Women's Soccer
- Title:
- Associate Head Coach
- Email:
- jbfennem@ncsu.edu
"I am very excited to have Joanna on board,” said Higgins about Fennema. “Jo is a passionate, driven and hardworking coach. She had a tremendous playing career and has competed at the highest level in collegiate athletics. She has been surrounded by some of the most competitive players and coaches in NCAA Soccer and she knows what it takes to be successful at this level."
“Jo is delighted to be back home in Raleigh,” Higgins continued. “I am so excited for our players to have the opportunity to be coached and mentored by Joanna, and I know she is going to help elevate our program to the next level."
Prior to her time with the Bears, Fennema enjoyed a successful three-year tenure as assistant coach at Columbus State. She helped lead the Cougars to three NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Regional Championship in 2022 when the team entered the tournament as the number one seed. That season, Fennema was part of the United Soccer Coaches Southeast Regional Coaching Staff of the Year as the team posted a 19-3-2 record.
In addition, she helped guide Columbus State to two Peach Belt regular season championships and one conference tournament title. Under her leadership, 30 players earned all-conference honors, seven were named All-Americans, five received Scholar-All American recognition, and she coached the 2022 Elite 90 award winner. Over her three seasons on the sidelines, Columbus State compiled a record of 53 wins, 10 losses, and 5 draws.
Prior to her time at Columbus State, Fennema was drafted into the National Women’s Soccer League by the Boston Breakers. She was then selected in the dispersal draft by the Chicago Red Stars, where she spent one season before joining the Orlando Pride. While with the Pride, she appeared in 19 matches, scoring one goal and recording two assists before retiring from the top league in the United States due to injury.
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Fennema played collegiately for national powerhouse North Carolina from 2013 to 2017. She appeared in 84 career matches, scoring 14 goals and recording 17 assists. During her time with the Tar Heels, she helped the team earn an NCAA Tournament berth every year, including an Elite Eight run in 2013 and two appearances in the Sweet 16.
A three-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection, Fennema was also named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region team. She served as a team captain during her senior year and was twice selected to the All-ACC Tournament Team. In addition to her on-field achievements, Fennema excelled academically, earning two All-ACC Academic Team honors, making the All-ACC Honor Roll four times, and receiving the UNC Athletic Director’s Scholar Athlete Award in 2017. She was also named to the United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-America team that year.
Fennema spent several years involved with the U.S. National Teams, beginning in 2009 when she played with the U.S. under-15 Women’s National Team. In 2010, she was promoted to the under-17 National Team and was part of the squad that won the Nordic Cup championship that year. Fennema continued with the under-17 team in 2012, helping them win the CONCACAF championship in Guatemala before competing in the World Cup in Azerbaijan. She concluded her national team involvement in 2014 as a member of the U.S. under-20 National Team player pool, narrowly missing the final 21-player roster for the 2014 World Cup.
Fennema graduated from North Carolina with a degree in exercise sport science. She is married to Parker Fennema.
