Sixth Year
Sonoma State, 1985
Heading into her sixth year at The University of Arizona, head coach Lisa Fraser is on her way to building a solid Pac-10 soccer program.
Fraser began the program at Arizona in 1994 and led the Wildcats to their best season yet in 1997, as they finished 8-11-1 and set or tied 39 school records. In her brief time at Arizona, Fraser has produced 19 Academic All-Pac-10 honorees and a trio of All-Pac-10 players, including the program's inaugural first team all-league honoree, Inger Airheart, in 1997. Fraser has also witnessed the construction of the Wildcats' home field, Murphey Soccer Stadium, which opened in 1996.
Prior to her arrival at Arizona, Fraser, 41, had started women's soccer programs at three different schools. She began at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, where she spent one year and led her team to a 9-3-1 record in 1984.
Fraser then headed to Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, and spent four years as head coach of the Spartans. From there, Fraser moved to Washington State University and built one of the fastest-rising women's programs in the nation. She was there from 1989-93, and by that final year, Fraser's Cougars were ranked as high as 11th in the nation.
Her history in soccer yields only success, but her success is measured in more than her win-loss percentages. Fraser's insistence on excellence on the playing field carries over to the classroom. Last year the Wildcat squad produced 12 Mary Roby Academic Achievement Award winners, all with a 3.0 grade point average or better.
In 1994, the UA soccer team had the highest team grade point average of all 18 Wildcat sports, as well as more Mary Roby Award winners (15) than any other team. At Washington State, Fraser's players maintained a 3.0 or better GPA every year. Each student-athlete who plays for Fraser knows that academic achievement is an essential part of her success as a soccer player.
Fraser is active in youth soccer and in the Olympic Development Program. She was head coach of the under-19 girls team for the Region IV ODP for three years. Previously, she served for two years as assistant coach of the under-19 regional team and head coach for eastern Washington's under-16 team.
Fraser played college soccer for three years at Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park, Calif. She earned a bachelor's degree in physical education in 1985 and also worked as an assistant coach for both the men's and women's soccer teams.
Fraser was born in Dhaaharan, Saudi Arabia, and grew up in San Jose, Calif., where she graduated from Piedmont Hills High School in 1976. She and her husband, Bruce Caris, live in Tucson and have a son, Robert, who turned one in August.
