Crystal Howard returns to the SSU women's soccer coaching staff for her second season as an assistant in 2014.
She played for Sonoma State University between 2001-04 and prepped locally at nearby Montgomery High School in Santa Rosa, Calif.
Howard was a two-time First Team All-Region selection at Sonoma State before playing semi-professionally for the Sonoma County Sol of the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL).
Howard returns to Rohnert Park after spending the past two seasons (2011-12) as an assistant coach at Sierra College in Rocklin, Calif. It was there that she helped lead the Wolverines to a Final Four appearance in the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) Soccer Championship Tournament in 2012.
Prior to her coaching stint at Sierra, Howard was an assistant coach at Santa Rosa Junior College under current SSU head coach Emiria Salzmann Dunn for three seasons (2005-07), helping the Bear Cubs to a second-place finish in the CCCAA state championship. She also served as the head coach of the girl's soccer team at El Molino High School in Forestville, Calif, two years prior to that.
As a four-year student-athlete at Sonoma State, Howard became the all-time assists leader in program history with 30 career assists, a record that still stands today. She was a First Team All-Region selection as a freshman in 2001 and also as a senior in 2004. She graduated from SSU in 2005 with a Bachelor's of Science degree in Kinesiology and is currently pursuing her Master's in the same field. A former standout at Montgomery HS, Howard was named the North Coast Section (NCS) Player of the Year as a senior in 2000.
The Santa Rosa native holds National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) coaching diplomas in several areas, including youth, premier and goalkeeping.
Howard resides in Santa Rosa with her husband -- and former SSU men's soccer player -- Kelcey Chaidez and their two-year-old son Kace.
