Julia Bazi Tabbed 11th Head Coach of Saint Peter’s Women’s Soccer Program
JERSEY CITY, N.J. –Saint Peter's University has named
Julia Bazi as the 11
th head coach in the history of the women's soccer program, as announced by director of athletics
Rachelle Paul.
Bazi, a former Olympian and two-time FIFA World Cup competitor with nine years of collegiate coaching experience – including a successful run over the past three years as head coach at the Fashion Institute of Technology – returns to Jersey City for her second stint with the program after originally spending two seasons as an assistant coach.
"I'm extremely honored to be joining the women's soccer program at Saint Peter's University," Bazi stated. "I would like to thank [director of athletics]
Rachelle Paul and the rest of the search committee for entrusting me with this opportunity. This is an exciting time to be joining an athletic department that is passionate and dedicated to the success of their student-athletes. It is an amazing feeling to be back to where my coaching career started, and I can't wait to begin this journey."
"I am excited to welcome Julia back to Saint Peter's to lead our women's soccer program," stated Paul. "She has had incredible success as a student-athlete, assistant coach and head coach, and I am confident that her success will carry over to Saint Peter's. Julia believes in our Jesuit mission and has demonstrated a commitment to the growth and development of student-athletes. I look forward to the future success of our women's soccer program under Julia's leadership."
Bazi's arrival follows an immensely successful tenure over three seasons at FIT, a National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III program in Manhattan that she turned from the get-go. In her first season (2017), Bazi led the Tigers to their winningest season in school history en route to being named the NJCAA Region XV Coach of the Year, the first such honoree for the program.
With FIT, Bazi led all aspects of the program, including recruiting, game day event operations, practice planning, budget management and travel while assisting with academic advising. Additional accolades included her leading the team to the conference finals in her first two seasons, marking the Tigers' first conference championship game appearances in nearly a decade. Other program firsts that Bavi helped produce included the school's first All-American and first conference Player of the Year.
Bazi has also enjoyed prior collegiate stints as an assistant at a number of NCAA Division I and II institutions. Before FIT, she helped Fairleigh Dickinson (Northeast Conference) win its second straight NEC Regular Season Title, first NEC Tournament Title and earn that program's first appearance in the NCAA Tournament during her three seasons with the Knights (2014-16). She initially made her first collegiate stop in the Garden State after spending 2012-13 as an assistant at Saint Peter's, where she was in charge of organizing and conducting all training sessions and managing the team's travel plans and recruiting efforts.
Prior to Saint Peter's, Bazi spent the 2010-12 seasons at five-time NCAA Division II national champion Franklin Pierce University as an assistant coach. While at FPU, she broke down game film, coordinated team budget and travel plans, oversaw recruiting efforts (both nationally and internationally) and developed personalized gym and one-on-one conditioning programs.
Before starting to coach in the collegiate circuit, Bazi served as a coach and recruiter for Upper 90, where she educated potential talent on the U.S. college experience and opportunities and conduct highlight strengths and weaknesses for potential players. She also was an assistant coach for the New York Red Bulls Youth Academy.
As a college player, Bazi won four conference championships and two national titles at Martin Methodist College (Tenn.), where she was a team captain and earned all-conference and All-America honors. She has been inducted into the Martin Methodist and Westfield Sports High Hall of Fames. Before college, she became the youngest player to represent the Australian National Team in the World Cup in 2000 and competed in the 2004 World Cup and Summer Olympics. She also played professionally after college in Iceland, Canada, Australia and the United States.