Keene State College

One of the all-time great players to don an Owl women's soccer uniform, Denise Lyons has seen her success con­tinue on the sidelines. Set to begin her 29th season at the helm of one of the top programs in New England in 2020, Lyons has led Keene State to 23 postseason tournament berths during her tenure, including five NCAA tournament berths and four ECAC New England titles, including the 2011 crown.  

Lyons led the way to rebound her squad in the 2019 season after posting just four wins in the previous year.  After one season of missing out on the LEC tournament, a true rarity as it was just the second time not making the conference tournament in her tenure, she guided her team to yet another double-digit win total and posted a 5-3 record in conference play.  After the season, Lyons was announced as the LEC Coach of the Year, picking up the accolade for the seventh time in her career.  Lyons took it among herself to coach one of her most outstanding defenseman of all-time, Nicole De Almeida and turn her into a two-time defensive player of the year, as voted by the LEC.

Demonstrating the same determination she displayed as a player, Lyons has all intentions of guiding KSC back to the NCAA tournament after winning LEC tournament titles in 2013 and 2014.  Lyons, a seven time LEC coach of the year, has led KSC to LEC regular season championships in 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, and 2011, and LEC tournament championships in 2002, 2004, 2013, and 2014.

Coach Lyons, a former All-America player for the Owls, took over the program in 1992. Leading KSC to an NCAA berth and ECAC championship in Division II, Lyons has maintained the team's high level of play in Division III. Since joining the Little East in 1997, Keene State has made 12 trips to the ECAC tournament and received five berths to the NCAA champi­onships (1998, 2002, 2004, 2013, and 2014). Her 2002 squad set a program record for wins (20) and advanced to the regional finals while being highly-ranked in Top 25 polls throughout the season.  A seven-time LEC Coach of the Year award recipient, Lyons carries an impressive 392-183-38 (.670) career mark into the 2020-2021 year. 

Numerous Owls players have thrived under Lyons' tutelage, including All-Americans Allyson Meler (1993), Heather Boisvere (1994), Amy Zombeck (1998), Erin Lester (2002), and Jennifer Ortisi (2003). Since joining the Little East in 1997, KSC has produced two league Players of the Year, two Offensive Players of the Year, six Defensive Players of the Year and five Rookies of the Year.  

A native of Newcastle West, County Limerick, Ireland, Lyons played for the Irish National Team before embarking on her career at Keene State. A fiery competi­tor, Lyons completed her four-year career (1986-1989) with 26 goals and 31 as­sists. She was named to four All-New England teams and earned All-America honors while leading her team to four postseason tournaments, including two trips to the NCAA Division II Final Four and the 1988 NCAA Division II national championship game.  Inducted into the KSC Alumni/Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003, Lyons also serves as the school’s Senior Woman Adminis­trator.