BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - Cal State Bakersfield women's soccer head coach Bernardo Silva added to his staff on Monday with the addition of Assistant Coaches Amanda Valentine and Emma Barrow to the Roadrunners. Additionally, Silva added Tara Finch as the Director of Operations for the program. Silva assembles a group of coaches with a diverse soccer background that have experience ranging from being former college athletes to head coach positions.                            

Martin Navarro

Martin Navarro began his coaching career at Bakersfield in 2022 where he served as a graduate assistant coach for the Roadrunner women's soccer program. During the Summer of 2023, Navarro was promoted to assistant coach and goalkeeper coach. A CSUB alumnus, Navarro graduated from Bakersfield with a B.S. in kinesiology. Navarro holds the US Soccer C License, Performance Analysis Diploma, and other diplomas through the United Soccer Coaches organization.  

Head Coach Bernardo Silva on Martin Navarro -  "Martin was a part of the coaching staff this past Fall season as an assistant/goalkeeper coach and through the interview process of hiring a new top assistant it became evident how passionate he is about Bakersfield and our women's soccer program and how much he wants this program to succeed. Martin is a great coach, has a great eye for talent, and is immersed in the Bakersfield community which will be a tremendous asset as we continue to build an identity in our program that proudly represents our community. He has earned this promotion and I'm excited to have him as our 1st assistant coach."   

Amanda Valentine 

Prior to Bakersfield, Amanda Valentine was coaching at Fresno Pacific for the women's soccer program. She spent her first year in 2022 as an assistant coach and was named head coach for the Sunbirds the following season. She became just the fifth head coach in program history.

Before her tenure at FPU, Valentine was a graduate assistant coach at Holy Names University, working mainly with goalkeepers. Valentine began her coaching career as a club and high school coach in the Bay Area. 

Valentine was dominating as a goalkeeper prior to coaching. She earned herself Honorable Mention honors at Ottawa University and Vanguard University and was awarded as GSAC Player of the Year. 

Head Coach Bernardo Silva on Amanda Valentine - "Amanda was somebody through the interview process that shared a common passion of wanting to be part of the New Bakersfield we are building. She comes to Bakersfield with a variety of different experiences in the collegiate game as a player, assistant coach, and head coach and all those steps have shaped her to being prepared for this opportunity with our staff. Her work ethic and ability to connect with people will further enhance our coaching staff and allow us to continue to build a program where top relationships are a priority."

Emma Barrow

Emma Barrow enters her first year as an assistant coach. Barrow was a standout athlete at the University of San Diego and Cal Poly Pomona. While at Pomona, she was All-CCAA Honorable Mention (2021) and was awarded CCAA Fall Academic Honor Roll (2020). 

Head Coach Bernardo Silva on Emma Barrow - "When putting together a staff, you always reach out to your mentors and that is exactly what I did and how Emma's name got brought up to me. After a conversation with a great friend and mentor of mine, Jay Mason the head women's soccer coach at Cal Poly Pomona, he spoke about Emma's passion for the game and how good of a young coach she is. Her experiences as a top player at University of San Diego and Cal Poly Pomona will be tremendously beneficial for our players and will help her fulfill the role of bridging our staff to the team."

Tara Finch

Tara Finch is familiar with the campus of Bakersfield, she spent two seasons as a Roadrunner during the early days of transition from division II to division I. Finch also has international experience as a player, during the 2012-13 season she played for ZFK Crvena Zvezda of Belgrade, Serbia. 

Finch joins the CSUB program with various experiences within the sport, from being an assistant coach at Humboldt State to being a graduate assistant coach for the Roadrunner men's soccer program. Finch has also spent time as a club coach in the community of Bakersfield. 

Head Coach Bernardo Silva on Tara Finch - "As a believer of building a team around our community, it has been an ambition of mine to bring our program closer to the city of Bakersfield and our amazing alumni. Tara has been immersed in the Bakersfield community for several years, she has an operations and coaching pedigree, and her excitement to help the program elevate and dominate was an opportunity that I just could not pass up on. We are excited to have her on board."

~GoRunners.com~