship,” Oliveira said. “Now we are more
experienced, renewed, and looking forward to good things in our fifth
year.”
Building a solid program from scratch is nothing new to Oliveira
who came to Sam Houston State from Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton. There,
she took over an NCAA Division III program with only six players in
July, 1999, and built a team that compiled a 10-6-1 season record and
reached the 2001 American Southwest Conference playoffs.
A native of Brazil, Oliveira grew up playing soccer and basketball at
all competitive levels. She came to the United States to play women’s
basketball at Howard Junior College, playing on a regional championship
team in 1991. She is a 1995 graduate of Mary Hardin-Baylor, earning her
Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and Physical Education. She
played women’s basketball for the Crusaders in 1993. She received her
Master of Arts in Physical Education from the University of Northern
Colorado in Greeley in 1998.
Oliveira spent two years as the head coach of the U.S. Army women’s
basketball team at Fort Carson, Colorado. She also served as assistant
women’s basketball coach at the University of Colorado at Colorado
Springs; head coach for the Chargers Soccer Club women’s team in
Colorado Springs; and as the Academy Director for Score Incorporated’s
girls soccer camp in Oregon, Washington, and Hawaii.
As women’s soccer coach at Mary Hardin-Baylor, she produced seven
all-conference selections. She also served as exercise and sports
science associate professor.
For the past five years, Oliveira has served on the support staff in
the United States for the Brazilian women’s national team. Recently,
she coordinated Brazil’s training and games in the USA in preparation
for the upcoming Pan American games and World Cup competition.
A believer in the importance of success in the class room as well as on
the field, Oliveira places special emphasis on academics. Last year,
Bearkat soccer posted above 3.00 grade point averages in both the fall
and spring semesters. Oliveira also serves on the teaching staff for
the SHSU health and kinesiology department.
She is a member of the National Soccer Coaches of America Association
(NSCAA), United States Soccer Federation (USSF), National Association
of Collegiate Women Athletic Administration (NACWAA), NCAA Women’s
Coach Academy, and the Brazilian Soccer Coaches Association.
