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Women's Soccer Written by James Tsitakis-Cecil

Women's Soccer Rounds Out Staff With Experienced Coach

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - Cal State Bakersfield Director of Athletics Kyle Conder and Women's Soccer Head Coach Bernardo Silva have announced the hiring of Assistant Coach Jacob Pickard.

"I am beyond excited to officially welcome Jacob [Pickard] to our staff. When undergoing the search process for the best fit, Jacob checked all of the boxes. He is a grinder with a great eye for talent and a top relationship-driven coach," Silva said about his new Assistant coach. "I am grateful for the staff we have been able to put together for our awesome student-athletes and I cannot wait to watch our team's journey unfold this year in the Big West Conference."

This appointment presumably rounds out the Bakersfield coaching staff as the team is already midway through its non-conference slate of the 2023 regular season. Pickard was most recently with Cal State East Bay women's soccer since Spring 2018, helping plan and run team training sessions, goalkeeper training, recruitment, camps, travel planning, opponent scouting and video analysis.

"I am extremely happy to be joining the women's soccer coaching staff at Cal State Bakersfield. Getting the opportunity to team up and work with Bernardo Silva, someone I have gotten to know very well the last few years, was something I could not pass up," Pickard said about his appointment. He continued on about the importance of Head Coach Silva in the recruitment process, "I was very happy at Cal State East Bay and was not looking to move on before finishing at least one more season in Hayward, and if it had been anyone other than Bernardo asking, I would have declined the offer… The prospect of being able to take part in a program that prioritizes the same values I have was a no brainer to join up with."

The year before Cal State East Bay, Pickard was performing a similar job at Menlo College. Before his time at Menlo, Pickard was the goalkeeper coach for the University of San Francisco men's team for two years while also serving as goalkeeper coach for San Ramon FC's Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) team and assistant scout for US Soccer's Youth National Program.

Pickard talked more about how he fits into the Cal State Bakersfield staff and community: "From getting to know [Bernardo] on the recruiting trail, going after many of the same players, and exchanging philosophical ideas of what a collegiate soccer program can be beyond the X's and O's, wins and losses. Programs like this can play a huge role in the personal development of young adults… I have coached and recruited many players over the years from Bakersfield and know it to be a city that has a great soccer culture and a place whose residents are very proud of where they come from. So, moving to a community like this is simply icing on the cake."

Pickard served as a high school head coach for 13 years at four different schools. During that time he received Coach of the Year honors from the San Jose Mercury News and Palo Alto Daily News. Pickard led a '98 Boys Cal-North Olympic Development Program State team to the finals of the ODP Region IV Championships in Arizona. At the club level, Pickard has been a league president, technical director, director of goalkeeping and head coach at clubs all over the Bay Area.

Pickard has a USSF National "B" License and NSCAA/USC Premier Diploma, National Goalkeeping Diploma and Director of Coaching Diploma as well as Level I Qualifications in Psychology and Fitness from the English FA.
 
~GoRunners.com~
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