Maureen Whitney

Maureen Whitney joined the Portland State soccer coaching staff in the fall of 2017 as the top assistant under first-year head coach Katie Burton and became associate head coach prior to the start of the 2018 season

Whitney helped lead the Vikings back to the Big Sky tournament after a two-year absence during the 2017 season, as the Vikings finished fourth in the Big Sky at 5-4-1 in conference play and 9-10-1 overall. The Vikings also won their first match at the Big Sky tournament since 2013, with a 1-0 win over Northern Arizona - a team they had never beaten in the Big Sky tournament previously - in the Big Sky quarterfinals.

Additionally, Whitney helped lead four individuals to All-Big Sky honors in 2017, as Katie Forsee and Kristin Moyer made the All-Big Sky second team, while Liz Hansen and Morgan Matthews received All-Big Sky honorable mention.

In 2018, Whitney helped Krystal de Ramos to an All-Big Sky honorable mention after scoring four goals and setting a program record with a .714 shots-on goal percentage. The team overall finished 5-10-1 and 3-5-1 in conference play, missing out on the conference tournament by one place.

Like Burton and fellow Viking assistant Jenny Lawrence, Whitney came to the Vikings after playing and coaching at Sacramento State. Whitney played soccer and softball at Sacramento State from 1998-99, and coached as an assistant with the Hornets across two stints from 2000-03 and 2007-10. Whitney coached both Burton and Lawrence as players, including in 2007, when the Hornets swept the Big Sky regular-season and tournament titles, and made their first NCAA tournament appearance.

Whitney brings a wealth of post-collegiate playing experience to her role at Portland State, having spent parts of the past 16 years with the California Storm of the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL). Whitney played for the Storm for over a decade starting in 2001, and spent two different stints as a player-coach and assistant from 2005-09 and 2015-17.

Whitney won two WPSL championships with the Storm in 2002 and 2004, the latter of which she won with former Portland State head coach Laura Schott. Whitney was named the WPSL MVP the following year in 2005, and captained the Storm for 10 consecutive seasons. Additionally, Whitney was named a WPSL All-Star four times (2003, 2004, 2006, 2007), and won the 2012 WPSL Leadership Award.

Whitney played with several national team players during her time with the Storm, including Brandi Chastain (U.S.), Sissi (Brazil), Leslie Osborne (U.S.), Stephanie Cox (U.S.), Shannon MacMillan (U.S.) and current USWNT star Alex Morgan.

Whitney was also called into camp for the San Jose CyberRays of the professional Women’s United Soccer Association, but the league folded a month later. Whitney was twice called up to Sky Blue FC during the 2008-09 season when the team played in the WPS, but turned down both call-ups to stay as an assistant at Sacramento State.

In college, Whitney was a three-sport athlete at Walla Walla Community College for two years, playing soccer, basketball and softball before moving to Sacramento State. Whitney earned NWAC All-Star honors in soccer in 1997.

Whitney has also coached collegiately as an assistant coach at Fresno State from 2010-12, and College of the Sequoias from 2014-15. Additionally, Whitney served as a Youth Soccer Coach at Elk Grove United and San Juan Soccer Club from 2002-06 and 2006-10, respectively, and worked as a Sports Camp Director and Summer Camp Director at Sacramento State from 2001-04. Whitney also served as the WPSL Chief Consultant from 2005-07.