Katherine Ward joined the UTEP soccer staff as an assistant coach on Jan. 28, 2019.
In her third season at UTEP in 2021, Ward helped guide the Miners to wins over Incarnate Word, NM State, UTSA and Western Kentucky.
UTEP played the 2020 season in the spring of 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Ward's role was extra important the final two months of the year after head coach Kathryn Balogun went on maternity leave.
Notable moments on the pitch for the Miners included a 3-1 victory against NM State (2/11/21), facing three different power five programs, scoring twice in the final 10 minutes to rally past UAB, 2-1, (3/14/21) and battling back to tie North Texas, 1-1, (4/2/21) despite playing the final 34 minutes shorthanded. Additionally, Cayman Tamez and Tessa Carlin were named to the All C-USA third team, making it the first time since 2003 that the Miners had multiple underclassmen earn all-league honors.
In 2019 she helped UTEP compile a record of 10-7-3, the first double win total at the school in three years. The Miners also went 5-4-1 in C-USA action to punch their ticket to the league championships for the first time since 2016. Furthermore, it marked the first winning season in league play since an effort of 6-2-2 in 2014.
The Orange and Blue were a very strong defensive squad in 2019. UTEP posted seven shutouts while limiting six other opponents to only one goal. The seven blankings ranked tied for sixth on the program’s single-season list.
UTEP went 6-3-2 at home, but more impressive was the effort of 4-4-2 on the road. It was the best road record since 2016. Included in the road victories was a 3-2 win at Marshall (9/26), marking the program's first road win in the series in 11 years. UTEP also posted a double-overtime triumph at I-10 rival NM State (9/12).
Individually Lauren Crenshaw was a second-team All C-USA honoree, while Tessa Carlin snared a spot on the C-USA All-Freshman team.
Prior to coming to El Paso, Ward served as a graduate assistant at Virginia Commonwealth University. She assisted the coaching staff with film analysis, recruiting administrative support and worked with a team that made two appearances in the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship.
During her playing career, Ward represented the USA Deaf Women’s National Soccer Team at four international tournaments. She was named team captain and helped the team win two DIFA (Deaf International Football Association) World Cups (Turkey 2012, Italy 2016). She was also a part of the USA team that won two gold medals at the Deaflympics (Taiwan 2009, Bulgaria 2013).
The Atlanta, Ga., native appeared in 27 games and tallied three goals over her collegiate career. Ward graduated in May 2016 with a bachelor of science in cellular molecular biology with a 3.7 GPA. She earned a master’s in education in sports leadership from Virginia Commonwealth University in December 2018.
