Waxahachie, Texas- February 10, 2016- Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) women’s soccer head coach Mandy Fortner has announced her resignation. Fortner has been a part of the SAGU soccer family since 2008, and has spent five of those years as the head coach.
“The contribution of Coach Fortner to SAGU Women’s Soccer is virtually inestimable,” says SAGU athletic director Jesse Godding , “She has demonstrated the resolve and motivation to build a competitive soccer program and while doing so Coach Fortner never wavered in her beliefs regarding the core values of her program. Not only is her perseverance demonstrated in the recent success of the soccer program but also in the dozens of player’s lives that she has impacted.”
In Fortner’s last season leading the soccer program she had the winningest record in school history. Her Lady Lions went 9-11 overall and 3-6 in the Sooner Athletic Conference . It was the 2015 season that will be one of the most memorable for Fortner, “This past season was a blast. We were so close in so many big games. We broke many records and the team had a lot of fun!” Despite her departure, Fortner believes her team will continue to excel next year and in the years to come.
When Fortner first arrived on campus she started as the assistant coach under Jeremy Tosaya and then Tim Grant . According to Godding, Fortner benefited SAGU from the beginning, “Her presence on SAGU’s campus and her contributions to athletics and academics will be missed by the SAGU community. We cannot thank her enough for her efforts on behalf of SAGU Women’s Soccer and wish her the best in her future endeavors.”
“I am so grateful for the opportunity to be in a position where I could invest myself into the lives of young student-athletes. I have been blessed by it and will never forget all of the wonderful moments I have shared with my team. Besides being a mother and wife, this is the best job a person could have. I have been blessed,” says Fortner.
Fortner, along with her husband Derrick, will be moving to Leakey, Texa s. Derrick will be working on a deer hunting ranch and Mandy will be staying at home with her son-to-be two children. Fortner is due with her second child in May, soon after their daughter Blaise’s second birthday.
Southwestern Assemblies of God University is a private, Christian university located 30 minutes south of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in Waxahachie, Texas. The university was established in 1927, and now offers more than 70 associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees on campus or online. More information is available at www.sagu.edu or by calling 1-888-YES-SAGU.
Contact: Natalie Tristan, Sports Information, [email protected]
