Eastern Washington University and head women’s soccer coach Missy Strasburg announced on June 2 the promotion of Hayden Hollinger to Associate Head Coach ahead of the 2026 season.
Hollinger is entering his third year with the Eagles after serving as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. He has played a significant role in supporting the program’s growth both on and off the field.
“I am incredibly grateful for Hayden’s contributions to our program and am excited to demonstrate that gratitude with this title change,” said Strasburg. “From day one he came in with an exceptional work ethic and top-level attention to detail. He has not only supported my foundational vision and direction for this program regarding style of play and development of our student-athletes, he has provided several new initiatives and impactful solutions as our program has progressed. I significantly value his commitment to Eastern soccer and our student-athletes, and look forward to the future as we build towards even more success, on and off the pitch.”
Hollinger is involved in various aspects of the program including recruiting, player development, match preparation, scouting, video analysis, tactical planning, coordinating academic support, camps, working closely with the defensive unit, and individual player development. During his tenure at Eastern Washington University, he assisted in achieving back-to-back conference tournament appearances for the first time since 2018-19 as well as consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 2016-17. In addition, over the past two seasons under Coach Strasburg’s leadership there have been 12 All-Big Sky honorees—including back-to-back Big Sky Offensive MVPs Chloe Pattison and Lani Walker—contributing to a total of 22 All-Big Sky honorees and three Big Sky Conference MVPs during her five years leading the program.
“I’m really excited about where this program is headed, and I love being a part of it,” said Hollinger. “Getting to work with the players day to day and see them grow and develop, not just on the field but as people, is the best part about this job. I’m really looking forward to what’s to come for this group and for EWU soccer.”
Before joining Eastern Washington University, Hollinger held coaching positions at Oklahoma State University, Kentucky University, and The Citadel; he also played collegiate soccer at St. Mary’s Rattlers men’s soccer team as well as Hartwick Hawks men’s soccer team. He earned an MBA from The Citadel along with holding a U.S. Soccer Federation “B” Coaching License.
