Chris Watkins has been hired as the next Boston College women’s soccer head coach, Athletics Director Blake James announced on Thursday.
“Chris is a tremendous leader who has a demonstrated track record of winning and holistically developing student-athletes throughout his coaching career,” James said. “He cares deeply about the student-athlete experience and is an ideal person to be our next head women’s soccer coach.”
The announcement comes less than two months after former head coach Jason Lowe was fired following the Eagles’ 3–9–6 overall record and a 0–6–4 conference record in the 2023 season.
Watkins will make the trip to the Heights following a seven-year stint as the head coach at Gonzaga, where he accumulated an overall record of 79–33–16. In his final season with the Bulldogs, Watkins led Gonzaga to a 14–4–2 overall record, a 6–1–1 record in the West Conference, and a second round appearance in the 2023 NCAA tournament.
Watkins also picked up 2023 West Coast Conference Coach of the Year honors.
“I am excited and anxious to get started and do my part to compete in the best women’s soccer conference in the country, as we bring Boston College Women’s Soccer back to National prominence,” Watkins said. “I am grateful for the vision of the BC Athletic Department and the incredible investments being made to provide a top notch experience for our student-athletes.”
Watkins will take over the helm at BC, where the Eagles are looking for their first season with more than five wins since 2021, in which they recorded seven.
Under Watkins’ leadership, Gonzaga finished fourth in shots-on-goal per game with 9.1, sixth in goals per game with 2.8, and racked up 56 total goals in the 2023 season. This offensive production will be key to bringing success back to BC.
In the 2023 season, the Eagles finished with an average of one goal per game, finished 289th in shots-on-goal per game with 4.22, and tied for 244th in total goals with 18.
Watkins wasted little time at Gonzaga before making an impact. He became the fastest coach in program history to reach 20 wins, and in 2021, his Bulldogs rose to the No. 16-ranked team in the nation.
Prior to his seven seasons in Spokane, Wash., Watkins spent four seasons as the women’s soccer associate head coach at Brigham Young. He also played Division I soccer at Drake and recorded the single-season scoring record.
In the 2024 season, Watkins will look to lead BC back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2018.
