Spartanburg, S.C. - Bulldog soccer's head coach Bob Winch tabbed the 2009 SoCon Women's Soccer Coach of the Year, the Southern Conference announced on Wednesday.

Winch guided The Citadel to yet another historical season after winning their first SoCon game in program history in 2008. This season, Winch coached the Bulldogs to a school record of eight points and a 10th place finish in the SoCon, the highest SoCon finish in program history.

The Citadel began their monumental season on Aug. 30 against Alabama State. The Bulldogs won their first home season-opener in school history, ousting the Hornets, 14-0. This win marked a school record of game-highs in most goals, most shots (42) and most assists (16). The Citadel fell shy by one point for the school record of 31 points per game. Winch led Nicole Martinoli to tie former Bulldogs Kelly Pesterfield, Julie Austin and Miriam Crawford to a record game high of four goals while Nikki Mares tied Debbie White for three assists in a game.

The Citadel earned their best start in program history, going 2-0 after claiming a victory against South Carolina State. Winch helped the Bulldogs clinch their first win over a Big South opponent when they won, 1-0, against back-to-back regular season Big South champions Coastal Carolina on Sept. 16. 

In the second game of conference play, The Citadel claimed a 1-0 victory over Chattanooga at WLI Field in Charleston on Sept. 27. Winch continued to make an impact for the Bulldogs as he guided the team to their first SoCon road win in program history. The Citadel made their way to Statesboro, Ga. to defeat Georgia Southern, 2-1.

The excitement did not stop there as the Bulldogs tallied their first 0-0 back-to-back ties against Appalachian State and Western Carolina. The Citadel finished the 2009 season with a 5-12-2, 2-7-2 SoCon record. The Bulldogs tied the 2002 season with five wins, the most won by any Citadel women's soccer team.

Off the field, Winch encourages his student-athletes to perform well in the classroom. Senior Kristine Devine became the first women's soccer player at The Citadel to tally ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America honor.

"It was a very competitive season for us," said Winch. "The girls really bought in and gave themselves a chance to win every time out. It certainly is an honor to work in this league as I feel all of the coaches are outstanding."

For more information on Bulldog Soccer, visit the official website of The Citadel Athletics at www.CitadelSports.com.