Feb. 21, 2008

AUBURN, Ala. - A former standout for the University of Georgia's soccer team and now a rising star on the sidelines, Amy Berbary has been hired as an assistant coach on Karen Hoppa's staff at Auburn. Berbary, who lettered at Georgia from 1998-2001, spent the past four seasons on the staff of Mike Tucker at the University of Dayton.

"We are thrilled to have Amy join our staff! Her experience as the top assistant and recruiting coordinator at Dayton, along with her playing experience in the SEC, has prepared her to make an immediate impact on our program," Hoppa said.

Berbary joined the Dayton staff for the 2004 season and has helped the Flyers to a four-year winning percentage of .691 and a NCAA Tournament appearance in her first season. She has coached two Atlantic-10 Offensive Players of the Year in Reba Sedlacek (2004) and Mandi Bäck (2007) and seven All-Conference First Team selections. After taking over the role of recruiting coordinator, which she will also handle at Auburn, she has landed four A-10 All-Rookie selections and all of her recruiting classes have been ranked both regionally and nationally.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for me to take the next step in my coaching career and join an outstanding program, staff and university at Auburn," Berbary said. "I am very excited to come back to the SEC after playing at Georgia and competing against well-coached teams at Auburn."

Prior to her four years at Dayton, Berbary was the head coach at Gainesville High School in Gainesville, Ga., for two seasons, guiding her teams to a back-to-back regional championships and a 19-0-0 regional record. Her teams finished 14-4-1 and 13-5-1, respectively, and she was twice named the Region 7AAA Coach of the Year as well as the 2004 Women's Soccer Coach of the Year by the Gainesville Times.

As a student-athlete at Georgia, Berbary finished her career third on UGA's all-time goal scoring list (26) and points (58), leading the team in scoring for three straight seasons. A forward, she helped Georgia to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in 1998 and the Second Round in 2001, graduating with a degree in Health Promotion and Wellness Education.

Originally from Alpharetta, Ga., where she played for the Tophat Club program, Berbary has also served as the assistant varsity coach at Oconee County High School in Watkinsville, Ga. She is a member of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and holds a USSF "C" License. She has also served as an Ohio South ODP State coach for the past three year and will coach one of the teams in England this spring. She has recently been invited to join the Region II staff.

Berbary, who is replacing Becky Fletcher who left to become the head coach at Tennessee Tech after five years on Hoppa's staff, begins her duties at Auburn on Wednesday, Feb. 27.