Wingate, N.C.----Wingate University men's soccer alumnus Philip Poole ('04) is the new full-time goalkeeper coach for the U.S. women's national team. Poole has been involved with the U.S. Soccer movement on a part-time basis since 2012. His journey to one of the top rungs of his chosen profession began as an 18-year-old goalkeeper for the Bulldogs.
 
"My trip to Wingate as a freshman was my first visit to the United States," Poole says. "Wingate is a special place. The students and faculty are close-knit and everyone knows each other. The adjustment was a big one…getting accustomed to looking people in the eye and saying good morning, for instance. Wingate played a huge role in my development as a player, a student and a coach."
 
Poole credits WU head men's soccer coach Gary Hamill with providing him guidance. "I played for a man who was so important to my journey," Poole says. "He was more than a soccer coach…he was a mentor and a father figure."
 
"I have wonderful memories from Wingate," Poole says. "Coach Hamill taught me so many lessons, both on and off the pitch. He gave us tough love and actual love…he did not hesitate to put an arm around our shoulders and tell us what we needed to hear. Coach Hamill took a chance on me; I owe him everything."
 
"The one thing which I'm happiest and proud of is Pooley has deserved all the success he has achieved in his career and life," Hamill says. "He took full advantage of an opportunity given to him when he arrived at Wingate. Today, he has a college degree, a wife and a beautiful family."
 
Hamill believes the sky is the limit for his protégé. "Pooley has a career which seems to have no end to it," Hamill says. "I am so thankful Philip is part of our WU Soccer family."
 
Athletics and academics
 
Poole achieved much athletic success with the Bulldogs, starting with South Atlantic Conference Freshman of the Year laurels in 2000. He was a four-time All-SAC performer, helping Wingate to two SAC titles during his tenure. Academically, Poole recalls his encounters with Dr. Nancy Randall as one of the keys to his classroom success.
 
 "I was never an academic powerhouse," Poole says. "When I met Dr. Randall, we clicked. She is amazing. She taught her students with patience. I was able to learn in a different and productive way. In my opinion, Dr. Randall was on a whole different level."
 
"I saw Philip as a thoughtful, insightful, interesting, hard-working and well-mannered student," Randall says. "I believe he saw me as a mentor and an advocate."
 
"We formed an early bond when I called him aside to commend him on an exam," Randall says. "We talked about the differences between the U.S. and England. After this conversation, I constantly saw a light in Philip's eyes as he came into class; I think this is the power of the intersection of human connections and a passion for learning and understanding."
 
"When a faculty member sees a spark in a student, then a little care and attention can turn this spark into a flame," Randall says. "This was Philip in my courses. He started believing in himself academically in my classes in part because I believed in him. And of course, he always had the intellectual chops, but perhaps didn't discover the passion until this point."
 
The journey
 
Poole's journey to full-time goalkeeper coach for the U.S. women's national team has included many stops along the way. He paid his dues by working U.S. Soccer camps and events as a coach and scout from the U-14 level up to the senior national team. Poole was the goalkeeper coach for the U.S. Under-20 women's World Cup team in 2014. From 2017-19, Poole was the goalkeeper coach for the U.S. U-23 women's national team.
 
"Pooley's work ethic, analytical mind and personality make him a great addition to our staff," U.S. WNT head coach Vlatko Andonovski says. "He has experience and an excellent rapport with our current pool of goalkeepers and he understands the work it takes – from a coach and the players – to prepare elite goalkeepers for success."
 
Poole spent one year on Hamill's staff at Wingate and three years as a men's assistant coach for the Charlotte 49ers. He spent five years as the executive director of the Lake Norman Soccer Club and four years at the Charlotte Soccer Academy as the girls' academy director and director of goalkeeping.
 
In addition, he has experience working with the Charlotte Independence and the Charlotte Eagles (USL Pro). Poole served as the goalkeeper coach for the Puerto Rico men's national team from 2011-12.
 
Five days, five years
 
In a profession which is sometimes non-stop movement, Poole makes no bones about his commitment to his family. When asked what he believes he might be doing in five years, Poole jokes he is sometimes not sure what he will be doing in five days with a wife and three daughters by his side.
 
"I think one of the silver linings of the coronavirus pandemic…is the chance to have time at home with my family," Poole says. "I am ridiculously family-oriented. I am always family first, career second."
 
As far as the future goes, Poole does have concrete goals. "I want to help lead teams into the deep end of international competition," Poole says. "I want to be sure we are improving every day…as we are competing for world titles."
 
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
 
Philip Poole on his Wingate Soccer memories: "My sophomore season (2001), we got off to a bad start. We overcame much adversity to turn things around and win the SAC regular season title. This was an enjoyable season for me…watching how we pulled together to achieve great things."
 
Previous teammate and coach Gary Curneen on Philip Poole: "I was delighted to see Philip's recent announcement. It's been a long time since the summer of 2000 when we were teammates together at Wingate for the first time, but I remember so clearly that he approached the game with so much depth and focus."
 
"His work ethic made such a big impact on us all. Fast forward 20 years and this intensity and drive is still very much there, along with the personality and enthusiasm for the game and for the people involved. I send huge congrats to him…and I am excited to follow his journey with the full national team."
 
Wingate vice-provost for student engagement Dr. Nancy Randall on Philip Poole: "I care for and about Philip and know he is most deserving of this newest responsibility (and honor). Actually, my heart swells with pride that I even had the slightest impact on this wonderful man's academic growth and subsequent career."
 
"Philip impressed me after the first test in my social stratification class. He was not a sociology major, but he earned a very solid grade on challenging material. As an international student from Newcastle-on-Tyne, I think he implicitly understood concepts of social inequality based on social class, gender, race and age and had some 'aha' moments as we discussed implications of stratification in class."
 
"The young footballer from England took a few more of my sociology classes, as well! I always appreciated a student who took more than one of my classes when they were not required to do so! Philip believed in himself academically when he was in my classes (and rightly so, as he earned his grades through thoughtful and reflective attention to the material)."
 
"Over those years, we had many conversations both in Burris Hall and after the soccer matches I was able to attend. One day, we shared some reflections on England and the USA. In one talk, he told me he was astounded at how car-bound Americans were (are), as they drive-through banks, fast food restaurants, pharmacies and even drive-by the 'post box.'"
 
WINGATE UNIVERSITY

Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a laboratory of difference-making that serves more than 3,600 students in North Carolina. Wingate offers 36 undergraduate majors as well as six master's and four doctoral programs. The University is home to the Cannon College of Arts and Sciences; the Levine College of Health Sciences; the Byrum School of Business; and the College of Professional Studies, which includes the Thayer School of Education and the School of Sport Sciences.
 
Wingate is the leading healthcare education provider in western North Carolina, and nearly one in five Wingate undergraduate students is preparing to be a pharmacist, physician assistant, physical therapist, occupational therapist or nurse. Athletes on Wingate's 23 teams compete in NCAA Division II and have brought home the SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award for 13 years straight. The University's motto is "Faith, Knowledge, Service." View current news and videos at www.wingate.edu.
 
EDITOR'S NOTES
 
- U.S. women's national soccer team press officer Aaron Heifetz provided info for this article
 
- Philip Poole coaching action photo and head shot photo courtesy ISI Photos/U.S. Soccer