Carey (Dorn) O’Brien is in her ninth season of her second stint on the sidelines in Storrs in 2026. O'Brien has totaled 18 seasons as an assistant coach for UConn women's soccer.

In 2025, the Huskies captured their third-straight double digit win season with 11 victories. Seven of those wins came in BIG EAST Conference play, the most for UConn since the 2007 campaign. UConn also secured 11 shutouts, tying the most for the Huskies since 2016. Chioma Okafor and Anaya Johnson earned First Team All-BIG EAST accolades while Anna Carson landed on the All-BIG EAST Second Team.

The 2024 season was a breakthrough for the Huskies with 14 wins, a BIG EAST Tournament Championship and an NCAA First Round win against Rutgers. The NCAA Tournament appearance was the first since 2016. Chioma Okafor was named a United Coaches All-American for the second-straight year. Okafor also earned BIG EAST First Team status while Lucy Cappadona and Anaya Johnson landed on the All-BIG EAST Second Team.

The Huskies won 10 games in 2023 and advanced to the BIG EAST Championship semifinals. Chioma Okafor earned United Coaches Third Team All-American accolades while landing on the All-BIG EAST First Team.

In 2022, the Huskies went 8-6-4 and earned a spot in the BIG EAST Championship. The Huskies finished the year ranked first in BIG EAST with 1.81 goals per game, second in points per game (4.69) and goal differential (+.94), third in corners per game (5.75) and fourth in goals allowed (.88) and shutouts (6). Jada Konte earned First Team All-BIG EAST honors while freshman Chioma Okafor landed on the All-BIG EAST Second Team and All-BIG EAST Freshman Team.

In fall 2021, O'Brien helped the Huskies to a 9-8-1 overall record and earned a spot in the BIG EAST Championship. The Huskies ended the regular season with a 1-0 upset over No. 21 Georgetown on Oct. 28. Jaydah Bedoya earned All-BIG EAST First Team Honors while Jada Konte and Jessica Mazo earned Second Team Honors. Evelyn Arsenault and Joyce Ryder were tabbed to the All-BIG EAST Freshman Team.

In spring 2021, the Huskies continued to improve as they posted an 8-3-1 record and made an appearance in the BIG EAST Championship. Melina Couzis and Jessica Mazo were All-BIG EAST First Team selections while Yamilee Eveillard was named to the Second Team. Lucy Cappadona and Jada Konte earned spots on the All-BIG EAST Freshman Team. Randi Palacios was named the BIG EAST Co-Goalkeeper of the Year as the Huskies notched eight shutouts.

During her second season since returning back to the coaching staff in 2019, O'Brien helped the Huskies to a 6-8-3 record, improving on a 4-14 campaign in 2018. Kess Elmore and Yamilee Eveillard earned Second Team All-Conference honors while Jessica Mazo landed on the American Athletic Conference All-Rookie team.

O'Brien returns after previously working eight seasons as an assistant coach at UConn from 2003-11. During her time as an assistant, the Huskies reached the NCAA Tournament seven times including the NCAA Championship game in 2003, the NCAA Quarterfinals in 2007 and captured the 2004 Big East Tournament Championship.

She served two years as a volunteer assistant before joining the Husky coaching staff on a full-time basis for the 2003 season. Prior to her coaching career, O’Brien graduated from UConn in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in sport marketing. A magna cum laude graduate in the university’s Honors Program, she received both the John McClendon Memorial Postgraduate Scholarship and the NCAA Enhancement Postgraduate Scholarship to pursue further education.

In between her time coaching at UConn, O’Brien served as the head soccer coach at The Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, Conn., from 2011-17. During her seven seasons at Loomis, O’Brien compiled a 97-19-10 record and won two New England Girls Soccer Championships in 2016 and 2017. In addition, her squads finished as the No. 1 team in the nation in the prep school national rankings in those same years. In 2017, she was selected to coach the East Girls team at the High School Girls All-American game. She was named the NSCAA Private/Parochial Connecticut State Coach of the Year in 2014 and the CGSCA Private School State Coach of the Year in 2013.

After graduation, O’Brien began her master’s degree at UConn in sports management and served as a graduate assistant in the athletic department. That same year, she was drafted in the fifth round of the Women’s United Soccer Association's (WUSA) inaugural draft as the 40th overall pick. Putting her master’s degree on hold, O’Brien played two years (2001, 2002) for the San Jose CyberRays and was a member of the 2001 Founder’s Cup Championship team. Playing alongside former U.S. national team stars Brandi Chastain and Tisha Venturi-Hoch, and Brazilian internationals Sissi and Katia, O’Brien was a defensive midfielder for the CyberRays, playing in 34 games and starting 18 throughout her two years there.

Prior to the WUSA, O’Brien was the mainstay of the Husky defense from 1995-99 and was captain her senior year. She played in 92 games, making 82 starts, recording six goals and eight assists for 20 points. O’Brien finished her career at UConn with an overall record of 83-17-3, advanced to three NCAA quarterfinals and one trip to the NCAA Final in 1997. O’Brien was named Second Team All-BIG EAST in 1998 and First Team in 1999. Also in 1999, O’Brien was selected as a NSCAA Second Team All-American, a NSCAA Academic All-American and a UConn Club Outstanding Senior Scholar-Athlete.

For her accomplishments as a youth, college and professional player, O’Brien was inducted into the Connecticut Girl’s Soccer Coaches Association Hall of Fame in the fall of 2006. In addition to her coaching duties at UConn, O’Brien has been involved with various youth clubs and camps. From 1997-2000, O’Brien served as an assistant coach with Windsor World Class and in 2005, O’Brien worked with the U-10 girl’s developmental team at Farmington Sports Arena (FSA). In 2005, she also served as an Assistant Coach for the U-13 Connecticut Olympic Development Program team. She has been involved with several camps and clinics including the Pioneer Soccer School, Keene State Camp, Ray Reid Soccer School and the SoccerPlus Field Player Academy. While in San Jose, Calif., she ran clinics for youth teams throughout the Bay Area.

O’Brien, a native of West Hartford, Conn., attended William Hall High School where she was a NSCAA High School All-American in soccer and an All-State player in tennis. O’Brien currently resides in West Hartford with her husband, Jimmy and their sons, Casey, Timothy and Michael.

Name	Title	Email Address
Margaret Rodriguez	Head Coach	margaret.rodriguez@uconn.edu
Carey O'Brien	Associate Head Coach	carey.obrien@uconn.edu
Carson D'Ambrosio	Assistant Coach	carson.dambrosio@uconn.edu
Chris Jones	Women's Soccer Director of Operations/ Assistant Director of Communications	christopher.jones@uconn.edu

University of Connecticut Athletics

2023-24 Women's Soccer Coaching Staff

Coaching Staff