LA MIRADA--- Biola Athletics is excited to announce Brett Croft as the newest addition to the women's soccer program. Croft will be taking the reins as the new head coach of Biola's women's soccer team. 

"I am extremely thankful for the opportunity to be a part of the Biola family," stated Croft. "The opportunity to coach at an elite level of competition that the PacWest provides, with a foundation of building up strong women of faith that Biola instills in all of its student-athletes is truly a dream come true."

Croft comes to Biola from the Master's University where he has been an assistant coach for the past eight years under longtime head coach Jim Rickard.

When asked about Croft, Rickard remarked, "I first met Brett at one of my ID camps when he was in high school. He ended up coming to Master's and was a great player for me who was eager to learn and grow in all aspects of his life."

Rickard continued, "After college, Croft was inspired to get into coaching and quickly made an impact with his teams. Croft then joined my coaching staff and was a great help to me and the players. His knowledge, competitiveness, and vision for the players is of the highest level. He believes in coaching the complete player: socially, athletically, academically, and spiritually.  I know he has the highest respect for Biola and will be a great addition to an already great athletic department. I will say I'm sad to lose him, but over the time I've known him he has transitioned into a great friend."  

While coaching at the Master's, Croft was also the head coach of the girl's soccer team at Hart high school. Croft has been a part of the Indians coaching staff since 2015 and has been the head coach of the program for the past two seasons where he led the Hart girl's soccer team to one of their best seasons in program history. 

This past season, Croft's varsity team completed the championship trifecta. They started off with their conference, becoming the undefeated Foothill League Champions. Next, they won the CIF State SoCal Division II Regional title and then closed the season by defeating San Marcos high school in the CIF State championships which made his team the CIF State SoCal Division II Champions.

Croft's coaching resume also includes semi-professional team experience. Croft has been a member of the coaching staff of Santa Clarita Blue Heat for the past four years and has coached several elite club teams in the Legends FC organization that have seen major success. As a club coach, he has accumulated five league titles and his team won the Surf College Cup Championships in 2022. 

Croft has his Bachelor's Degree of Science in Sports Medicine and Pre-Physical Therapy and his master's in business administration where he graduated summa cum laude. Croft also has a US Soccer National "B" coaching license. 

In addition to coaching, Croft has an extensive playing resume. He was a four-year starter at Master's University under Rickard. While playing for the Mustangs, Croft was a team captain and two-time First Team All-Conference selection. During his collegiate career he played for several semi-professional teams including Southern California Seahorses, Ventura County Fusion, Santa Clarita Storm and High Desert Elite.

After college, he played for two professional teams. He spent some time with Limon F.C. and secured a contract with the Swedish second tier pro soccer team Melleruds IF.

"Coach Croft is an incredible addition to our Athletics team," stated associate athletic director Eddie Shepard. "Brett is a relational coach who will care for the whole-person development of our student-athletes. He comes to us with tremendous knowledge of the game and a strong desire to integrate his Christian faith into his program. I am excited not only about how he will impact our student-athletes but also how he will contribute to the greater mission of Biola."