Heather Lipp heads into her third full season at the helm of the Marymount women's soccer program in 2024.
Lipp guided the Saints to their first conference championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in program history in 2023. With a strong defensive approach, Marymount rolled off six straight shutouts to close the season and topple No. 1 seed Marywood on the road in overtime to bring home the Atlantic East championship. The Saints finished the season with a 7-10-5 record, including 3-1-2 in conference play, after falling to No. 1 ranked Christopher Newport in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
She coached Leila Lajdel, the program's first Atlantic East Rookie of the Year and a First Team All-Conference selection, and added a Second Team All-Conference selection in Laney Placido during the 2023 season.
In 2022, she led the Saints to their first playoff win since 1993, moving forward in postseason play with a 5-1 win over Centenary. Marymount posted an overall record of 6-9-5, including 1-3-2 in Atlantic East play.
Under Lipp's leadership, MU notched its first Atlantic East Player of the Year in Placido, who also earned AEC Woman of the Year and First Team All-Conference for her efforts on and off of the pitch.
Lipp served in an interim capacity with the Saints from the midpoint of the 2021 campaign and led the team to the Atlantic East Conference postseason. Under Lipp’s watch, the Blue and White posted a 4-2 record in conference play and earned the third seed in the conference playoffs. She also mentored a trio of Saints to Atlantic East All-Conference First Team nods.
Prior to joining Marymount, Lipp served as an assistant coach at Holy Cross, an NCAA Division I institution in Worcester, Mass., from 2008 to 2015. Lipp helped the Crusaders amass 39 wins during her tenure, which included a strong 10-5-3 record during the 2014 campaign. During her time at Holy Cross, Lipp mentored 11 All-Patriot League performers, three CoSIDA Academic All-District honorees, two All-Mid-Atlantic Region award winners, and two All-New England Region honorees.
Before joining the Crusaders, Lipp served as an assistant coach at Clark in Worcester, Mass., from 2007 to 2008, and as an assistant coach at Wittenberg in Springfield, Ohio, from 2004 to 2007. She has also served as the head coach of the New England Football Club (2011-2015), the Massachusetts Olympic Development Program U12 and U16 teams, and the Puma Soccer Club (2008-2011).
She holds a United States Soccer Federation National B License. Lipp was a four-year member of the women’s soccer team at Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio, and graduated in 1988.
Her husband, Evan, works in enrollment management at Marymount. She has two adult sons, Coupar and Jake, and a daughter-in-law Susie. She and her husband live in Middleburg, Va. In her free time, Heather enjoys birding and community conservation.
