Thorson Named To CSU Women's Soccer Coaching Staff

Posted: May 17, 2004

May 17, 2004

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Railene Thorson, who most recently served as head women's soccer coach at Western Washington University, has been named assistant women's soccer coach at Cleveland State. Viking head coach Derrek Falor made the announcement on Monday.

"We are very excited to add Railene to our staff as she brings a very high level of experience to our program," Falor said. "I really feel like she is the final piece to the puzzle that has been the year and half long planning of getting our program off the ground.

"Railene is the perfect fit for us for so many reasons. She's had two successful years as a collegiate head coach and knows perfectly well how to teach both the technical and tactical side of the game at this level."

"As a player at Montana, she was part of the first-ever recruiting class at the school so she has an understanding of the growing pains that a new program is going to go through. That experience will be very useful this fall," Falor added.

A 1998 graduate of Montana with a bachelor's degree in business administration, Thorson was a four-year starter at goalie for the Grizzlies, earning team MVP honors twice during her career. She ranked fourth in the nation in goals against average as a junior in 1996.

Thorson earned second team GTE Academic All-America honors in 1995 and was tabbed for the 1997 Big Sky Conference first team.

Thorson continued her playing career, starting at goalie for the Denver Diamonds in the Women's United States Independent Soccer League in 1998.

This will be Thorson's second term as an assistant coach on Falor's coaching staff. Thorson served as an assistant coach at Western Washington from 1999-2000, helping the squad to a 19-17-4 mark in two seasons. She was promoted to head coach in February of 2001 when Falor left the school. Thorson guided Western Washington to a 19-18-2 mark over the next two seasons before leaving the school following the 2002 campaign.

Cleveland State will begin sponsoring women's soccer as an intercollegiate sport for the first time this fall. The Vikings will kickoff their inaugural season at home against Kent State on Friday, August 27 at Krenzler Field.