Soccer
Jaelyn Cunningham
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- jecunnin@central.uh.edu
Jaelyn Cunningham was named Houston Soccer's assistant coach on January 9, 2023.
Cunningham enters her third season on the Houston Soccer coaching staff. With her primary focus on the goalkeepers, Olivia Dietrich and Maggie Manning combined for 101 saves to rank fourth in the conference in total saves in 2024. The Cougars tallied 5.94 saves per match, ranking tops in the conference.
In 2023, she assisted the Cougars to a 6-0-1 record, which marked the best start to a season in program history.
In her first season in H-Town, Cunningham was responsible for a group of goalkeepers that led the Big 12 in saves (84) and Dietrich, who led the conference in saves per game (4.75). Dietrich finished third among Big 12 goalkeepers with 76 saves on the season.
Cunningham joins the Cougars after spending two seasons as an assistant coach at Toledo. During her first season, Cunningham helped Toledo to a 10-6-4 overall record, its best since 2017. The Rockets finished sixth in the MAC with a 5-4-2 mark and reached the MAC Tournament for the first time since winning the championship in 2017.
She worked primarily with goalkeepers, including 2021 MAC Freshman of the Year and All-MAC Second Team honoree Emma Boutorwick, who recorded nine solo shutouts and one combined shutout with Adrianna Brewer, good for the second most shutouts in a single season by a Toledo team. The Rockets set a school record for the fewest goals allowed (12) as Boutorwick set a single-season program record .758 goals against average which was good for fourth in the nation.
Prior to Toledo, Cunningham served as an assistant coach at NCAA Division II Queens (N.C.) University. During her time with the Royals, sophomore Erica Turner earned first-team all-conference honors after posting a 5-1-1 record and a .903 save percentage. Turner also was named the conference's Defensive Player of the Week on three occasions.
Cunningham also worked with goalkeepers at the Charlotte Soccer Academy and the No. 1-ranked Providence Day High School's girls' soccer team during her time in Charlotte, N.C.
The Columbus, Ohio, native played collegiately at Illinois (2016-19) where she earned second-team All-Big 10 honors as a junior. During that season, she posted an 11-7-1 mark, a 1.02 goals-against average and career-best .772 save percentage en route to posting six shutouts. Cunningham was also named Illinois' Team MVP in 2017 and 2018 and ranks second in Fighting Illini history with 106 saves.
Cunningham spent two years in the Women's Premier Soccer League. She played for two league champions, the Seattle Sounders (2018) and the Chicago Red Stars (2019); and won the WPSL's Golden Glove award in 2019.
A Columbus, Ohio native, Cunningham graduated with her bachelor's degree in marketing from Illinois in 2019.
Cunningham enters her third season on the Houston Soccer coaching staff. With her primary focus on the goalkeepers, Olivia Dietrich and Maggie Manning combined for 101 saves to rank fourth in the conference in total saves in 2024. The Cougars tallied 5.94 saves per match, ranking tops in the conference.
In 2023, she assisted the Cougars to a 6-0-1 record, which marked the best start to a season in program history.
In her first season in H-Town, Cunningham was responsible for a group of goalkeepers that led the Big 12 in saves (84) and Dietrich, who led the conference in saves per game (4.75). Dietrich finished third among Big 12 goalkeepers with 76 saves on the season.
Cunningham joins the Cougars after spending two seasons as an assistant coach at Toledo. During her first season, Cunningham helped Toledo to a 10-6-4 overall record, its best since 2017. The Rockets finished sixth in the MAC with a 5-4-2 mark and reached the MAC Tournament for the first time since winning the championship in 2017.
She worked primarily with goalkeepers, including 2021 MAC Freshman of the Year and All-MAC Second Team honoree Emma Boutorwick, who recorded nine solo shutouts and one combined shutout with Adrianna Brewer, good for the second most shutouts in a single season by a Toledo team. The Rockets set a school record for the fewest goals allowed (12) as Boutorwick set a single-season program record .758 goals against average which was good for fourth in the nation.
Prior to Toledo, Cunningham served as an assistant coach at NCAA Division II Queens (N.C.) University. During her time with the Royals, sophomore Erica Turner earned first-team all-conference honors after posting a 5-1-1 record and a .903 save percentage. Turner also was named the conference's Defensive Player of the Week on three occasions.
Cunningham also worked with goalkeepers at the Charlotte Soccer Academy and the No. 1-ranked Providence Day High School's girls' soccer team during her time in Charlotte, N.C.
The Columbus, Ohio, native played collegiately at Illinois (2016-19) where she earned second-team All-Big 10 honors as a junior. During that season, she posted an 11-7-1 mark, a 1.02 goals-against average and career-best .772 save percentage en route to posting six shutouts. Cunningham was also named Illinois' Team MVP in 2017 and 2018 and ranks second in Fighting Illini history with 106 saves.
Cunningham spent two years in the Women's Premier Soccer League. She played for two league champions, the Seattle Sounders (2018) and the Chicago Red Stars (2019); and won the WPSL's Golden Glove award in 2019.
A Columbus, Ohio native, Cunningham graduated with her bachelor's degree in marketing from Illinois in 2019.
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