Bowes Enters Fifth Season on Steve Welham’s Coaching Staff
DURHAM, N.H. – Steve Welham, fifth-year head coach of the University of New Hampshire women's soccer team, announced that Amanda Bowes has been promoted from assistant coach to associate head coach.
"Amanda has been a key component to the success of our ever-improving program for four seasons and has truly earned this well-deserved promotion," Welham said. "Her tireless work ethic in areas of coaching and recruiting have paid big dividends in the development of our talented student-athletes, and we are delighted to have her on staff here at UNH."
Bowes, a member of the 2017 America East co-Coaching Staff of the Year, joined the UNH soccer program as an assistant coach in July 2014. Her primary responsibilities include training goalkeepers, working with the backline, assisting with recruiting, helping with day-to-day management of the program and coordinating camps. Bowes, who earned the United Soccer Coaches (formerly NSCAA) Advanced National Diploma in May 2018, is a 2014 graduate of the NCAA Women Coaches Academy and earned an NSCAA National Diploma in 2012.
GK Mia Neas & Coach Amanda Bowes
Under Bowes' tutelage, 2017 America East Goalkeeper of the Year Mia Neas dazzled in her first year as starter and was recognized as the America East Women's Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Neas ended the season with a 0.81 goals against average and an .856 save percentage. Neas also became UNH's first Academic All-American and picked up United Soccer Coaches All-Region & Academic All-Region awards along the way.
In 2016, Bowes mentored senior goalkeeper Mimi Borkan, who was named to the America East All-Conference Second Team and All-Championship Team. Borkan graduated with the lowest career GAA (1.06) by a UNH goalkeeper and tied the record for most individual shutouts in a single season (nine).
In her first season (2014), Bowes was part of the coaching staff that earned the first America East conference championship and the first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. The 'Cats dispatched Hartford, 2-1, to cap the memorable first year in the Steve Welham Era. Bowes helped Borkan earn the America East Tournament Most Outstanding Player award and a berth on the America East All-Championship Team.
Bowes is a 2008 graduate of Dartmouth College, where she was a three-year starting goalkeeper for the Big Green. As a student-athlete at Dartmouth, Bowes helped the Big Green achieve a top-20 national ranking and earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament as a sophomore (2005).
After graduation in 2008, Bowes interned in the Student Life Department at The American Farm School in Thessaloniki, Greece. In addition to educating high school and college-aged students about American culture, she was the head coach of the school's men's college soccer team and assisted with the boys' and girls' high school teams.
Bowes began her American collegiate coaching career as the goalkeeping coach at Northeastern University (2009). That season, the Huskies earned the CAA regular-season title and hosted the CAA Championship.
Bowes worked at Brandeis University in 2010, where she was the assistant coach on one of the most successful teams in program history. The Judges finished with a 15-5-1 record and won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time.
Prior to joining the Wildcats, Bowes worked three seasons (2011-13) on the staff at Bucknell University. There, she mentored the Bison goalkeepers and, in 2013, helped the program reach the Patriot League tournament for the first time since 2010.
In 2017, the 'Cats earned the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament for the first time since 2007. Their 11-6-1 overall record and 5-2-1 conference mark were the best produced by a UNH women's soccer team since 1992. The Wildcats boasted the best non-conference record (6-3-0) in program history, tied for the longest winning streak (six games) that was set in 1988, went undefeated (7-0-1) at home during the regular season (best home record in program history) and did not yield more than one goal to any opponent in Durham. The 'Cats captured their first-ever United Soccer Coaches Team Ethics and Sportsmanship Silver Award for exhibiting fair play and sporting behavior (1 of only 10 Division I Women's Soccer Programs to receive this).
In her first season (2014), Bowes was part of the coaching staff that earned the first America East conference championship and the first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. The 'Cats dispatched Hartford, 2-1, to cap the memorable first year in the Steve Welham Era. Bowes helped Borkan earn the America East Tournament Most Outstanding Player award and a berth on the America East All-Championship Team.
