Maureen Whitney begins her second season as head coach of the Portland State women’s soccer program in 2025, marking her ninth year with the team. Whitney spent eight seasons coaching alongside Katie Burton, serving one year as an assistant, six years as associate head coach, and one year as co-head coach.
In her first season as head coach alongside Katie Burton in 2024, Whitney led the Vikings to a 4-9-5 overall record, including a 2-3-3 mark in conference play, and guided the team to a Big Sky semifinal appearance.
Throughout her tenure, Whitney has played a key role in the Vikings’ success, helping the team reach five Big Sky Tournament appearances and advance to the semifinals three times (2017, 2023, and 2024). She has mentored 16 players to All-Big Sky honors, including two first-team selections: Sienna Higinbotham (2023, midfielder) and Liv Frazier (2024, defender). Additionally, Whitney helped freshman forward Aliayha Saldana earn the program’s first-ever Big Sky Freshman of the Year award in 2024. Under Whitney's leadership, the Vikings have earned 13 Big Sky Player of the Week honors, with a standout five awards in 2017.
YEAR-BY-YEAR HIGHLIGHTS
2024 - Whitney, alongside co-head coach Katie Burton, helped guide the Vikings to a 4-9-5 overall record, including a 4-8-4 regular season mark and a 2-3-3 record in Big Sky play. The Vikings made their third consecutive appearance in the Big Sky Tournament, securing the No. 6 seed and advancing to the semifinals for the second straight year. A historic moment marked their semifinal run, as the Vikings claimed their first-ever penalty kick shootout victory, defeating No. 3 seed Eastern Washington 1-1 (7-6 on penalties) to move on. Under Whitney’s leadership, five Vikings earned All-Conference honors, the most for the program since 2014. Leading the way was first-team All-Big Sky defender Liv Frazier, who became the first Viking defender to receive the honor since 2016. In addition to one honorable mention, three players earned second-team recognition, including freshman forward Aliayha Saldana, who made history as the program’s first-ever Big Sky Freshman of the Year.
2023 - Whitney guided the Vikings to an 8-8-2 record (.500), their highest win percentage since 2014. For the second consecutive season, PSU finished third in the regular season Big Sky standings with a 4-2-2 record. For just the fourth time in program history, the Vikings won their opening match of the Big Sky tournament, beating Idaho State 4-1 to advance to the Big Sky semifinals. Whitney guided the Vikings to their most successful season offensively since 2013, totaling 27 goals. Four Vikings earned All-Big Sky honors, highlighted by first team midfielder Sienna Higinbotham. Higinbotham finished the regular season tied second in the conference with six goals scored, becoming the first Viking to earn first-team honors since 2016.
2022 - Whitney helped lead the Vikings to their best conference start since 2013, opening Big Sky play 4-0-1 and including three consecutive shutouts. After finishing the regular season 5-8-5 (4-2-2 BSC), the Vikings earned their highest Big Sky Tournament seed (No. 3) in eight seasons.
2021 - The Vikings finished 4-10-2 (2-4-2 BSC), placing eighth in the final Big Sky standings. Whitney coached junior midfielder Sienna Higinbotham and freshman midfielder Lucy Quinn to honorable mention All-Big Sky honors.
2020 - Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 fall season was played during the spring of 2021. The Vikings played an abbreviated eight-game schedule, finishing 0-8-0. Whitney helped lead sophomore midfielder Sienna Higinbotham to a second team all-conference honor.
2019 - The Vikings returned to the Big Sky tournament for the second time in three seasons, finishing 4-15 on the year while going 3-6 in conference play. The Vikings tallied two players on the All-Big Sky list in Sofi Papastamos and Tea Poore.
2018 - Whitney helped Krystal de Ramos to an All-Big Sky honorable mention after scoring four goals and setting a program record with a .714 shots-on goal percentage. The team overall finished 5-10-1 and 3-5-1 in conference play, missing out on the conference tournament by one place.
2017 - Whitney helped lead the Vikings back to the Big Sky tournament after a two-year absence as the Vikings finished fourth in the Big Sky at 5-4-1 in conference play and 9-10-1 overall. The Vikings also won their first match at the Big Sky tournament since 2013, with a 1-0 win over Northern Arizona - a team they had never beaten in the Big Sky tournament previously - in the Big Sky quarterfinals. Additionally, Whitney helped lead four individuals to All-Big Sky honors in 2017, as Katie Forsee and Kristin Moyer made the All-Big Sky second team, while Liz Hansen and Morgan Matthews received All-Big Sky honorable mention.
BEFORE PORTLAND STATE
Whitney joined the Vikings after an impressive tenure at Sacramento State, where she both played and coached. As a student-athlete, Whitney competed in soccer and softball from 1998-1999. She then transitioned to coaching, serving the Hornets in two separate periods: from 2000-2003 and from 2007-2010. During her coaching career at Sacramento State, Whitney mentored players including Burton, notably leading the team to a sweep of the Big Sky regular season in 2007. Her contributions were pivotal in securing the only two Big Sky tournament titles (2007 & 2010) and the only two NCAA appearances in the program’s history.
Whitney brings a wealth of post-collegiate playing experience to her role at Portland State, having spent parts of the past 16 years with the California Storm of the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL). Whitney played for the Storm for over a decade starting in 2001, and spent two different stints as a player-coach and assistant from 2005-09 and 2015-17.
Whitney won two WPSL championships with the Storm in 2002 and 2004, the latter of which she won with former Portland State head coach Laura Schott. Whitney was named the WPSL MVP the following year in 2005, and captained the Storm for 10 consecutive seasons. Additionally, Whitney was named a WPSL All-Star four times (2003, 2004, 2006, 2007), and won the 2012 WPSL Leadership Award.
Whitney played with several national team players during her time with the Storm, including Brandi Chastain (U.S.), Sissi (Brazil), Leslie Osborne (U.S.), Stephanie Cox (U.S.), Shannon MacMillan (U.S.) and current USWNT star Alex Morgan.
Whitney was also called into camp for the San Jose CyberRays of the professional Women’s United Soccer Association, but the league folded a month later. Whitney was twice called up to Sky Blue FC during the 2008-09 season when the team played in the WPS, but turned down both call-ups to stay as an assistant at Sacramento State.
In college, Whitney was a three-sport athlete at Walla Walla Community College for two years, playing soccer, basketball and softball before moving to Sacramento State. Whitney earned NWAC All-Star honors in soccer in 1997.
Whitney has also coached collegiately as an assistant coach at Fresno State from 2010-12, and College of the Sequoias from 2014-15. Additionally, Whitney served as a Youth Soccer Coach at Elk Grove United and San Juan Soccer Club from 2002-06 and 2006-10, respectively, and worked as a Sports Camp Director and Summer Camp Director at Sacramento State from 2001-04. Whitney also served as the WPSL Chief Consultant from 2005-07.
COLLEGIATE COACHING EXPERIENCE:
• 2014-15 - College of the Sequoias (Assistant Coach)
• 2010-12 - Fresno State (Assistant Coach)
• 2000-03, 2007-10 - Sacramento State (Assistant Coach)
PLAYING EXPERIENCE (COLLEGE):
• Sacramento State, 1998-99 (played soccer and softball)
• Walla Walla Community College, 1996-98 (played soccer, basketball and softball)
PLAYING EXPERIENCE (PROFESSIONAL):
California Storm, 2001-12
-- 2X WPSL Champion, 4x WPSL All-Star, 2005 WPSL Most Valuable Player, Team Captain (10 seasons)
