LIBERTY, Mo. – William Jewell Director of Athletics Tom Eisenhauer has announced the hiring of Emily Key as the new head women's soccer coach. She becomes the ninth head coach in program history, and the first woman, and will begin her duties on March 1.
"I am excited to have Coach Key leading our women's soccer program. Emily's experience as a player, collegiately and professionally, in addition to her recent experience as a coach will be an asset to our program," said Eisenhauer. "She's also well connected to the local soccer scene which will aid in recruiting. What stood out to me about Coach Key in the interview process was her enthusiasm and passion for the game and the young women who play it."
Key comes to the Cardinals from Avila University where she has served as an assistant coach since 2018. During the 2020 season, she helped the Eagles to a third-place finish in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference, reaching the tournament semifinals for the second consecutive year, and coaching seven All-Conference players. During her four seasons on staff Avila won 28 games and boasted 20 All-Conference honors.
Since 2014 Key has also served as a head coach in the Kansas Olympic Development Program leading the 2007 age group, focusing on development and player growth. Additionally, she has worked for Kansas City Scott Gallagher as the Director of Juniors Program for Kansas beginning in 2021 and a head coach for the 2008 and 2004 girls national league teams since 2017. She began her coaching career at Shawnee Mission South High School where she was the assistant coach and head junior varsity coach for three seasons.
As a player, Key was a standout at Park University where she played in 73 games, scoring 58 goals, and recording 32 assists which are eighth and ninth in program history, respectively. Additionally, her 72 career points ranks her third all-time at Park. She was a three-time All-Conference performer, closing her career as the 2016 American Midwest Conference Player of the Year and NAIA Honorable Mention All-American after leading the league and ranking third nationally in scoring. As a senior, she posted six hat tricks, highlighted by a five-goal performance against Stephens College. During her career, the Pirates went 48-26-2 with two NAIA National Tournament appearances.
Following her collegiate career, she played professionally in Iceland in 2017 before returning to the United States and competing in the semi-professional league for the KC Courage WPSL (2015-2020) and KC Courage UWS (2021).
A native of Wolverhampton, England, Key earned her bachelor's degree in fitness and wellness from Park University in 2017 before completing a master's in healthcare administration in 2020 at Avila.
The William Jewell women's soccer program began competition in 1990 and has won nearly 250 games since. The Cardinals have won three conference championships, boast 24 All-America honors and have advanced to three national tournaments including the 2012 NCAA Tournament, becoming first Jewell program to do so.
