Women's Soccer
- Title:
- Director of Goalkeeping
- Email:
- jbryant7@ncsu.edu
Justin Bryant was named Director of Goalkeeping for the NC State women’s soccer program by head coach Tim Santoro on July 23, 2018.
The 2022 season marked the fifth year of his second stint with the Wolfpack, as he served as Director of Goalkeeping from 2013-15 prior to spending the last year as an assistant coach at UNC Wilmington.
“Justin is as good of a goalkeeping coach as there is and it was a priority to get him back to NC State,” said Santoro upon Bryant's hiring. “He was a part of the rebuild when I got here and now he’ll be a big part of us taking the next step in the ACC and nationally. He’s immersed in the keeper position from his playing days, his coaching and his writing and media background. Our group will learn a lot from him and improve.”
In 2022, NC State made its sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament in the fall season and is one of only six teams in the ACC to do so over this time period. This follows a 2021 campaign where NC State made its fifth straight NCAA Tournament for the first time in almost 30 years, and was one of three teams in the country to beat two top-five teams (a 2-1 win vs. No. 11 Duke and a 1-0 vs. No. 4 North Carolina) and had a strength of schedule of No. 4 in the country.
NC State is one of eight programs in the country and one of four in the ACC from 2016-21 to advance to at least the NCAA Second Round each year, with at least three of those being NCAA Sweet 16 appearances while also being ranked in the Top 25 of the RPI every year.
In his first season back at NC State, Bryant guided standout Sydney Wootten to a 1.17 goals-against average and 11 wins, including seven shutouts. Wootten played every minute in goal during the 2018 season and finished among the top five all-time in career saves (302, 5th), shutouts (24, T3rd) and GAA (1.27, 5th), becoming the first GK to do so since 1993. She additionally finished top eight all-time with 104 saves and her seven shutouts in the 2018 season.
In 2019, Bryant helped junior Jessica Berlin compile a .95 goals-against average in her first season of action with the Wolfpack. Her average is the seventh-lowest for a single season in program history. Berlin additionally tallied 5.5 shutouts and a .759 save percentage in goal.
In the 2021 spring season, He saw freshman Maria Echezarreta post a 0.63 goals-against average and five wins, including three shutouts, in nine matches. In Echezarreta's first fall season in Raleigh (2021), Bryant saw her post a 1.07 goals-against average, 5.5 shutouts and 76 saves to rank top three among all freshmen in NC State program history as well as top six among the ACC in those categories.
A 2001 graduate of Elon, Bryant also spent eight years as an assistant coach with the Phoenix from 1997-2005, helping the program capture the Big South Conference championship in 1999. He also coached goalkeepers for the North Carolina Olympic Development Program during that time.
The Melbourne, Fla., native started his coaching career at Radford, where he served as an assistant coach for the women’s team from 1991-93. He moved on to Queens College in 1994 where he worked as an assistant coach for the men’s and women’s programs.
A three-year starter in goal at Radford University, Bryant led the Highlanders to the 1986 Big South Conference Championship game, and ranks third all-time in career saves (229).
Among the first Americans to play overseas, Bryant made his debut in goal for Borehamwood FC of England's National League on March 12, 1988. He signed a professional contract with the Orlando Lions of the American Soccer League in September 1988, spent the following season with Dunfermline Athletic of the Scottish Premier Division, and rejoined Borehamwood for the 1990-91 season.
He finished his playing career by leading the Cocoa Expos to the 1995 USISL Championship game, having won all twenty-two of his starts in goal.
