PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas -- Sonia Curvelo has been named Prairie View A&M University head soccer coach."We are excited about the hiring of Sonia as head coach," said PVAMU Associate Athletic Director Alicia Pete, who played an active role in the hiring process of Coach Curvelo. "We know she will bring the leadership and guidance to the program that we expect in order to build a championship caliber program. She has high expectations as far as lifting the Prairie View A&M University soccer program."
Curvelo joins Prairie View A&M as the third head coach in the history of the program. Last season, she was the Regional Manager for Player Development at the Ontario Soccer Association (OSA), in Ontario, Canada.
"I am honored to lead the women's soccer program at PVAMU and am very thankful for this great opportunity," Curvelo said. "I am excited to work with our passionate and committed student-athletes, support staff, PV Nation and the community. I am fully committed to helping each student-athlete achieve great success in the classroom and build a championship program. I also want to thank my family and mentors who have guided me throughout my life and career."
Prior to last season, Curvelo spent three seasons as the head women's soccer coach at Cleveland State (2014-16)
Curvelo led the Vikings to eight wins in each of her first two seasons as head coach. She led CSU to the Horizon League tournament in each of her two seasons on the sideline, breaking a three-year absence for CSU in the tournament in 2014. During her first season at the helm, the Vikings set single-season school records for most goals (28) and assists (22) and fewest goals allowed (18). The team also tied the school record with seven shutouts. In 2015, the Vikings set a single game record with seven goals in a victory over Chicago State.
More importantly, the program attained academic success with Curvelo at the helm, earning the "Best of the Best" Award in the spring of 2015 for having the highest grade point average (3.63) among the 16 teams in the athletics department. That was slightly higher than the 3.60 GPA in 2013-14, which included three players who had a 4.0 and more than half of the roster posting a GPA of 3.75 or higher.
Curvelo joined the Vikings after spending five seasons as the head coach at Mississippi Valley State. During her five seasons at MVSU (2010-14), Curvelo advanced to the SWAC Tournament all five years, leading the squad to the conference title and NCAA tournament bid in 2012. The SWAC Coach of the Year in 2012, Curvelo also led her squad to the conference championship match in 2010 and 2011. She developed 12 players who earned All-SWAC honors, and 14 players who were named to the SWAC all-tournament team as well as the 2012 SWAC Tournament MVP.
Curvelo's teams have also had consistent success in the classroom with her 2011-12 squad completing the academic term with a 3.52 grade point average, the highest among the school's 18 programs and tops among women's soccer programs in the SWAC. In 2012-13, the women's soccer team was tops among MVSU sports with a 3.59 GPA. She has produced a National Dean's List Scholar, as well as an MVSU Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Prior to arriving at MVSU, Curvelo served as an associate coach at Fanshawe College in Ontario, a player development coach at the SB9 Soccer Academy in Tampa, Fla., and a coach for the Rochester Rhinos Soccer Academy. As a student-athlete at MVSU, Curvelo was one of the original members of the program and was instrumental in leading the team to the 2005 SWAC Title and NCAA bid, assisting on the first goal and scoring the game-winner in the conference championship match. Curvelo was named the 2005 SWAC tournament MVP, leading MVSU to its first-ever NCAA tournament appearance.
The Strathroy, Ontario, native made a name for herself internationally, playing for the Portugal National Team that included her first international appearance against Wales in 2008. In addition, Curvelo signed her first professional contract with CF Puebla of the Women's Spanish Super League in Spain. She also played for three teams in the USL W-League.
Curvelo is a member of the National Soccer Coaches Association, the United States Soccer Federation and the Alliance of Women Coaches. A graduate of the NCAA Women's Coaches Academy, Curvelo also served as the SWAC soccer chairperson. She is a National Coaching Certification Program Core Coach Developer and Evaluator Trained (2017); served as NCAA Women's Soccer Regional Advisory Committee for CSU and MVSU; has a United States Soccer Federation National "B" Coaching License.
Curvelo earned her Bachelors of Science degree in Business Administration in 2007 from MVSU and earned her Masters of Science in Sports Coaching Education in 2013 from Southern Mississippi.
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