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Suzette Soboti
Suzette Soboti joined the University of Redlands in April 1998 and has coached the women's lacrosse team since its varsity inception in 1999. She also serves as the women's soccer coach and a faculty member for the Department of Physical Education.
Following the 2006 season, she boasted the women's lacrosse program's best finish while competing as a Division III Independent with an overall record of 11-4. Prior to that, the Bulldogs had earned a 14-4 mark in the Western Women's Lacrosse League (WWLL) and finished second in the tournament during the 2000 season.
In 2011, Soboti guided the Maroon and Gray to its first-ever NCAA appearance and then repeated that effort in 2012, 2013, and 2014.
Beginning in 2010, the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) added women's lacrosse as a sponsored sport. It only took the Bulldogs three seasons to capture its inaugural conference championship, which later put Redlands on the map as one of only two members of the conference to own at least one SCIAC title in each of the 21 sponsored sports by 2014-15.
In 2012, the Bulldogs also recorded the program's first postseason win by edging familiar foe Occidental College, 15-14. The team's success continued in 2013 and 2014 with two more SCIAC titles before making an inaugural third-round NCAA appearance in 2014.
Since her arrival at Redlands, the women’s soccer program has consistently finished in the top three of the conference, earning six second-place showings and five SCIAC Championships (2001, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2015).
In 2022 the Bulldogs went 6-10-1 overall with a 6-5-1 SCIAC record. This is the fifth-straight season Soboti has led the Bulldogs to six or more wins. The Bulldogs finished fourth in SCIAC and qualified for the SCAIC Postseason Tournament for the first time since 2018.
Three Bulldogs were named to the All-SCIAC teams: Charlie Baum (First Team), Ciara Aw (Second), and Peyton Fendrich (Second). Three All-SCIAC members is the most since 2019. Baum was also named to the United Soccer Coaches All-West Region Third Team. On the academic side, Aw, Avery Bergschneider, Fendrich, Taylor Pisan, Skylar Pogue, and Tori Zielinski each were named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team.
In the record books goalkeeper Courtney Stewart moved into sixth place all-time with 83 single-season saves. Stewart now ranks fifth all-time in career saves (188), fourth in GK minutes (3238:34), eigth in GK games played (45), sixth in starts (34), and eighth in shutouts (4).
During the 2021 season, Soboti led the Bulldogs to a 7-8-0 overall record with a 6-6 conference record. She coached Eva Vlassopoulos to an eight-goal season, the 10th best mark for a single-season in program history. The 2021 season moved Vlassopoulos into seventh place all-time with 20 goals, ninth in points with 48, and ninth in the 10 goal/5 assist club.
After guiding the team to its inaugural conference title and postseason appearance, Soboti was named the 2001 NSCAA West Region Coach of the Year. In 2004, she led the team to its first official playoff victory as the team defeated local rival Chapman University, 2-1. On the heels of the 2006 SCIAC championship, the Bulldogs served as hosts for the first-ever SCIAC Postseason Tournament. In one of her most successful seasons, Soboti guided Redlands to a Sweet-16 appearance during the record-breaking 2010 campaign.
In 2003, the Bulldogs were also honored off the field as an NSCAA Academic Team.
Soboti also coached the women’s soccer program’s only NSCAA All-America First-Team honoree in Becky Willis ’09. Willis is now a Bulldog Hall of Famer.
A graduate of Skidmore College (NY), Soboti was the Thoroughbreds’ goalkeeper in both soccer and lacrosse. After earning a master’s degree from Montclair State University (NJ), Soboti coached for four years at Middlesex County College in New Jersey before moving out west to Redlands. In her spare time, Soboti enjoys horror movies and books, classical music, and outdoor pursuits. Soboti resides in Redlands with her husband, Brian Swinson, and their two dogs, Kona and Bode.
A 1991 graduate of Skidmore College in New York, Soboti played goalkeeper in both soccer and lacrosse for four years. She also excelled at basketball. She went on to earn a master's degree from Montclair State University.
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