Valorie O'Brien
Valorie O'Brien
Title: Assistant Coach
Phone: 404-727-2140
Email: valorie.n.obrien@emory.edu

Valorie O'Brien joined the Emory women's soccer coaching staff as an assistant coach in January 2018. She has immediately made an impact with the team, helping the Eagles to back-to-back NCAA tournament berths in 2018 and 2019 and was part of Sue Pat Patberg's staff that garnered UAA Coaching Staff of the Year honors in 2019.

O'Brien comes to the Emory program after spending the past year as the Director of Soccer Operations at the University of South Florida.  O'Brien was part of the staff that saw the Bulls capture the program's first American Athletic Conference tournament title on the way to making USF's third NCAA Tournament appearance in the past four years.

Prior to her stint at USF, O'Brien served as the head coach of UMF Selfoss – a member of the Icelandic Sports Club that competes in Iceland's Premier League.  In addition, she enjoyed a successful stint as the head coach at the Varsity Girls Head Soccer Coach & Soccer Camp Director at the Orangewood Christian School (2013-15) in Maitland, Florida. She helped lead that team to a FHSAA Class 1A district title and was named the state's Class 1A Coach of the Year.

As a player, O'Brien was a four-year member of the women's soccer program at South Florida, where she served as team captain since her freshman year.  Her final two campaigns saw her start 26 of 27 contests and register six goals.  One of her markers during her final season was the tying goal in regulation in an eventual tie with defending national champion Notre Dame.

O'Brien graduated from South Florida in December, 2011 with a bachelor's degree in exercise science. After her graduation, she played professionally and was a youth soccer coach for UMF Selfoss. She also obtained her master's degree in sport leadership from Virginia Commonwealth University in the 2018.

Valorie is a native of Winter Park, Florida.