E-mail this pageMeet the Women's Soccer Staff
Karen Waterbury, Head Coach
Karen Waterbury, the winningest coach in Plattsburgh State women's soccer history, enters her 20th season at the helm of the Cardinals this fall. Plattsburgh has had 18 winning seasons under Waterbury--who has amassed a 234-114-22 (.662) school record--including nine straight from 1990 to 1998 and all nine years of this decade. Among NCAA Division III coaches, she is listed on the Top 50 all-time lists for career victories (235) and winning percentage (.640).
Waterbury has twice been named a coach of the year by two different affiliations: the State University of New York Athletic Conference in 1998 and the New York State Women's Collegiate Athletic Association in 1995. The Cardinals posted a school-record 19 victories, won 89 percent of their games and went undefeated in SUNYAC play (10-0) in 1998. Three years earlier, the NCAA-bound team went 16-3-2 overall and 7-2-1 in SUNYAC.
A season ago, Waterbury led the Cardinals to a 13-3-3 overall record, 7-2-1 in the SUNYAC. Five players were named All-SUNYAC, with sophomores Helen Giroux and Emily Riley earning First Team nods. Kaitlin Collica became the 15th Cardinal named All-Region by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. Collica earned a spot on the Third Team. Kathryn Lind allowed only 12 goals to pass by her in 17 games spent between the pipes and tied the school record for 37 career wins. The squad earned its second-straight, eighth overall, SUNYAC Tournament appearance after finishing tied for third in the conference with Geneseo.
Her 2007 squad ended SUNYAC rival and national powerhouse Oneonta's NCAA all-Divisions record 101-game conference unbeaten streak with a 4-0 win on Oct. 6. Plattsburgh was also the last team to defeat the Red Dragons before they started their historic streak in 1998. The Cardinals ended the season with a 14-4-2 overall record, including 8-2-1 for a third-place tie in SUNYAC, and featured the conference's top scoring defense at 0.75 goals allowed per game. Freshmen Elizabeth Radigan and Helen Giroux were named first-team all-SUNYAC and SUNYAC Rookie of the Year, respectively.
All told, Waterbury has mentored 22 all-region and 73 all-SUNYAC selections. Gena Rosenbaum, the program's all-time leader with 60 goals, 34 assists and 154 points, became one of the handful of SUNYAC players to be named first-team all-conference all four years when her career concluded after the 2005 season. Most of the program's records have been established during the Waterbury era. 
Her Plattsburgh teams have made postseason appearances in 17 of the last 19 years, including the program's first-ever NCAA tournament berth in 1995. She also has guided her squads to eight ECAC playoffs, eight SUNYAC Tournaments and seven trips to the NYSWCAA playoffs.
Additionally, she has brought two Plattsburgh State teams on international tours, with trips to Scotland (2001) and Brazil (2004).
In 1999, Waterbury earned full appointment to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) National Academy. The Academy Staff is appointed by the NSCAA Board of Directors, and the instructors represent some of the most experienced and qualified teachers of the game in the country. She served on the coaching staff for six years.
She holds the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) "A" license, which is the highest attainable grade in coaching, and the NSCAA National Goalkeeping Diploma.
As a player for Plattsburgh State, Waterbury was a First Team All-SUNYAC selection in 1986 and was named Plattsburgh State's Female Athlete of the Year in 1987.
An active part of the college community, Waterbury teaches courses in lifeguard training and CPR/First Aid as well as organizing community service campaigns on behalf of the Plattsburgh women's soccer program.
Waterbury started her professional career in 1987 as the head coach at Clinton Community College. The following season, she was a graduate assistant on the Ithaca College staff and then became the head coach for the 1989 Potsdam State team.
A 1987 graduate of Plattsburgh State in business marketing, Waterbury earned her master's degree in physical education from Ithaca in 1989.
A native of Binghamton, N.Y., Waterbury is married to her husband Chris, who is the men's soccer coach at Plattsburgh. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, running, cycling and playing ice hockey. The couple has a daughter Bailey (15) and son Ryan (12) .
Brian Micheels, Associate Coach
Brian Micheels, a former player and sports information director at Plattsburgh State, begins his ninth season as Karen Waterbury's top assistant coach in 2009. He is involved in all facets of the Cardinals women's soccer program, primarily charged with goalkeepers training. In addition to his coaching duties, he serves as a guest lecturer for public relations courses, on the College Judicial Board and is a faculty member of the 
Plattsburgh State Saxophone Chamber Ensemble.
Micheels received the National Diploma in 2002 and the National Goalkeeping Diploma in 2005, both from the National Soccer Coaches' Association of America (NSCAA).
Micheels was a four-year starter for the Cardinals men's soccer team, serving twice as the captain and named team MVP on three occasions. An All-State University of New York Athletic Conference pick in 1989 and '90, he was Plattsburgh State's 1991 Male Athlete of the Year during his senior year.
Following graduation, Micheels played in the Premier Division of the Northern Virginia/Washington D.C. Soccer League.
Micheels was SID at Plattsburgh State from 1992 to 2000, overseeing the media relations and publicity efforts of the intercollegiate athletic program. He also served in an interim capacity in Fall 2005.
Micheels is also active with a local premier level youth soccer club, Plattsburgh FC, and is a certified lifeguard.
A native of Middletown, N.Y., Micheels earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees from Plattsburgh State in 1991 and 2000. As an undergraduate, he majored in communications arts as well as minored in photography and coaching. He was inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society in 1990. His advanced degree was in leadership and administration with an education concentration.
Micheels and his wife Karolyn have two children: son Luc (10) and daughter Brina (6).
Contact Information
For more information about Women's Soccer at Plattsburgh State, please contact:
Coach Karen Waterbury
Phone: (518) 564-4141
E-mail: karen.waterbury@plattsburgh.edu