Fleur Benatar has been the head soccer coach at Texas Woman’s University since the program’s inception in fall 2002. In her 10 years as the Pioneers’ bench boss, she has compiled an overall record of 56-109-21. In 2009 Benatar guided her team to a school record six conference wins and a third place finish in the standings, the highest in the prorgram history.
The Pioneers have played in three Lone Star Conference postseason tournaments (2005, 2007 and 2009) and numerous TWU players have earned All-Lone Star Conference honors under Bentatar’s direction. Several TWU players have also garnered Lone Star Conference All-Academic distinction on Benatar’s watch including two LSC Academic Player of the Year honors - Aly Vincent-Evans in 2008 and Jacqueline Horner in 2009.
Before coming to TWU, Benatar spent two seasons (2000-01) at the University of North Texas (UNT) as an assistant to head soccer coach John Hedlund. She helped lead the 2001 Lady Eagles to the regular-season Sun Belt Conference Championship and a 13-5 record.
Benatar joined the UNT staff prior to the 2000 season after a year of coaching in the high school ranks in California, where she served as the head coach of the boys’ junior varsity soccer team at La Jolla High School. In her one season at La Jolla, Benatar guided the team to a first-place finish in its district with an 8-1-1 record. She also coached for the Nomads Soccer Club of La Jolla.
In November 2006, Benatar was invited to be a guest instructor at the NCAA Division II Sports Festival YES Clinic. She has also received valuable coaching experience on the club level and with Olympic Development Program (ODP) teams in the Dallas area. She coached the Dallas Sting club team for three years from 1996-98 and has served as an ODP coach since 1996. In addition to her duties at TWU, Benatar currently coaches both the boys and girls club teams for the Dallas-based Solar Soccer Club. She also holds a U.S.S.F. National “A” Coaching License and is a state-level course instructor.
A graduate of Richardson (Tex.) High School, Benatar played college soccer for two seasons at the University of Arkansas before transferring to UNT in 1996. A midfielder during her playing career, Benatar competed for the Lady Eagles in 1996 and 1997.
She received her undergraduate degree in Kinesiology from UNT in 1999 and her master’s degree in Kinesiology from UNT in May 2002. Benatar and her husband, Will , have a daughter, Gabrielle and two sons, Fletcher and Phillip.
BENATAR AT TWU
|
YEAR |
OVERALL RECORD |
LSC RECORD |
LSC FINISH |
|
2002 |
5-10-2 |
0-7-1 |
8th |
|
2003 |
3-12-2 |
2-6-1 |
8th |
|
2004 |
5-13-1 |
2-6-1 |
T-8th |
|
2005 |
9-9-2 |
4-5-0 |
T-5th |
|
2006 |
4-13-2 |
1-7-1 |
9th |
|
2007 |
8-9-3 |
5-4-1 |
T-4th |
|
2008 |
9-8-2 |
4-4-2 |
T-7th |
|
2009 |
8-9-2 |
6-3-1 |
3rd |
|
2010 |
4-12-2 |
2-7-2 |
10th |
|
2011 |
1-14-3 |
1-12-1 |
8th |
|
TOTAL |
56-109-21 |
27-61-11 |
|
