Ria Carroll Appointed as Reds FC WPSL Head Coach
Ria Carroll! #WeAreRhodeIsland – The Rhode Island Reds FC have appointed Ria Carrol as the new head coach for their WPSL team as the club celebrates its 5th year. Carrol played a portion of her collegiate career at the University of Rhode Island and also played for the Rhode Island Stingrays of the WPSL. A highly acclaimed Goalkeeper, Carroll is a dynamic woman on and off the soccer field.
Soccer News from Reds FC: The Rhode Island Reds, celebrating their 5th year as a club, announced today the appointment of Ria Carroll as the new head coach for their WPSL team.
Growing up in Luton, England, Ria Carroll began crafting her love of soccer while watching her father play at the semi-pro level. Her soccer career began at the age of 5 where she would play the field before finding her niche as a goalkeeper. Coming to the United States, Carroll played on Rhode Island’s first female premiere team at the age of 12. Carroll then went on to play for the Rhode Island Rays, a team ranked 11th in the nation. At Toll Gate High School she was named first team all-state in her sophomore, junior, and senior years. Her other accolades in high school included first team all division, all-city, and secret deodorant athlete of the month.
Following high school, Carroll went on to play two seasons at Pace University. Her time at Pace would see her break numerous team and individual records while garnishing awards such as: goalkeeper of the year, first team all-conference, all New England goalkeeper of the week, rookie of the week, and Adidas first team all-region. After two seasons, Carroll transferred to the University of Rhode Island. While at URI, she was named All-Atlantic 10 as well as earning all tournament honors. Carroll finished her playing career with the Rhode Island Stingrays WPSL team where she was named to the WPSL all-star team. Her time on the Stingrays would see her play against future Women’s National Team players.
Born in Luton, England, Carroll is a 2002 graduate of Toll Gate High School in Warwick, R.I. where she was a three-sport standout in soccer, basketball, and track & field.
As her playing career was nearing its end, Carroll began to carve out her path in coach, first at Bryant University and later Providence College. At this time she also served as the goalkeeping coach for the RI Rays for 6 years. Currently, Carroll is the head coach at The Prout School where she has been at the helm for the past 8 years.
“I have been told that my love for the game and coaching, and more importantly, my unwavering dedication to the sport of soccer is contagious. I will, without a doubt, be investing 110% in this team. I have been a part of Rhode Island soccer in many different capacities for the majority of my life, and it feels great to be a part of another piece of Rhode Island soccer history. I’d like to thank Kabba Joof and the board for this opportunity.” – Ria Carroll, Reds Head Coach WPSL
While this is her first time coaching at this level, Carroll is confident she can take the team down the path of success while developing the areas top female soccer players.
”I want to progress each year I’m here. I think Rhode Island has a lot of talent and we have the capability of making a name for ourselves as long as we have the right mindset. We are a small state with big talent and my goal is to come together in order to compete; to bring the top players together and play at a competitive level in order to show people what we are capable of.” – Ria Carroll, Reds Head Coach WPSL
Reds Owner and Director of Football Kabba Joof is confident that Carroll is the right person to lead the club in to the future saying “Ria is the embodiment of soccer in Rhode Island. As a player she achieved so much playing at the highest levels and as a coach she is on the path to surpassing it all. I know that Ria will help propel this club to new heights in the WPSL while continuing our focus on developing the regions top players.”
Source: Rhode Island Reds FC. Photo Credit: Andrew Fonseca
In addition, she earned All-New England Goalkeeper of the Week honors twice and was named ECAC Goalkeeper of the Week and Rookie of the Week twice as a freshman. The holder of several goalkeeping records at Pace, Carroll was also recognized as an ADIDAS First Team All-Region selection.
