Staff Directory
- Title:
- Head Coach
On May 28th, 2026, Gardner-Webb University Vice President and Director of Athletics Brendan Fahey announced Samantha Thomsit as the next head coach of the Gardner-Webb women’s soccer program
Thomsit arrives at Gardner-Webb after implementing one of the great program turnarounds in women’s college soccer during her previous spell at Spring Hill College. Before arriving in 2022, Spring Hill was off the back of an 0-17 season, with a negative-60 goal scoring margin. During Thomsit’s tenure, Spring Hill gradually improved before combining to win 14 games over the 2024 and 2025 seasons. The 2024 and 2025 campaigns included a progressively higher finish in the Gulf South Conference during each season and the highest conference point totals in program history. During her four seasons at Spring Hill, Thomsit led the program to more wins than the program had seen in the previous decade combined
Her accomplishments at Spring Hill are not just limited to wins and losses, as Thomsit led Spring Hill to a pair of Gulf South Quarterfinal appearances, the furthest postseason runs in school history. She did so with a team which included the top scorer in the Gulf South Conference in 2024, the first player in program history to be named Gulf South All-Conference First Team, and the first player in Spring Hill history to be named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Region Team. Player retention was also a significant calling card for Thomsit at Spring Hill, where she was able to keep all but five players over her four years leading the program
Prior to her time at Spring Hill, Thomsit served as an assistant coach at the University of South Alabama from 2018 to 2021. During her time with the Jaguars, Thomsit was on a staff that led South Alabama to the 2019 and 2020 Sun Belt regular season title, and a berth in the NCAA Tournament during the 2020 and 2021 campaigns. Her tenure on staff at South Alabama saw the Jaguars reach double digit wins in three of her four seasons, led largely by a defense she helped to spearhead as goalkeepers coach. 26 South Alabama players would take home All-Sun Belt selections in total during her four seasons, while the 2018 team allowed just 0.57 goals per game
Thomsit is well traveled outside the college game as well, serving as the head coach and travel coordinator for Burlingame Soccer Club in California from 2015 to 2017. Thomsit was crucial in elevating the club’s youth development structure, helping to create a path-to-college program for both the U17 girls and U10 girls teams. In addition, Thomsit further worked with youth soccer players both in the United States and abroad, serving as head coach of Cherokee High School in Rogersville, Tennessee in 2013 and 2014, and as the boys and girls head coach of JSSL Arsenal Soccer Schools in Singapore in 2014 and 2015. She brings to Gardner-Webb additional experience in the club game as well, having also served as the head coach of Knoxville Soccer Academy’s U18 girls team during the 2014 season
As a player, Thomsit had a decorated career at Carson-Newman University, featuring in the starting lineup in nearly every game as both a freshman and senior, including during the team’s NCAA Division II Elite Eight run in 2009. Thomsit graduated from Carson-Newman in 2013 with her B.S. in Physical Education.
A native of Trowbridge, England, Thomsit is an FA Level 1 and USSF B-licensed coach and has her NSCAA Level 2 Goalkeeping Diploma. She brings over a decade of high-level coaching experience to GWU and will arrive at Gardner-Webb with her husband, Walker
