Kevin O’Brien enters his 15th season leading the women’s soccer program at Lipscomb University and is the winningest head coach in program history heading into the 2026–27 season. With more than 150 career victories, O’Brien has elevated the Lady Bisons into the national conversation and established Lipscomb as one of the premier mid-major programs in NCAA Division I women’s soccer.
Under O’Brien’s leadership, the Bisons have captured 12 ASUN championships in the past nine seasons, including five ASUN Tournament titles and seven ASUN Regular Season championships. He has guided the program to five NCAA Tournament appearances, solidifying Lipscomb as a consistent postseason contender.
Throughout his tenure, O’Brien has coached 50+ All-Conference performers, 15 All-Freshmen honorees, 32 All-Academic selections, and 45 ASUN Players of the Week. A five-time ASUN Coach of the Year (2016, 2017, 2021, 2023, 2025), he holds a career record of 155-81-37, ranking him among the top 50 winningest active coaches in NCAA Division I. In 2018, his staff earned one of the nation’s highest honors as the United Soccer Coaches South Region Staff of the Year.
Recent Seasons
2025: One of the finest seasons in program history. Lipscomb captured both the ASUN Regular Season and ASUN Tournament championships, defeated SEC opponent Mississippi State 1–0 in the NCAA First Round, and advanced to the Georgetown Regional, narrowly falling 1–0 to Top-10 Florida State.
2024: Lipscomb won its fourth ASUN Tournament title and earned another NCAA Tournament berth, facing Vanderbilt in the First Round.
2023: The Bisons finished 14-5-1, scoring 38 goals while conceding only 17. After a 10-1-1 ASUN campaign, eleven players earned All-Conference honors. O’Brien was named ASUN Coach of the Year, coaching the 2024 ASUN Player and Scholar-Athlete of the Year (Kelli Beiler), Defensive Player of the Year (Logan McFadden), and Freshman of the Year (Bella Carapazza).
2022: Lipscomb posted an 11-5-3 record with 10 shutouts. Four players earned United Soccer Coaches All-Region recognition, and Kelli Beiler earned both ASUN Player of the Year and ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
2021: The Bisons went 15-5-1, sweeping the ASUN Regular Season and Tournament titles to earn another NCAA berth. Lipscomb defeated two Power 4 opponents (Miami and Mississippi State) and pushed No. 6 Tennessee in the NCAA First Round. O’Brien claimed his fourth ASUN Coach of the Year honor as multiple players earned major awards.
2020 (Spring 2021): Lipscomb won another ASUN Regular Season title and placed several athletes on All-Conference teams.
2019: Lipscomb earned its third straight Regular Season title, an ASUN Tournament Championship, and an NCAA berth, falling 1–0 to No. 23 Louisville. Multiple players received All-Conference and Academic recognition.
2018: A milestone season. Lipscomb won its first-ever ASUN Tournament title, defeated No. 17 Mississippi State in the NCAA First Round, and became the first team in Lipscomb history to win an NCAA Tournament game before falling to No. 9 Duke in Round Two.
2016: O’Brien and the Bisons nearly swept the ASUN postseason awards, including Coach of the Year, Goalkeeper of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year, and Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Prior Coaching Experience
Before arriving at Lipscomb, O’Brien spent three seasons at Davidson as associate head coach and recruiting coordinator, helping the Wildcats record multiple top-25 victories, including an upset of eventual national champion North Carolina.
Prior to Davidson, he served as the top assistant and recruiting coordinator at Charlotte, helping assemble a roster that later reached the 2011 NCAA College Cup Final. He worked under four-time national champion Jeremy Gunn, now the head coach at Stanford.
O’Brien’s earlier career included roles at Creighton (two Elite Eight appearances), Oregon State, and Presbyterian College, where he helped lead the program to an NCAA Tournament berth.
He holds a USSF “A” License and an NSCAA Advanced National Diploma and spent several years coaching in the North Carolina Olympic Development Program, winning the 2006 ODP National Championship.
Playing Career
O’Brien captained the College of Charleston, leading the Cougars to two NCAA Tournament appearances, an Elite 8 run, and multiple top-20 national rankings. A two-time All-Conference and All-South Region honoree, he still holds the ASUN record for most career games played (85). He enjoyed an eight-year professional career in the USL with the Charleston Battery and Charlotte Eagles.
Personal
O’Brien lives in Nashville with his wife, Shannon, a former University of Arizona women’s soccer player and they have two children: Keely and Keegan.
Head Coaching Record
2025: 15-6-2 — NCAA Tournament (2nd Round), ASUN Tournament Champion, ASUN Regular Season Champion
2024: 14-4-4 — NCAA Tournament, ASUN Tournament Champion
2023: 14-5-1 — ASUN Regular Season Champion
2022: 15-5-3
2021: 15-5-1 — NCAA Tournament, ASUN Tournament Champion, ASUN Regular Season Champion
2020: 7-3-2 — ASUN Regular Season Champion
2019: 13-6-2 — NCAA Tournament (2nd Round), ASUN Tournament Champion, ASUN Regular Season Champion
2018: 15-5-2 — NCAA Tournament, ASUN Tournament Champion, ASUN Regular Season Champion
2017: 9-7-3 — ASUN Regular Season Champion, ASUN Tournament Finalist
2016: 12-5-2 — ASUN Regular Season Champion, ASUN Tournament Finalist
2015: 12-4-4
2014: 10-7-2
2013: 6-8-5
2012: 2-11-4
