Valparaiso men’s soccer assistant coach David Stroud has accepted a position as an assistant coach for the Haitian Women’s National Team.

“I'm very excited for this opportunity” Stroud said. “There are a few nerves because it’s a national team and a big stage, but I’m getting to learn about different coaching strategies and learning different cultures, which will help me have a better understanding of the game and how soccer connects people all over the world.”

In his first year with the Crusaders, Stroud worked primary with goalkeepers Nico Campbell (Kingston, Jamaica/St. George’s College) and Tom Serratore (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew). Campbell had one of the best seasons by a Valpo goalkeeper in recent memory, tying former standout Kyle Zobeck for the second best goals against average in school history with a .81 and recording six clean sheets, the third most ever for a single season at Valpo. The 17 goals given up by the Crusaders are the fourth-fewest in program history, tying the total from the 2012 campaign.

A native of Japan, Stroud completed a variety of professional assignments in his home country. He worked with Okayama Yunogo Belle in the Japanese women's professional league as a goalkeeper trainer, where he worked with multiple national-level athletes, including the 2007 Asian Football Conference player-of-the-year nominee from Japan.

Stroud will be working with the goalkeepers and reunited with head coach Shek Brokowski, who he worked with in 2009 at FC Indiana, a team in the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL), a semi-professional league featuring 67 teams in 11 divisions.

The heavy lifting will begin in March, when training begins in South Bend, Ind. Games will begin in April with Notre Dame and Ball State highlighting the schedule. Haiti will then begin its qualification campaign for the 2019 Women’s World Cup. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/HaitiWomensFootball.

-Valpo Men’s Soccer-