Elon Phoenix Girls Soccer Camps
Camp Staff

Our 2012 staff is still tentative but currently includes:

Girls' Camp Directors

CHRIS NEAL - Head Coach / Camp Director:

Chris Neal was named the head coach of the Elon women’s soccer team in January 2008 after spending the previous seven seasons as an assistant at UNC Wilmington. His impact on the program was evident immediately as the team has quickly been transformed into a Southern Conference contender.

Including an 8-8-3 mark in his first year at the helm, Neal has led the Phoenix to a 40-29-10 record. The program earned it's first winning conference seasons (2009,2010,and 2011), since 1999. In 2009 and 2010, Neal guided the Phoenix to back to back 12 win seasons. Elon’s 12 wins in 2010 set the school record for victories over NCAA Division I opponents, while the program’s current RPI of 132 out of 322 teams has risen over 100 spots over the past three seasons. In addition, Neal coached Elon to its first-ever appearance in the Southern Conference semi-finals in 2010, following a first round 1-0 shutout over the College of Charleston. The team also set a record, in 2009, for number of players named to All-SoCon teams with four including the program's first ever 1st team All-SoCon selection Claire O'Keeffe. In 2011, Olivia Mackey became the second all-time, and first player since 2002, to earn NSCAA All-Region honors.

Under Neal’s tutelage, Elon had two All-SoCon selections in 2010, as Brittany Hallberg earned second-team honors, while Chelsey Stark was named to the All-Freshman team. The 2010 senior class finished with 37 victories – the most by any class in program history.

In Neal’s second season at the helm in 2009, the Phoenix went 12-5-2, setting a school record for the most wins since moving to the NCAA Division I ranks in 1999. Elon’s 7-3-1 SoCon mark was its best-ever league showing and its first winning record since joining the conference in 2003. After being picked to finish seventh in the SoCon in the preseason poll, the Phoenix played its final game of the regular season for the league crown. The squad also set a record with four all-conference selections, including the first-ever first-team All-SoCon pick.

Elon’s national ranking (RPI) also continued to rise in 2009 as the Phoenix moved to 134th out of 322 teams, placing it in the top half of all NCAA Division I squads. The team received the NSCAA Silver Star ETHICS award for sportsmanship based upon yellow and red card accumulation. Elon received only four yellow cards and no red cards in 2009.

In Neal’s first season at Elon, the Phoenix posted an 8-8-3 mark, the team’s first .500 or better record since the 1999 season. Elon also earned its first-ever win against an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent with a 1-0 road victory over Maryland. Elon’s end-of-season RPI experienced a significant leap as well, moving up 55 spots from the end of the 2007 season. The Phoenix also moved up in the highly competitive Southern Conference regular-season standings, earning a 7th place finish out of 12 teams. Three players were named to all-conference teams as well. Elon led the nation in least amount of yellow cards (3) and red cards (0), earning the NSCAA Silver Star ETHICS award. In addition, the team was touted for excellence in the classroom, receiving the NSCAA Team Academic award for carrying a team GPA of 3.0 or better.

Prior to arriving at Elon, Neal helped his alma mater, UNC Wilmington, to a record of 70-55-8 (.556) from 2001-07. Just as strong off the field, the Seahawks earned the NSCAA Team Academic Award for five consecutive campaigns during Neal’s time with the program.

Before returning to his alma mater in 2001, Neal enjoyed a successful stint as the head men’s soccer coach at Pfeiffer University. In his three seasons at Pfeiffer (1998-2000), Neal directed the Falcons to a 36-22-4 (.613) ledger and their first-ever NCAA Division II ranking at 13th in the country.

Neal also served two campaigns as an assistant men’s soccer coach at Augusta State (1996-97), where he helped the Jaguars improve from a 7-8 record in 1996 to a 14-6 slate in 1997.

Neal served the NSCAA as its state technical director from 2001-08. In this role, he was responsible for organizing, advertising and instructing a variety of coaching education courses for hundreds of youth, high school and college coaches. Neal is a USSF April Heinrichs Scholarship recipient, recognizing him for making a positive impact on the sport of women’s soccer.

The UNCW graduate earned his bachelor of arts degree as a political science major and a Spanish minor in 1995 and his master of education degree in education administration and supervision at Augusta State University in 1998. He holds the National Soccer Coaches Association of America “Premier” diploma and the United States Soccer Federation “A” license – both the highest level possible.

During his senior year of high school and freshman year of college, a series of knee injuries sidelined Neal’s competitive playing days. As a goalkeeper, Neal was a product of the Wilmington United and Cape Fear SA club teams, as well as New Hanover High School where he earned all-conference honors.

Neal and his wife, Amy, have one daughter, Josilyn. The couple resides in Gibsonville.

STUART HORNE - Assistant Coach / Camp Director:

Stuart Horne came to Elon in 2005 after spending five years as the head women’s soccer coach at Chowan University, where he inherited a program that dwelled near the bottom of the NCAA Division III ranks. Under his leadership, the Chowan program improved every year culminating in a NSCAA South Region top-15 ranking in 2004.

Horne guided the Braves to their first-ever postseason berth with a trip to the 2003 USA South Athletic Conference Tournament. The following year, Chowan captured the NCCAA South Region title and advanced to the Final Four of the 2004 NCCAA Tournament. The Braves capped that campaign with a 13-6-4 record and the NCCAA No. 3 national ranking as Horne was crowned the 2004 NCCAA South Region Coach of the Year. Horne left Chowan with a program-record 44 victories.

From 2002-2004, Horne served as an assistant for the Hampton Roads Piranhas, a member of the United Soccer League’s W-League. He helped direct the team to playoff appearances each of those three seasons. The Piranhas finished the 2003 season 14-0 on their way to claiming the W- League national title.

Horne has been involved with the Olympic Development Program in both Virginia and North Carolina. In Virginia, he was a staff coach with the girls’ program in the Southeast District. Horne ran the North Carolina ODP Training Center on the Outer Banks. He has earned both the NSCAA Advanced National Diploma and the USSF D License.

Horne holds a degree in political science from the University of Massachusetts – Amherst. He graduated cum laude in 1997.