DALLAS (SMU) – SMU Women's Soccer announced the hiring of Assistant Coach Daniel O'Hare on Tuesday.

"We are thrilled to add Daniel to our staff," Head Coach Nicole Nelson said.  "Daniel's expertise aligned perfectly with what we need in this position. His experience in the SEC, experience with US soccer and playing background will add value immediately and contribute to the future success of our program."

O'Hare comes to the Hilltop after spending three seasons as an assistant coach at Vanderbilt.

"I'm incredibly honored and excited to join the SMU women's soccer program," O'Hare said.

"This is such a special time for the team as we enter our second year ACC, bringing exciting challenges and big opportunities. I truly believe the future is bright for SMU women's soccer, and I'm looking forward to helping the program reach new heights in this next chapter."

During his time in Nashville, O'Hare led the goalkeeper development program, ensuring technical and tactical growth while also designing and implementing a goalkeeper game model that complements the team's system of play. He also developed customized training sessions in a high-performance environment utilizing video and data analysis to assess performance and provide tactical insights.
 
O'Hare's goalkeepers posted a record of 30-14-16, 27 clean sheets, 0.92 goals conceded per game, helping lead the Commodores to two NCAA tournament appearances, reaching the second round in 2022 and the third round in 2024. He also played a significant role in Vanderbilt's recruiting efforts, assisting in scouting and recruiting student-athletes, including campus visits.

With his expertise in video analytics, O'Hare is also a Performance Analyst for the US Soccer Youth National Team, providing critical insight to for Talent ID's and technical and tactical trends.

Prior to his time at Vanderbilt, O'Hare was at Arkansas State (2017-22) where he spent five seasons as an assistant coach and graduate assistant with its women's soccer program. During his time at Arkansas State, the team won two Sunbelt Regular Season Championships and totaled a record of 48-28-12, 35 clean sheets and 0.88 goals conceded per game.

O'Hare received a bachelor's degree from Tennessee Wesleyan before earning his first master's degree during his time at Arkansas State.

SMU Athletics is entering a new era, distinguished by excellence in academics and competition, and bringing top-tier collegiate sports to Dallas, recently recognized as the No. 1 city for sports business by Sports Business Journal.

Since 2013, all 17 programs have reached the postseason, with 16 winning conference titles. As Dallas' only NCAA FBS program, SMU has achieved 10 national championships, more than 200 team conference titles, over 100 individual national championships, more than 150 NCAA Top 10 finishes, nearly 2,000 All-American honors and more than 150 Olympians.

With an investment of over $250 million in championship-caliber facilities since 2013, SMU remains committed to athletic excellence and looks forward to continued success in the ACC.