Logger Women’s Soccer Head Coach Stephanie Cox Nominated to National Soccer Hall of Fame

Campus

Stephanie Cox was always part of a team.

“Growing up, my parents were foster parents,” said Cox, women’s soccer coach at the University of Puget Sound. “I think that had a profound impact on my character, and just the way I saw the world.”

The team focus has been at the heart of a trailblazing playing career that recently led to her being named one of 20 players on the final ballot for the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Players are eligible once they’ve been retired for three years and have either played at least 20 international games for the U.S. men’s or women’s national teams or at least five seasons of professional soccer. The Class of 2026 will be announced later this year and will be honored at a ceremony at the Hall of Fame in May 2026. If inducted, Cox will join a roster of outstanding women’s soccer players like Mia Hamm and former teammate Carli Lloyd.

“I feel honored to even be on the list,” said Cox, 39, who is starting her fourth season leading the Loggers. The team compiled a 9-4-7 record in 2024, finishing second in the conference.

“Logger Athletics is tremendously fortunate to have Stephanie Cox leading our women's soccer program,” Athletic Director Chelsea Herman said. “I truly believe she is one of Puget Sound's most valued members, and this honor names her among our nation's greatest to ever wear the uniform. Please join me in celebrating Steph's extraordinary accomplishment.”

Logger Women's Soccer Head Coach Stephanie Cox played in two World Cup tournaments and the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, where she won a gold medal.

Cox, then Stephanie Lopez, rose to prominence when she and her teammates at the University of Portland won the NCAA Division I title in 2005. Since then, she has appeared in 89 games, including two World Cups, for the U.S. Women’s National Team, having entered that arena as the team’s youngest member in 2007.

In addition, Cox won an Olympic gold medal in 2008 as a defender, and enjoyed a long pro career, including two stints with the Seattle Reign. Cox officially took over the Loggers program in December 2022 after a season as interim head coach.

“I think my parents were really motivated to give back in such a dramatic way because of their faith, and that continued to shape my perspective and service, even as a coach,” said Cox, who grew up in Elk Grove, Calif. “From a young age, I recognized that others don’t always have the same opportunities, the same care and consistency that a family can provide.”

“I grew up with a large family,” she added. “We had to be a team in order to function. I think that team aspect always kept me humble.”

Logger Women's Head Coach Stephanie Cox with her Olympic gold medal. — Stephanie Cox has been the head coach of the Logger Women's Soccer team since 2022, following a season as interim head coach.

Cox, who lives in Gig Harbor, Wash., with her husband, Brian, and their two daughters, Kaylee and Grace, says she tries to help her players on and off the pitch.

“We have a lot of narratives around what it looks like to be a good teammate, even just human development, around self-awareness,” she said. “I meet with players individually every other week, and kind of touch base with how they’re doing on and off the field.”

Ultimately, she said, she wants to help each player “to be a good teammate, to be able to impact the world after they graduate. We just talk about our core values a lot, which are growth, community, and determination. I think those are great qualities that can help set them up to be successful in life after they graduate. I want them to leave feeling really strong and confident about the young women they are, and feeling like they can go out and impact others through their character.”

She added that the Loggers are a pleasure to coach.

“I really feel the University of Puget Sound and the players here, as Division III student-athletes, have this wonderful, holistic approach to life and to the classroom and the field. They’re really a grateful, hard-working, humble set of players that I feel honored to lead and to get to support them on their journey.”

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