Karley Nelson promoted to UNM Lobo women's soccer coach

UNM Lobo soccer players learned one week ago their head coach, Heather Dyche, would be leaving the program to be pursuing a job with the U.S. Women’s U-23 National Team.

Wednesday, those same players learned the program was hardly abandoned.

Karley Nelson, the popular associate head coach who worked with Dyche for the past 11 years, was introduced Wednesday as the program’s fifth head coach — ensuring a continuity in what has been a championship-contending, and winning, program for more than a decade.

“I’m excited to build on the strong foundation of excellence, culture, and community that defines Lobo Soccer,” Nelson said in a statement released by the school. “Thank you to Fernando (Lovo, UNM’s Athletic Director), our athletics administration, and our community for entrusting me as the next leader. Thank you, also, to our student-athletes for being outstanding representatives of our program.”

Nelson also made sure to thank her close friend, and (now former) coaching colleague.

“Thank you to Heather, who brought me here 11 years ago and allowed me to learn all aspects of our program,” Nelson said. “I’m excited to get to work.”

Lovo made the announcement public Wednesday afternoon after first talking with the team in person about the hire and after a national search — one he ultimately determined pointed right back to Albuquerque and Nelson.

“After numerous interviews and thoughtful discussions, it was clear that Karley was the best fit to lead our program moving forward,” Lovo said. “She’s a proven leader who embodies what it means to be a Lobo: committed, competitive, and student-centered. Her deep connection to the program and her vision for its future make her the ideal person to lead UNM women’s soccer into its next chapter.”

Nelson, a native of Orem, Utah, and a graduate of Grand Canyon University — where she was a star player two decades ago before a brief professional playing career overseas — was hired by Dyche in 2015 as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. She has played an integral part in the program’s success since then, including since being promoted to associate head coach in 2919.

In the past 11 years, Lobo soccer has a 94-52-28 overall record including going 59-32-19 in the Mountain West, where UNM claimed four regular season championships in that span and the 2021 Mountain West Tournament Championship that led to the NCAA Tournament.

More specifically, Nelson has mentored the team’s defense, which set a program record for consecutive shutout minutes (602:51) in 2022 and posted their lowest goals-against average (0.82) since 2011.

Nelson has been and continues to be involved with coaching with the Women’s Youth National Teams (WYNT) and as a coaching educator with United Soccer Coaches.