Molly Rouse Joins Washington State Soccer as Associate Head Coach, Bringing Deep D-I Experience to the Palouse
PULLMAN, Wash. - Washington State Soccer is adding a proven leader to its sideline. Head coach Chris Citowicki announced Saturday that Molly Rouse has been named the program’s new associate head coach. With more than a decade of Division I coaching experience under her belt, Rouse brings a track record of building programs, developing talent, and navigating some of the toughest conferences in the country.
Rouse arrives in Pullman after three seasons leading Ole Miss in the SEC-arguably one of the most competitive environments in college soccer. While her overall record with the Rebels was 16-28-7, the numbers don’t tell the full story. In 2025, she returned a core group of 11 players, including three who were on the conference's preseason watchlists-a sign of both continuity and high expectations.
One of the standout moments from her time in Oxford came in 2024, when freshman forward Kayla Keefer burst onto the scene with a hat trick in the season opener against Southern. That performance earned Keefer SEC Freshman of the Week honors, making her the first Rebel to receive the award since 2020. Under Rouse’s guidance, Keefer led the team in scoring with five goals that season-an early glimpse at Rouse’s ability to identify and elevate young talent.
In her first season at Ole Miss, Rouse made an immediate impact. The Rebels finished 7-7-3 overall, and were particularly strong at home with a 6-1-2 record.
She opened her tenure with a 2-0 win over Southern Miss and notched her first SEC victory with a 1-0 shutout against LSU. The team also picked up conference wins over Missouri and Kentucky, and battled to draws against Auburn and a ranked South Carolina squad.
It was a year that showed Rouse could compete in the SEC, even with a program in transition.
Before her stint at Ole Miss, Rouse made waves at Utah Tech, where she served as the program’s first Division I head coach during a pivotal transition from Division II. Over three seasons in St.
George, she led the Trailblazers to 19 wins and helped them find their footing in the Western Athletic Conference. Her most notable season came in 2022, when Utah Tech posted a 10-6-2 record-marking the program’s first winning season at the Division I level.
That 2022 squad didn’t just win games-they defended at an elite level. Utah Tech led the WAC in goals against average (0.78) and total goals allowed (14 in 18 games), while recording nine shutouts.
At one point, the Trailblazers rattled off seven consecutive clean sheets, a testament to the defensive structure and discipline Rouse instilled. She also developed multiple All-WAC players, including forward Karli Nyland and defenders Gracie Knutzen and Ella Carmody.
Rouse’s coaching résumé also includes time as an assistant at several Division I programs, including her alma mater, Minnesota. In 2018, she was part of a Golden Gophers staff that helped the team capture the Big Ten Tournament title with a win over No.
15 Penn State. That same squad advanced past Auburn in the NCAA Tournament, securing the program’s first postseason road win.
She’s also made coaching stops at Iowa, Nebraska-Omaha, Buffalo, and Alabama State, gaining experience across a range of conferences and team cultures. That diverse background has shaped her into a coach who understands how to build and adapt-whether she’s working with a Power Five roster or helping a transitioning program find its identity.
As a player, Rouse was a four-year standout at Minnesota from 2007 to 2010. She appeared in 88 career matches, scoring 18 goals and dishing out 17 assists.
In 2008, she started every game for a Gophers team that shared the Big Ten regular-season title, won a program-record 22 games, and reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. That same year, she tied a school record by recording an assist in five straight matches.
After college, Rouse played professionally with the Minnesota Kings and the Vancouver Whitecaps in the Women’s Premier Soccer League. She earned her U.S. Soccer Federation National "A-Senior" Coaching License and holds a degree in Early Childhood Education from Minnesota.
Now, she brings all that experience to Washington State-a program with ambition and momentum. With Rouse joining Citowicki’s staff, the Cougars are adding a coach who’s been through the grind of conference play, knows how to develop talent at every level, and isn’t afraid to take on a challenge. Her arrival signals a strong investment in the future of WSU Soccer.