DOVER - Dr. Alecia Shields-Gadson announced Natasha Ademakinwa as the Head Women's Soccer Coach on May 15, 2024. Coach Ademakinwa comes to Delaware State University after being the Head Men's and Women's coach at Shawnee State University. Ademakinwa also held an Assistant Athletic Director, Senior Women Leaders title.
"I would like to thank Mike Rogers, the entire search committee, and AD Gadson for placing their trust in choosing me to lead the women's soccer program," said Coach Ademakinwa.
"I am honored to have been chosen to join this esteemed organization. I want to express my sincere appreciation for the confidence they have placed in me."
A native of London, England, 2024 Shawnee State Female Coach of the Year Award winner and 2021 Mid-South Conference Coaching for Significance Award Winner Natasha Ademakinwa was the head women's soccer coach for six seasons and head men's coach for two seasons. She was announced as head women's soccer coach on June 28, 2018, and is the fourth coach in the history of the program. She was also announced as head men's soccer coach on January 12, 2022.
"It has been bittersweet saying goodbye to both my soccer teams at Shawnee State. I will always be thankful to the school, the churches, and the community for their support and grateful to have coached and worked alongside incredible people and will treasure the unforgettable memories."
Along with her college coaching experience, Ademakinwa has had a total of 22 years of coaching experience at various levels and has a UEFA National 'B' coaching license. She's collected eight division championships and four undefeated seasons as a coach.
In her first season as the men's soccer coach, Ademakinwa led the Shawnee State men to its first-ever winning season, coaching the men to an 11-8 overall record. SSU never finished above .500 in the 31 previous seasons of having a soccer program. Kevin de Lange received second-team all-conference and led the Bear's front line with an astounding 18 goals and 9 assists, finishing 5th in the nation for total points. Thomas de Graauw earned Honorable Mention All-Conference for his play in the midfield. Leading the whole NAIA, de Graauw broke the school's record with 21 assists in 18 games and five goals on top of that.
In 2020-21, Ademakinwa led the Shawnee State women's soccer team to outstanding improvement, as the Bears posted an 8-7 overall record -- their first winning season since 2017 -- with only one senior on the roster.
SSU also posted a 5-6 overall conference record en route to finishing seventh in the 12-team Mid-South Conference -- which placed five teams in the NAIA Women's Soccer National Tournament.
Paige Alford and Alex Raudier combined to win three Mid-South Conference Player of the Week Awards; goalkeeper Shelbie Ritchie received Second-Team All-MSC unit.
Academically, Shawnee State fared even better. In all, a total of 11 players obtained All-Academic MSC honors -- the most for any women's soccer team in school history. Three players earned perfect 4.0 GPAs while eight of the 11 honorees finished with GPAs at or above 3.75.
Despite losing 11 letter winners from the 2018 team, Ademakinwa's group maintained a similar standing from the 2018 group in her second season at Shawnee State, collecting a 6-12 overall record with more than two-thirds of its contributors being freshmen or sophomores. Five of the 12 losses came by two goals or less.
Senior midfielder Olivia Ball played and started in all 68 games of her collegiate career and was named as a CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree, while Jill Kelly appeared in 67 of Shawnee State's 68 career games and was named a CoSIDA Academic All-District and CoSIDA Academic All-American.
Five of the team's top-seven scorers from 2019, including Paige Alford, Ellie Aston, Eilidh Mchattie, Nikki van Wees, and Brenna Woodard, returned to lead the team in 2020. Alford, Aston, Mchattie, van Wees, and Alex Raudier were all international student-athletes recruited to the team by Ademakinwa and became the first set of women's soccer players to come from foreign lands to play for Shawnee State.
In her first season with the Bears, Ademakinwa led SSU to a 5-11-1 overall record, with six of those 11 defeats coming by just two goals or less. The Bears went 2-5 in the Mid-South by defeating Georgetown (2-1) and Pikeville (5-0) and dropped contests to Life (Ga.) and Cumberland (Tenn.) by scant 2-0 margins during the season. Michaela Garner, who ended her career as a four-year starter in goal for the Bears, saved 163 shots en route to Second-Team All-MSC honors in her senior season.
Under Ademakinwa, the Bears have flourished academically as a record 10 players were named to the All-Academic Mid-South Conference unit with six of those 10 players -- another record -- named as NAIA Scholar-Athletes in 2018. Four additional players were named to the Academic All-MSC list in 2019.
The 2018 total is even more impressive considering that only a dozen players were eligible to obtain those accolades, which means that 50 percent of the eligible hands on the roster earned NAIA Scholar-Athlete billing, with 83 percent of the eligible players on the roster obtaining the necessary 3.0 GPA to be eligible for All-Academic MSC accolades.
In 2022 she was also announced as Soccer Director and Assistant athletic director as a Senior Woman Leader.
Prior to her time at SSU, Ademakinwa was the head coach of the women's club soccer team at West Virginia University. She led WVU to a 7-0-0 season, winning the NIRSA Region One Pennsylvania West Division Championship and qualifying for the NIRSA National Tournament. It was the first undefeated season in the club's history.
In addition to her college coaching experience, she was the head girls coach for the Millwall Lionesses, being head coach for the under-13 girls and assistant coach for the 15-under and 17-under teams from 2014 to 2016. Five of the girls that she coached at Millwall were drafted to the England National squad and one to the Poland National team.
She also spent two stints as a head boys coach at Isledon Wolves Boys' Football Club in London, coaching both under-8s and under-14s in parts of nine seasons; her original stint with Isledon was from 2006 to 2010, with her second stint running from 2012 to 2015.
In that time with Isledon, she led the teams to championships in the Camden & Isledon League B Division two times and to a championship in the A Division once. She also led the teams to a championship in the Harrow Youth League Division IV, seeing promotion to Division II, and later won a championship in Division II, earning promotion to the Harrow Youth Premier League. She was also named Isledon Wolves FC Coach of the Year in 2009 and 2015, respectively.
Ademakinwa was also an assistant under-13 and under-16 coach at Queens Park Rangers Ladies Football Club in London in 2013; prior to that, she spent one season as the head coach of the reserve team at Camden Town Ladies Football Club in London.
Ademakinwa also coached at Leyton Orient Girls Football Academy Centre of Excellence, coaching under-12s there from December 2009 to August 2010. During that same time, she was also an assistant boys under-14 and under-16 coach at London Athletic Youth Football Club, coaching there from April 2009 to August 2010.
Prior to that, she was the soccer coach at Hendon Women's Football Club in London from July to August 2008. Prior to that, she was the under-12 and under-13 assistant girls' soccer coach at Hendon Youth Football Club from January 2004 to December 2006.
Ademakinwa's first coaching experience came at the Camden Development Project, helping coach at-risk youths in under-11 and under-12 teams from January 2001 to December 2004.
Ademakinwa also had a distinguished playing career, having played both collegiately in the United States and semi-professionally in England. Ademakinwa played one season at Ohio Valley University (W.V.), tallying one assist in 14 games in the 2010 season. Most notably, Ademakinwa played semiprofessionally for two London-based clubs, having played for AFC Wimbledon's ladies' team and for Tottenham Hotspur Ladies Football Club.
From an educational standpoint, Ademakinwa holds a master's degree from West Virginia, where she completed a graduate degree in coaching and sports education in 2018. Ademakinwa also has two bachelor's degrees, earning a bachelor's in psychology with health science at the University of East London in 2009. She earned her second bachelor's degree in sports management from Ohio Valley University in 2012.
In Ademakinwa's spare time, she likes to play with her dog Stella, hang out with friends, play her guitar, spend time with her family and friends back home in England, travel, and most importantly, devote time to God.
"As I embark on this new chapter that God has blessed me with, I am looking forward to getting to know the team and working alongside incredible individuals, as we strive for success both on and off the field. Go Hornets!"
Delaware State Athletics would like to officially welcome Coach Ademakinwa. With the support of the athletics department and campus community, we know she will make positive contributions to Delaware State University.
