Danielle Mendez is in her third season as an assistant coach for the St. Olaf women’s soccer program in 2021-22.
In her first season at St. Olaf, the Oles finished 8-8-2 (.500) overall and 5-5-1 (.500) in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC). Junior goalkeeper Brynne Davis earned Honorable Mention All-MIAC honors after finishing third in the conference in saves (89).
After the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the fall 2020 season, the Oles played one official contest and six exhibitions in the spring of 2021, going 1-3-3 in those seven contests.
Mendez came to St. Olaf after two stints as an assistant coach/goalkeeper coach with NCAA Division I programs and also has coaching experience at the club level, following a standout career at St. Catherine University.
In 2018-19, Mendez worked at the University of Montana as an assistant coach/goalkeeper coach, helping the team to the 2018 Big Sky Conference championship while allowing just 1.09 goals per game with 10 shutouts in 22 games. The Griz recorded three-straight shutouts against higher-seeded opponents to win the conference tournament as the No. 5 seed. Starting goalkeeper Claire Howard earned Second Team All-Big Sky Conference honors and was named the Big Sky All-Tournament Team goalkeeper.
Mendez spent the 2017-18 season in the same role at the University of North Dakota. During her one season, the Fighting Hawks posted their highest-ever national RPI, recorded their highest number of Big Sky victories in a season and attained their highest-ever conference finish. Mendez coached UND’s first-ever Big Sky Goalkeeper of the Year, Catherine Klein, who also earned First Team All-Big Sky honors.
At the club level, Mendez coached the U17 Premier girls team and was an assistant for the U14 C1 girls team for the Minnesota Thunder Academy in 2016-17. Prior to that, she coached a variety of levels of girls youth teams for Burnsville Fire Soccer Club.
Mendez was a four-year starter at St. Catherine University from 2012-15 and graduated as the program’s career leader in goals-against average (1.45) and shutouts (19), while setting single-season records for goals-against average (0.86) and fewest goals allowed (16). Her 274 saves were second-most in school history.
After graduating from St. Catherine with a bachelor’s degree in exercise sports science and a minor in psychology, Mendez continued her playing career as a member of Minnesota Twin Stars FC, a semi-professional women’s team, in 2016 and 2017.
