Steve Holeman is in his fourth season leading the Texas State soccer program. He was named the Bobcat' second-ever soccer head coach on Feb. 9, 2022.
The 2024 season saw Texas State finish runner-up in the regular season, the program's best finish since winning the regular season title in 2018, and advanced to the finals of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament for the second-time ever. The Bobcats finished with a 12-5-5 record. It was the program's third 12-win campaign in the last three years. During the season, the team played to a scoreless draw at #13 Oklahoma State for the program's first-ever positive result against a ranked opponent. At the end of the campaign, the Bobcats shutout five consecutive opponents to tie the program record for a total of 474:46 minutes, the sixth longest streak in team history.
The team scored 43 goals, the most since 2005, and recorded 36 assists, tied for the second most ever in a season, while setting program records for made (7) and attempted (8) penalty kicks. The Bobcats also scored multiple goals in all three Sun Belt Tournament matches, a first in team history, and netted a program best eight goals over the three-matches in the championship.
Holeman helped produce three United Soccer Coaches all-region selections in Kennley Bradley, Mady Soumare and Victoria Meza. Both Bradley and Soumare were all-conference performers.
During the second year of the Holeman era, the Bobcats won its second-ever game over a Power 4 program with a 1-0 win at Houston on Sept. 10, 2023. Texas State's defense put up a four-match shutout streak that last 475:54 minutes to rank fourth and fifth, respectively, in program history from Sept. 7-21. In the Sun Belt Conference Championship, TXST defeated Louisiana 2-1 in the first round to win the team's first conference tournament match since 2018. The Bobcats ended the year with a program single-season record 37 assists with six being credited to Kennley Bradley, who became the first defender to lead the team in assists in a season.
In his first season in San Marcos, Holeman led the Bobcats to a 12-5-2 record overall and went 6-3-1 in the Sun Belt Conference. Texas State would go 5-1-0 to tie atop the West Division with South Alabama. The Bobcats began the 2022 campaign with a program recorded seven-match undefeated streak at 6-0-1. During that stretch, TXST recorded its first positive result against North Texas (T, 2-2) and defeated Rice (2-1) for the first time in 20 years.
Both Madi Goss and Avery Thies were named to the 2022 All-Sun Belt First and Second teams, respectively, while Juana Plata was a United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region Second Team honoree. Also earning College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors was Katelyn Chrisman, Caroline Kirschner, Haley Shaw, Kamaria Williams and Thies.
Holeman takes over a Bobcat program with a rich history that includes 10 conference titles and five NCAA Tournament appearances. It has also produced 44 All-Conference first teamers, four CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, two United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-America honorees and has received the United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award for 12 consecutive years.
Holeman brings 27 years of head coaching experience to the Bobcats and has compiled a career record of 283-207-50. His win total is tied for the 36th most among active Division I head coaches at the conclusion of this past season. He arrives in San Marcos after spending the past six seasons at Lamar where he went 66-43-8, won four conference titles and made two NCAA Tournament appearances (2017 & 2019).
During his time with the Cardinals, Holeman saw 30 players selected to all-conference teams, 11 picking up all-region accolades and the program’s first-ever All-American in Esther Okoronkwo in the Spring of 2021. The team also garnered three Southland Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year, two Player of the Year and two Newcomer of the Year awards. The 2019 team’s 70 goals were the third most in the nation with both Okoronkwo (25) and Lucy Ashworth (21) finishing second and fourth, respectively, in goals scored nationally.
Holeman, a two-time Southland Coach of the Year, recorded the biggest turnaround in NCAA Division I women’s soccer history in 2017. After Lamar recorded two wins the previous season, he sparked the team to 18 victories and the program’s first-ever NCAA appearance. That year’s team also broke more than 20 school records.
Prior to Lamar, Holeman’s coaching career had been spent in the Southeastern Conference that saw him start two programs from the ground up. He spent five seasons (2010-14) as the head coach at Georgia in which the Bulldogs posted a 53-39-11 record. The program chronicled four 10-win seasons, reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2014 and 2011, 14 players earned All-SEC honors and one student-athlete picked up All-American honors.
Holeman spent 16 seasons (1994-2009) at Mississippi, where he was the program’s first-ever head coach. During his time in Oxford, the Rebels went 158-119-28 with four NCAA Tournament appearances (2002, 2003, 2005 & 2009) and three SEC Western Division titles (1999, 2000, & 2005). Ole Miss qualified for 13 straight SEC Tournament, had 30 players named all-conference, including two Freshmen of the Year, and eight earned Academic All-American honors.
During his final five seasons with the Rebels, he posted a 19-1-5 (.860) record against SEC West Division foes and recorded the league’s fourth-best winning percentage in conference games during that time.
The first head coaching stop of Holeman’s career was at Auburn. He was hired by the Tigers in 1993, building the program from scratch in six weeks, and went 7-6-3 record in his lone season at the helm.
A four-year letterwinner at Wake Forest, Holeman helped guide the Demon Deacons to the 1989 ACC Championship and three NCAA Appearances (1988, 1989 & 1990). He received his bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest in health and sports science in 1990 and a master’s degree from Auburn in 1993 in exercise physiology.
Holeman and his wife Julie have two children, Anna Mae and Robert.
