NEWSMAKER: Shannon Higgins-Cirovski

• by Soccer America , Mar 29, 2005

Maryland women's coach Shannon Higgins-Cirovski is stepping down due to spend more time with her family.

Higgins-Cirovski compiled a 62-51-10 (.549) record during her six seasons at the helm of the Terrapin womenÆs soccer program. Maryland earned berths into the NCAA tournament five times, including a run to the Sweet 16 in 2004.

Higgins-Cirovski, a star on the U.S. team that won the 1991 Women's World Cup, was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2002, becoming just the third woman, and the youngest person ever, to be enshrined. Her husband, Sasho Cirovski, is the men's coach at Maryland. They have three young girls.

Maryland is the seventh team that reached the 2004 NCAA Tournament to lose its coach during the offseason:

(SCHOOL Old Coach ... New Coach)

CAMPBELL Patrick Ferguson (Wright State coach) ... TBA

EASTERN ILLINOIS Steve Ballard (Texas-San Antonio coach) ... TBA

FLORIDA STATE Patrick Baker (Georgia coach) ... Mark Krikorian (U.S. U-19 national team coach)

FURMAN Brian Lee (LSU coach) ... Andrew Burr (Furman ass't)

HARVARD Tim Wheaton ... TBA

MARYLAND Shannon Higgins-Cirovski ... TBA

UNLV Dan Abdalla (TCU coach) ... TBA