Emily Ottenhoff heads into her eighth year as head coach of the Calvin University women's soccer program.
| Year |
Record |
MIAA |
Finish |
| 2018 |
10-5-3 |
5-2-2, 3rd |
MIAA Tournament Semifinals |
| 2019 |
5-10-3 |
3-3-2, 6th |
NA |
| 2021 (spring) |
8-0-0 |
6-0-0, 1st * |
MIAA Tournament Champs |
| 2021 (fall) |
14-4-1 |
7-1-0, 1st |
NCAA Second Round |
| 2022 |
18-1-1 |
7-0-1 1st* |
NCAA Second Round |
| 2023 |
16-2-3 |
7-1-0 1st* |
NCAA Sweet 16 |
| 2024 |
15-3-2 |
8-0-0 1st* |
NCAA Second Round |
| Total |
86-25-13 |
43-7-5 |
*MIAA Tournament Champs |
A 2010 Calvin College graduate, Ottenhoff took over the reins of the Calvin women's soccer program in 2018 after spending the previous five years as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator of the women's soccer program at Stevens Institute of Technology.
Ottenhoff is the fifth head coach in Calvin women's soccer history.
In her first seven years, she has led Calvin to five MIAA regular season championships, four MIAA Tournament titles and four trips to the NCAA III Tournament. Heading into the 2025 campaign, she has a career won-loss record of 86-25-13 for an impressive winning percentage of .729.
In 2024, she led Calvin to a ffifth straigth MIAA regular season title with the Knights winning the MIAA Tournament title for the third straight year while advancing to the NCAA III Tournament for the fourth straight season. She was named the 2024 MIAA Coach of the Year. Her team finished 25th in the final 2024 United Soccer Coachs Top 25 poll.Her 2024 Calvin squad was also honored with the United Soccer Coaches Team Ethics and Sportsmanship Award at the Silver Level. The levels are based on a percentage calculated by the total number of cards received by players/coaches divided by the team's total number of games played.
In 2023, she has led Calvin back to the NCAA III Tournament for a third straight year with the Knights winning the MIAA regular season crown for a fourth straight year and the league tournament crown for the third time in four years. She was subsequently named the 2023 MIAA Women's Soccer Coach of the Year. She led Calvin to the Sweet 16 Round of the NCAA III Tournament and later finished 15th in the final 2023 United Soccer Coaches Division III Top 25 poll. Calvin picked up national tournament wins over Nazareth and Milwaukee School of Engineering.
In the spring of 2021, she led Calvin to a fourth place national ranking in the final United Soccer Coaches Division III Top 25 poll.
In the fall of 2021, Ottenhoff guided Calvin to an overall record of 14-4-1 which included a second straight MIAA regular season title and a berth in the NCAA III Tournament. Calvin picked up a 2-1 first round NCAA III Tournament win over Milwaukee School of Engineering for its first NCAA III Tournament victory since 2015.
She brought Calvin back to the top of the MIAA in 2022 as the Knights finished 18-1-1 overall and won the MIAA regular season title with a 7-0-1 mark. Calvin then claimed its second MIAA Tournament title in three seasons and advanced to the second round of the NCAA III Tournament which included a first round win over Nazareth.
In the spring of 2021, Ottenhoff's Calvin squad went unbeaten, finishing 8-0-0 overall and 6-0-0 in the MIAA for its first MIAA regular season title since 2015. The Knights then captured the MIAA Tournament with a 1-0 semifinal win over Albion and a 3-0 triumph over Kalamazoo in the MIAA Tournament final.
In her first year as head coach, Ottenhoff led Calvin to a 10-5-3 record and a berth in the MIAA Tournament semifinals.
Prior to her five-year stint at Stevens, Ottenhoff was a two-year graduate assistant at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology while completing a master's of science degree in physical education and coaching science at Indiana State University.
Serving under Stevens head coach Jeff Parker from 2013-to-2017, she helped the Ducks reach the NCAA III Tournament in 2015, 2016 and 2017 including a trip to the NCAA III Tournament Round of 16 in 2015. In 2016, she helped Stevens post a program-best record of 19-2-0.
In 2014 she was named a Rising Star by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (now United Soccer Coaches). In 2015 and 2016, she was part of a Stevens coaching staff that was named the Empire 8 Conference Coaching Staff of the Year. She is a member of the United Soccer Coaches (association) and holds a USSF National "C" License.
While a student at Calvin, Ottenhoff was a standout two-sport athlete, spending four years with the Calvin women's soccer program and four years with the Calvin women's basketball program.
A four-year starter in the midfield, Ottenhoff helped the Calvin women's soccer team reach the national quarterfinals in both 2006 and 2009. In a second round 1-0 NCAA III Tournament victory over Wittenberg University, she scored a memorable game-winning goal, heading in a free kick in the 42nd minute of play.
During her four-year Calvin soccer career the Knights were 71-10-8, making it the winningest four-year stretch in Calvin women's soccer history. Calvin captured four MIAA regular season titles during that run and made four trips to the NCAA III Tournament. She finished her soccer career with 32 goals, 11 assists and 75 points. Over her four years on the pitch, she was a perfect seven-for-seven on penalty kicks. Of her 32 career goals, 13 were game-winners.
In 2009, she was named the MIAA's Most Valuable Player in women's soccer and was named a second team Division III All-American by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. She was also a two-time first team All-MIAA selection during her Calvin women's soccer career and earned a spot on the NSCAA All-Central Region first team in 2009.
She also served as a point guard with the Calvin women's basketball program. As a senior, she was the starting point guard on a team that finished 24-5 and reached the NCAA III Tournament.
In 2010, she was named Calvin's recipient of the Kay Tiemersma Memorial Award. The award is presented annually to the top female senior student-athlete at Calvin that also displays leadership and Christian character.
Ottenhoff later served as a student assistant coach with the Calvin women's soccer team in 2010, helping the Knights win an MIAA Tournament title and reach the NCAA III Tournament for the sixth consecutive year. She graduated from Calvin with a bachelor of arts degree in physical education and a minor in health education.
In 2011, she served as the head coach of the Holland Christian girls freshmen soccer team before moving on to graduate studies at Indiana State.
Ottenhoff is a native of Palos Heights, Illinois. She is a graduate of Chicago Christian High School.
