ITTA BENA, Mississippi – A new day has dawned for the Mississippi Valley State University women's soccer program, as Sean Mapson takes the helm as the fourth head coach in the program's history.
"I am very pleased with our selection of Sean Mapson to lead the Mississippi Valley State University women's soccer program. He has followed our program over the years and is fully aware that our program is one of the best in the SWAC. He has a solid background in the sport; having played professionally, coached on various levels (youth to collegiate), and continues to be a student of the game by earning several soccer coaching certifications. I believe Coach Mapson will build on our successes," said Athletic Director Dianthia Ford-Kee.
Mapson takes over a program that won the 2015 regular season Southwestern Athletic Conference title. He comes to MVSU after serving as the assistant coach for the women's soccer program at the University of Southern Mississippi, a position he began in 2011.
In 2013, under Mapson and USM's Head Coach Mohammed El-Zare, the team finished 7-9-4, one of the best records recorded in the past decade, however the two were far from done. In 2015, the team finished the season with their highest conference ranking in the past seven years. In addition to coaching, Mapson was also responsible for developing technical and tactical training sessions, organizing and managing the travel budget and match and player analysis. He was also, the goalkeeper coach, recruitment coordinator and camp director.
While at Southern Miss. Mapson coached one 2015 Conference USA All-Academic First Team honoree, one 2015 Conference USA All-Freshmen Team honoree, two 2014 Conference USA All-Academic First Team 2014 honorees, one 2014 Conference USA All-Conference Third Team honoree, two 2013 Conference USA All-Academic First Team honorees and one 2013 Conference USA All-Freshmen Team honoree; the team also scored an overall 3.23 Team GPA in 2014.
Prior to arriving at USM, Mapson served as the assistant coach of the men and women's soccer program at William Carey University.
While serving his alma mater, Mapson assisted in helping the men and women's teams reach the NAIA National Tournament in consecutive seasons. In addition to this achievement, both goalkeepers received NAIA First-Team All-American honors.
Mapson also served the Hattiesburg Youth Soccer Association as the Youth Coach and Director of Goalkeeping from 2007-2015.
His playing achievements at William Carey, includes the GCAC All-Freshmen team in 2006 and selections to the GCAC All-Conference Team in 2007 and 2009, as a goalkeeper. He also played with Leicester City (England) and Macclesfield Town F.C. (England).
In addition to being a student-athlete, Mapson was a double major at William Carey University. He received his Bachelor of Science Degrees in Social Science and Physical Education and Coaching in 2011. In 2014, he graduated with a Master of Science Degree from the University of Southern Mississippi in Sports Coaching Education.
Mapson is married to Rachel Maximo-Mapson; the two have three dogs and one cat.
"I would like to thank the Mississippi Valley State University family and Athletic Director, Dianthia Ford-Kee and the rest of the search committee for trusting in my ability to lead the program forward. I would also like to thank the players at the University of Southern Mississippi, the Senior Women's Administrator Sonya Varnell and Coach Mohammed El-Zare for the opportunities they provided for me to develop as a coach. I look forward to newest chapter in my coaching career and working to make a positive impact on the team, university and community," said Head Coach Sean Mapson.
COURTESY MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
