Jenny Haigh Position: Head Coach Experience: 5th Season

Jenny Haigh recently completed her fourth season as head coach of the Wildcats. She was hired by Northwestern in December 2000, replacing Marcia McDermott who resigned to take the head coaching job with the Carolina Courage of the professional Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA).

The Wildcats made a nice leap in the Big Ten standings and regionally in 2004, finishing with 10 wins for the first time since 1998 and qualifying for the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since Haigh's first season, 2001. NU went 5-4-1 in conference play, its first Big Ten winning record since 1998.

NU scored 40 goals in 2004, the fourth-most in program history, and had four women earn All-Big Ten honors including three -- Kelsey Hans, Whitney Jones and Shannon Schneeman -- who were second-team honorees. Hans, who was only a freshman, set the school record for goals in a season with 15.

Under Haigh, the Wildcats have proven to be quite a force at home. In the last two seasons, Northwestern has gone 13-3-3 at the Leonard B. Thomas Athletic Complex. That includes an 8-1-2 mark in 2004; NU also went 5-0-1 in Big Ten play at home this season.

Haigh's first season as head coach of the Northwestern women's soccer program could also be termed a success. The Wildcats nearly tripled their win output from the 2000 season, from three to eight, and earned a spot in the eight-team Big Ten Tournament for the first time since 1998. In addition, NU allowed just 20 goals in 19 matches and boasted a goals-against average of 1.03, good for second on the school's all-time list. Finally, a pair of Wildcats earned All-Big Ten honors -- sophomore Molly Greene (first-team defense) and senior Katie Hertz (second-team midfield).

Haigh's second season proved frustrating, as the Wildcats finished 4-9-5 overall and 2-6-2 in the Big Ten. That record came despite the fact that NU outshot nine opponents on the season. However, the 'Cats again surrendered well less than two goals per game.

The frustrations seemed to continue in 2003, although with the loss of just three seniors indications are there that the future is bright for this program. Ranked regionally almost the entire fall, the Wildcats were in the hunt for a spot in the Big Ten Tournament right up until the final conference match; following that, they lost a pair of matches despite outshooting their opponents by a significant margin. As a result, NU was unable to cross the .500 mark for the season. When the Big Ten postseason awards were handed out, however, two Wildcat women were placed on the first team -- just the third time in the program's history that feat has been accomplished, and the first since 1998.

Haigh came to NU from the University of Missouri, where she was the top assistant for the Tigers during the 2000 season. In just one season, Haigh was responsible for recruiting the best freshman class in Tiger women's soccer history.

Prior to Missouri, Haigh helped build the Arizona State women's program from scratch in 1997. During her three seasons as the first assistant, the Sun Devils bettered their record from 4-11 in 1997 to 12-7 and a top-25 ranking in 1999. Her work continued to pay off in 2000, as ASU reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament with players she recruited.

Haigh was a four-year letterwinner at the University of Wisconsin from 1991-95. During her playing career, the Badgers appeared in the NCAA Tournament four times, including the National Championship game in 1991. She was voted Most Improved in 1992 and 1994 and was a team captain in 1995. Haigh earned Academic All-Big Ten honors twice, was named to the Dean's List, and was a GTE Academic All-District pick in 1994 and 1995.

Following that, Haigh enjoyed a brief professional stint with IFK Jonkoping in Sweden. She played in Europe from the spring of 1996 until the next fall.

Prior to taking on her coaching duties at Northwestern, Haigh was head coach of girls' soccer at Middleton (Wis.) High School in 1994 and 1995, and in 1996 she oversaw a girls' team in the Bangu FC program in Minnesota. Haigh also was director of the Direct Kick Soccer Camp in Northfield, Minn.

Haigh possesses a "B" coaching license from the United States Soccer Federation (USSF). She and her husband, Kelly Canter, live in Chicago with their son, Billy.

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