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Gretchen Zigante,as a player, won a DI national championship with UNC-Chapel Hill in 1986 and played for the US Women’s National Team from 1986-1990. She was honored in 2007 by the National Soccer Hall of Fame as a “Pioneer in the Sport of Women’s Soccer”, for her participation with the early years of the US Women’s National Team programs, and was the first American woman to play professional soccer, doing so in the Japan Ladies Soccer League for Fujita Tendai Mercury from 1991-1994.
Turning to coaching full time in 1994, Zigante earned a US Soccer “A” License and has coached collegiately at CSU-San Bernardino DII where she was Conference Coach of the Year in 1995, San Diego State University DI, then ranked eighth nationally and producing the starting goalkeeper for the Mexican Women’s National Team, and Cornell University DI, where she both assisted and head coached in the Ivy Program for five years. The Cornell goalkeeper went on to play in the Italian Serie “A” in 2004-2007.
Zigante has also worked extensively with premier club, state, regional, and national ODP, and assisted with the professional team, Shiroki FC, in the Japan Ladies League in 1994.With club and regional teams, Zigante has developed many players to college ranks at all levels, regional and national teams, and even professional opportunities for women.
Zigante spent the last four years as Director of Coaching for TC United Premier Soccer Club, a developmentally oriented club model for the small town of Ithaca, in Central New York; and in just it’s fourth year; 80% of the club’s senior class is now playing collegiate soccer at D1,2,and3 levels.
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