USU Soccer Assistant Coach Josh Walters Accepts Position at Florida State

 Former Utah State soccer assistant coach Josh Walters has been named the Director of Soccer Operations for the women’s soccer team at Florida State.
    The Seminoles finished last season 19-5-1 overall and 7-2-1 in the always tough Atlantic Coast Conference. FSU earned a share of the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season title with Boston College as the two schools finished the regular season with a league record of 7-2-1 and 22 points.
    Walters completed his third season at Utah State in 2009, serving as the recruiting coordinator and first assistant for the Aggie soccer program. Walters was responsible for general attacking shape, set pieces, recruiting visits, team travel, video analysis, camps and scheduling opponents. Along with his duties for Utah State, Walters earned positions on both the Region IV and Utah Olympic Development Program (ODP) staffs.
    He helped lead Utah State to a 10-9-1 record last season, including a 5-2-1 record in Western Athletic Conference play, which was good for a second-place league finish.
    In his three years at Utah State, Walters was instrumental in helping the Aggies increase their goal total from 18 in 2006 to 40 in 2007. USU scored a solid 32 goals in 2008 and 28 in 2009. During his three seasons at USU, Walters and head coach Heather Cairns coached 14 all-WAC players, including forward Shantel Flanary who earned WAC Offensive Player of the Year in 2009.
    Walters came to USU from Houston, Texas where he was an assistant coach for the University of Houston, working primarily with the defenders and goalkeepers. Under his guidance, the UH goalkeepers posted the lowest goals against average in school history of 1.10 GAA and set a school record with five shutouts on the year in 2005, his first season. In 2006, UH goalkeeper Shelby Scott posted four individual shutouts, the second-most single-season total, while tying the team record of five shutouts. Scott recently earned a spot on the Israeli National Team.
    Before his stint at Houston, Walters served 12 months as a First Lieutenant with Brigade S2 (Military Intelligence) of the Florida National Guard during Operation Enduring Freedom V in Bagram, Afghanistan. While in Afghanistan, Walters set up and directed a soccer clinic as well as a series of games for Afghan youths. He later made a presentation on his experiences to the 2005 NSCAA Convention and was awarded the NSCAA Honorary All-American Award.
    During his military deployment, Walters received the Bronze Star for Valor and Service, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal and the Humanitarian Service Medal.
    Prior to his military duties, Walters was the head coach at Lawton Chiles High School in Tallahassee, Fla., from 2000-05. During Walters’ tenure there, his teams received the NSCAA/Adidas Team Academic Award for three consecutive seasons. Walters was also head coach of the Tallahassee United Futbol Club in 2002.
    Walters received his associate’s degree of the arts from Marion Military Institute in 1998. He captained the soccer team and also earned MVP honors.
    After graduating from MMI, he was commissioned as a signal officer in the Florida National Guard.       
    Walters’ coaching career started in Tallahassee, Fla., at Godby High School, where he coached from 1998-2000. Additionally, he was the head coach for the Top of Florida Soccer Club until 2001.
    A 2004 graduate of Columbia Southern University, Walters received his bachelor of arts in sports management and graduated cum laude. Walters holds an NSCAA Advance National Diploma, as well as NSCAA Goalkeeper Advance National and USSF “C” licenses.