Neil Macdonald begins his 10th season as head coach of the Jacksonville State soccer program.
In the JSU's return to the ASUN, he navigated the program to one of the eight spots in the 2021 ASUN Soccer Championship. The Gamecocks finished the first season back in the league with a 3-5-1 mark in the ASUN with wins over Stetson, Kennesaw State and North Alabama. Jax State drew a 1-1 decision against Bellarmine. JSU dropped its quarterfinal match to eventual ASUN Champion, Lipscomb.
In nine seasons at JSU, Macdonald has changed the mindset of the Gamecock soccer program. After one season through the Ohio Valley Conference without a league win under its belt, JSU and Macdonald defied the preseason prognostications and turned in a 6-4 worksheet within the conference and an 11-win season in 2014. Jax State made its fourth OVC Tournament appearance and the first since 2005. JSU made an incredible run in the conference tournament, reaching the championship match before falling to SIU Edwardsville in overtime. The Gamecocks opened with a win over UT Martin in penalty kicks in the opening round before dispatching regular season champion and host, Southeast Missouri, 1-0, in the semifinals.
His peers in the league took noticed of the work he did during the 2014 campaign and named him the OVC Coach of the Year. The honor is the first of Macdonald’s coaching career and just the second JSU coach to receive the coach of the year accolade. He is the first to claim the award in the program’s OVC history. Lisa Howe, the program’s first coach, won the Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year honor in 1999 and 2002.
Macdonald and his club faced a challenging 2020-21 year with the COVID-19 pandemic pushing the 2020 season to the spring of 2021 with a conference-only slate. The Gamecocks turned in a solid effort with four conference victories, including wins over regular season champion, Murray State and knocked off SIU Edwardsville. Macdonald’s club was led by Alicia Pallister, who was named the OVC Midfielder of the Year and one of four Gamecocks to gain postseason accolades.
The 2019 club was veteran-laden with a large senior class and a season that was decimated by injuries. The injuries allowed young players to step in and gain valuable playing time. Freshman Cynthia Bagozzi finished her first season as a Gamecock as the top scorer on the club with seven goals, including four against OVC competition. The forward from Orlando, Florida also led Jax State in total shots with 38 on the season. She accumulated 15 points combined with her goals-scored and assist. Bagozzi played in all 18 matches and logged 1,396 minutes of action. Bagozzi becomes the fourth Gamecock freshman to be selected for one of the two All-OVC squads and a member of the All-OVC Newcomer Team under Macdonald.
It marks the sixth time in eight seasons under Macdonald that a Gamecock has earned postseason league achievements. JSU has also been represented on the conferences All-Newcomer Team in eight out of the last nine seasons.
In 2018, Macdonald relied on his senior class with four-year standouts Madison Carruthers and Claire Petersen. Carruthers was a four-year member of the program and has been a constant contributor since her arrival on campus in 2015. The Frankford, Ontario, Canada native played in 68 matches and started in 55 of those matches. She exited the program with her name etched on the all-time matches-played list at Jax State. Carruthers has logged over 4,100 minutes on the pitch. Petersen was a mainstay for the Gamecocks from the moment she joined the JSU program in 2015. She saw action in 72 matches and has started in 67 contests, including 61 consecutive starts dating back to her freshman season. Petersen moved in to the top-five on the school's all-time minutes-played list with over 6,000 minutes-played. She was named to the 2015 All-Ohio Valley Conference Newcomer Team and a spot on the 2015 and 2018 All-OVC Second Team. She is just the third Gamecock to have been a two-time All-OVC honoree.
In 2017, Jax State claimed win in three of its first seven matches, coupled with back-to-back scoreless draws against Georgia State and in-state rival Troy. JSU notched non-conference wins over Alabama State, Middle Tennessee and Louisiana Monroe. The Gamecocks were in contention for one of the final eight spots in the OVC Tournament entering the final day of the regular season, but endured one of their four 1-0 setbacks against league competition. JSU posted wins over Austin Peay and Eastern Illinois before keeping postseason admirations alive with a win over Morehead State in the home finale. JSU was led by Danielle Monroe, who finished with seven goals in 16 matches before suffering an injury. Monroe was an All-OVC selection.
In his fourth season in charge of the program, the Gamecocks were competitive throughout a tough 5-13-1 overall mark and a 2-8 record in OVC matches as 11 of the 13 setbacks were by one goal, including a pair of double overtime results. Macdonald’s club was a veteran club with nine seniors that were key to the foundation of the program under his leadership. Spearheading the senior leadership was Justine Panchuk. The four-year player finished her career ranked sixth all-time on the program’s minutes-played chart with 5,767 minutes logged. Panchuck fini9shed her career tied for second all-time at JSU in matches played. Goalkeeper Caroline Robison was a mainstay in goal throughout the 2016 season. Robinson ranked in the top-20 among NCAA Division I goalkeepers for minutes played during the season. She posted a pair of shutouts in 2016 to move her in to a tie for third place on JSU’s career shutouts list with 10 in her career.
For the fifth time in the last six years, the JSU soccer program has been represented on the OVC's All Newcomer Team. Maisie Paulson was tabbed to the 2018 edition of the league’s all-newcomer team. She extends JSU's list of having a member on the squad to five, joining Kelsey Bright (2012), Mackenzie Bellows (2013), Chelsi Bender (2014), Claire Petersen (2015), Cheyenne Carden (2016).
In 2015, JSU turned in another program-first as it posted a 5-4-1 mark in the OVC, which was the best conference mark since joining the league in 2003. The Gamecocks finished third in the league standings to finish third in the OVC and hosted Southeast Missouri in the first round of the 2015 OVC Soccer Championship. Macdonald’s third squad at Jax State finished the season with an overall mark of 8-9-2. The Gamecocks were balanced throughout the season, earning four wins at home and four impressive road wins, including conference victories at SIU Edwardsville, UT Martin and Belmont.
JSU was fueled by its seven-member senior class, led by top offensive threats Kelsey Bright and Courtney Hurt. The duo combined for 10 of JSU’s 23 goals on the season and paced an offense that collected 222 total shots on the season. Bright finished her career equal with former Gamecock and teammate Jackie Rush as the leaders on the program’s all-time shots list with 210. In four seasons at JSU, Bright posted 27 career goals and ranks tied for third on JSU’s career goals-scored list with Andrea Poole (1997-99). Hurt also etched her name on JSU’s all-time scoring list and all-time goals-scored chart. Hurt closed out a decorative career on the pitch with 147 career shots and registering 23 career goals.
A pair of Gamecocks was honored during the 2015 by the OVC as goalkeeper Caroline Robinson and midfielder Claire Petersen picked up weekly accolades. Robinson earned the OVC Goalkeeper of the Week honor after posting a pair of shutouts for JSU against SIUE and Eastern Illinois. Petersen followed that feat the following week as one of the top players in the OVC that weekend after a pair of goals and an assist in a victory over Austin Peay. Petersen wrapped up her first season on the club with a spot on the All-OVC Second Team and listed on the OVC All-Newcomer squad. Petersen was one of two Gamecocks to achieve all conference status as senior Olivia Drapes was named to the league’s first team as a defensive specialist.
The 2014 squad shattered many team and individual program records as the Gamecocks recorded 54 goals during the season, which led the conference by 12. JSU averaged 2.45 goals per contest and finished with nearly 300 shots on the season. Jax State also broke the program’s assist mark of 41 that was set in 1998 with 48 assists in 2014. JSU set a new program and OVC record for goals scored in a single game in a 15-0 win over Mississippi Valley State. The previous mark was 12 against Alabama State on Sept. 23, 2008. It marks the third time in the program’s history to reach double figure goals against an opponent.
JSU’s success in the classroom has not waivered since Macdonald took over. JSU has had six players named to the NSCAA Scholar All-South Region list in 2015 and for the seventh year in a row, members of the Jacksonville State soccer team were honored by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America for their outstanding academic performance with a NSCAA Team Academic Award while maintaining a 3.29 cumulative team grade-point average during the 2014-15 academic year.
Macdonald was named the third head coach in JSU’s soccer program in February of 2013. The Gamecocks finished with a 4-13-2 overall mark, but the he saw bright spots throughout his first season on the Jax State side. The Macdonald Era got off to a good start by claiming the season opener at McNeese State. It marked the first time JSU won its season-opening contest since the 2000 season. Jax State also won Macdonald’s home debut with a 4-0 blanking of in-state foe Alabama A&M. The four goals scored in the match was a season high for the Gamecocks.
His squad returned to the pitch the following Friday to do something that has not been done in three seasons, beat in-state nemesis Troy. Then-freshman Mackenzie Bellows connected on the game-winning goal in double overtime to post the 1-0 result.
After being battle tested in the non-conference slate, the Gamecocks put forth a valiant effort against Ohio Valley Conference sides. The 2013 squad dropped a tough 2-1 extra time affair to Morehead State and recorded a draw against Tennessee Tech.
Two members of Macdonald’s first JSU squad earned postseason accolades. Jackie Rush, who served as one of the 2013 captains, led by example throughout the first year of the Neil Macdonald era at Jax State. The Trophy Club, Texas, native averaged 4.32 shots per game in 2013 and scored a team-high five goals and 11 total points. A 19-game starter for the Gamecocks in the midfield, Rush was tabbed the OVC’s Offensive Player of the Week after narrowly missing a hat trick against Alabama A&M in September.
For the second-straight year, a Gamecock was represented on the OVC’s All-Newcomer squad as freshman Mackenzie Bellows was voted on the team. Bellows, who came to JSU from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, quickly made an impression on Macdonald from the time she stepped foot on campus and started all 19 matches. The midfielder ranked third on the team in points with six after producing a pair of goals and assists.
JSU continued its string of consecutive National Soccer Coaches Association of America Women’s Team Academic Awards to five consecutive years and the eighth time in the program’s history. To be eligible for the award, teams must have a team grade point average of 3.0 or better. Jax State turned in a 3.38 GPA, which was the highest among the ten in-state programs that also received the academic team honor – UAB (3.23), Alabama (3.35), Auburn (3.34), Auburn-Montgomery (3.06), Alabama State (3.34), Faulkner (3.09), South Alabama (3.05), Spring Hill (3.24) and Troy (3.30). JSU was one of eight OVC programs to accomplish a 3.00 or better in the classroom.
JSU also claimed the OVC’s 2013 Team Sportsmanship Award for soccer. The OVC Team Sportsmanship Award is voted on by the student-athletes and coaches of the respective sports and the team awards are bestowed upon the Conference squads deemed to have best exhibited the standards of sportsmanship and ethical behavior as outlined by the OVC and NCAA. Included in the areas for evaluation are the conduct of student-athletes, coaches, staff and administrators and fans.
Macdonald has posted a 230-169-24 record during his 18-year coaching career, which includes his first three seasons at JSU and nine seasons at Mississippi State.
The Inverness, Scotland, native came to the United States in 1997, where he was four-year starter for Augusta State. Macdonald captained the team during his junior and senior seasons and was also a recipient of a handful of team awards, as well as one conference player of the week accolade. He played and started in every game he was eligible for during his illustrious career in Augusta, Ga., and he left the distinguished academic institution as the career record holder in games played and games started.
Macdonald began his coaching career as an assistant at Iowa Central Community College in 1997, where he helped coach both the men’s and women’s soccer teams. In his initial season, the women finished the season as regional champions with a 9-3-1 record and featured the nation’s leading scorer at that level. The men’s team also won the regional championship with an impressive 15-4-1 record and a No. 14 national ranking.
Following a 1998 campaign that saw both the Tritons and Lady Tritons march to regional and national rankings, Macdonald was named head coach at ICCC. Over the next five seasons, he would guide the men’s team to five regional championships, four times reaching the Sweet 16 of the National Junior College Association of America (NJCAA) national tournament. Including his final season in 2002, the squad advanced through to the Final Four.
Over the same five years, he led the women’s soccer team to the same success. The Lady Tritons won five consecutive regional championships, including an appearance in the Elite Eight in 2002.
During his five-year tenure in Fort Dodge, Macdonald collected an impressive 149-34-5 coaching record. At the conclusion of the 2002 campaigns, he was honored with NJCAA Region Coach of the Year accolades, along with being named one of three finalists for NSCAA National Coach of the Year honors. He was also lauded with Who’s Who of America’s Teachers as well.
Macdonald joined the staff at Mississippi State in 2003 as a volunteer assistant coach and was promoted to a full-time assistant later in the year. He helped the 2003 squad turn in a program-best 0.86 goals against average. That team finished the year 9-8-3 and recorded the program’s first wins over nationally-ranked teams, including a victory over No. 6 Florida.
The next season, Macdonald became head coach of the Bulldogs and became the most successful rookie head coach in Mississippi State history, taking the team to nine victories and an SEC Tournament berth.
In 2011, MSU secured its most SEC victories since 2004, including upsets of two Top 20 teams for the first time since 2003. The 2012 Bulldogs opened the year with an eight-game unbeaten streak, a mark that matched the 2009 squad’s 8-0 start for the best opening to a season in school history.
Born on May 16, 1972, in Banff, Scotland, Macdonald currently holds his coaching license from the Scottish Football Association. Macdonald returned to his home country and completed his Scottish FA UEFA “B” license, one of the top coaching decorations in international soccer.
Macdonald met his wife Jamie, a staff member at JSU as well, when both were athletes at Augusta State. The couple has three sons: Colin, Liam and Findlay.
Playing Career
- Midfielder, Augusta State (1994-97)
Coaching Career
- 1998: Assistant Coach, Iowa Central Community College Men and Women
- 1999-02: Head Coach, Iowa Central Community College Men and Women
- 2003: Volunteer Assistant Coach, Mississippi State
- 2003-04: Assistant Coach, Mississippi State
- 2004-12: Head Coach, Mississippi State
- 2013-Present: Head Coach, Jacksonville State
Honors
- 2014 OVC Coach of the Year
- 2002 NSCAA National Junior College Coach of the Year finalist
- NSCAA Junior College Region Coach of the Year
- 2002 Who's Who Among America's Teachers national award winner
- Two-year (1996 & 1997) captain at Augusta State
- Finished playing career at Augusta State as record holder in career starts and games played.
