The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Soccer tabs Molly Poletto assistant coach
12.17.2025 | Soccer
Poletto arrives on Forty Acres after winning pair of conference titles and 2022 NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championship at UCLA
AUSTIN, Texas — Molly Poletto has been named an assistant coach for Texas Soccer, head coach Margueritte Bates announced Wednesday.
Poletto comes to The Forty Acres after spending the past four seasons at UCLA. During her time with the Bruins, UCLA posted a 67-13-9 (.803) record, the fourth-best mark of any program during that stretch. The Bruins reached the NCAA Tournament in all four campaigns, winning a pair of conference titles and the 2022 NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship.
"Simply put, Molly is one of the hardest working and most trustworthy coaches in the industry," Bates said. "She sets the standard of care for our student-athletes, all while being her goofy, fun-loving self. Molly consistently orchestrates back lines and goalkeepers that lead the country in shutouts and dominate nearly all defensive statistics. I'm so thankful to have her on our staff and by my side as we strive to defend at the highest level."
Under Poletto's guidance, UCLA ranked second nationally in goals against average (.047) this fall. In 2024, the Bruins led the country with a 0.41 team goals against average. Across those two seasons, UCLA totaled a nation's best 28 clean sheets, highlighted by three consecutive shutout victories to win the school's first-ever Big Ten Conference tournament crown.
During the 2023 campaign, the Bruins won the Pac-12 Regular Season Championship, boasting a 10-0-1 ledger in league play. With Poletto's help, UCLA finished with a 16-2-1 overall mark.
In Poletto's inaugural season with the Bruins, UCLA won a program record-tying 22 matches en route to earning its second national title. The Bruins began the year by winning their first 13 contests, setting a new school record for best start to a campaign. UCLA also sported the No. 1 national ranking for the final nine weeks of the season.
Poletto and the Bruins garnered National and Pacific Region Staff of the Year honors by the United Soccer Coaches.
"I'm incredibly thankful to Chris Del Conte, Sarah Baumgartner and Margueritte for trusting me with the opportunity to join Texas Soccer," Poletto said. "This means so much to my family and me, and I'm truly honored to be a part of something so special. I'm excited to help build on Margueritte's vision for the program's future. She's transforming the way college women's soccer is played and creating a dynamic, intentional pathway for athletes to successfully transition to the professional level. Her vision, game intelligence and integrity are inspiring, and being around that kind of leadership pushes you to be better every single day. I'm proud to be a part of Texas Soccer."
Prior to her time at UCLA, Poletto served as the goalkeeper coach at Missouri (2019-21) and at Boston University (2017-18).
In 2021, she helped guide the Tigers to a fifth-place finish in the SEC, an improvement of nine spots from the previous year.
At BU, the Terriers won both the 2018 Patriot League regular season and conference tournament crowns, finishing with an 11-7-4 record and an unbeaten 7-0-2 mark in league action. Poletto was instrumental in mentoring the goalkeeping unit to a combined 11 shutouts.
In her first season at BU, the Terriers notched a then-record 10 clean sheets. Under Poletto's tutelage, her keepers surrendered 0.86 goals per match and combined for a .798 save percentage.
After injuries cut her playing career short, Poletto turned to coaching. She worked for three seasons as an undergraduate assistant coach at the University of Utah before becoming a volunteer assistant coach in 2016, where she improved her unit's goals against average from 1.21 to 0.65 with 10 shutouts and an .860 save percentage.
A native of Englewood, Colo., Poletto holds a USSF "B" license and served as instructor for the USSF "E" licenses. She graduated cum laude from Utah in 2015 with a degree in communications and a minor in psychology. Poletto completed her master's degree in sports physical in the spring of 2017.
