Marisa Kresge enters her second year at the helm of Illinois State Soccer. She is the sixth head coach in program history and second female head coach.
Formerly an assistant coach for the Redbirds in 2016, Kregse returned to Illinois State with her hire in May of 2022.
A former team captain and standout for the Wisconsin women’s soccer program, Kresge spent 2017-2021 as an assistant coach for the Badgers.
While on the Wisconsin staff, Kresge played a key role in raising the profile of Badger Women’s Soccer, helping the program to the 2019 Big Ten Regular Season championship and three NCAA Sweet 16 appearances. In total, the program earned four NCAA Tournament appearances in her five seasons on staff, advancing in each of their NCAA appearances with Kresge.
After graduating from UW in 2016, Kresge spent one season with Illinois State, helping the Redbirds to a 14-6-3 record. With Kresge’s assistance on the sidelines, ISU won the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title and earned a trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Kresge began her coaching career on the club side for Verona Soccer Club, where she where she served as the head bench boss for the U-11 and U-12 girls’ teams. She was the assistant coach for the U-11 girls’ team and the U-12 boys’ team, while also coaching a skills clinic ranging from U-6 to U-15.
Kresge earned a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology, physical education and adapted physical education during her time as a student-athlete at Wisconsin, where she competed three years for the Badgers. She spent two seasons at Maryland prior to transferring to Wisconsin
The Severna Park, Maryland, native started 19 of the 20 matches during her senior season and was the team captain while earning Academic All-Big Ten honors for the second year in a row.
Off the field, Kresge was named to the UW-Madison School of Education Dean’s List in 2014 and to the ACC Academic Honor Roll in 2011. She was also the recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award in 2013 and a member of the Leadership Group at Wisconsin in 2015.
With Kresge on the squad, that Badgers had two of the most successful seasons in program history, claiming the Big Ten tournament title in 2014 and the league’s regular season crown in 2015. Kresge finished her career with seven goals, including one game-winning goal and a pair of assists.
