USAF ACADEMY, Colo. -The Air Force women’s soccer team welcomes two new assistant coaches, announced today by interim head coach Larry Friend.  Raleigh Tillman, a Colorado Springs native and Gary Evans were named assistants.

Tillman comes to the academy from University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, where she was a volunteer assistant with the women’s soccer team in 2008.

“I’m excited to have Raleigh join our staff,” Friend said.  “We have worked the AFA soccer camps together since 2001. She is a Colorado Springs native who brings a lot of passion and goalkeeper expertise to the program.”

Evans was the former head coach for both the men’s and women’s soccer programs at Colorado Christian University and currently works with the Pride Soccer Club in Colorado Springs.

“I met Gary in 1993 during the B camp at Evergreen State College,” Friend said.  “He is a man of integrity and a solid friend. Gary started working with the Falcons last Spring. We are lucky to have him volunteer his time. The players have enjoyed his sense of humor and knowledge of the game. We don’t hold his Liverpool accent and soccer background against him”

Tillman has coached at the Air Force summer soccer camp the last eight years and has also coached summer camps for UCCS, the Corinthians Soccer Club and the Charlotte Eagles Soccer Club.  She was also the head coach and goalkeeper trainer with the Corinthians Soccer Club in Colorado Springs.

In 2006, Tillman became a certified personal trainer through the American College of Sports Medicine and has worked with the Colorado Springs YMCA, World Gym in Colorado Springs and Foothills Acceleration and Sports Training in Peoria, Ariz.

Tillman spent 2004-05 working for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in Santa Barbara, Calif.  She worked with the camps, youth mentoring and coaches support during her tenure with the Santa Barbara FCA.

A 2004 graduate of Indiana Wesleyan, Tillman earned a degree in exercise science.  She was a four-year soccer letterwinner at Indiana Wesleyan, earning All-NAIA Region VIII and All-Mid-Central Conference honors three times, once as a goalkeeper and twice as a center midfielder.  In addition, Tillman earned NAIA All-America honors as a senior.

Tillman is a Colorado Springs native, graduating from Colorado Springs Christian School in 2000.  Upon graduation, she played for the Charlotte Lady Eagles during the summer of 2000 in the Women’s Semi-Professional league (WSPL).

Born and raised in Liverpool, England, Evans began his professional playing career with the Liverpool Football Club.  He later came to the United States and played in the North American Soccer League (NASL) in Edmonton, the American Soccer League (ASL) for the California Sunshine and in the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) in Cleveland.

Upon completing his professional playing career, Evans spent 15 years in the corporate sector in Southern California and Oregon. In 1996, Evans moved to Colorado and took over the head coaching duties at CCU.  In 1997, he took over the women’s program, and ran both programs at CCU through 2003.

From 2003-05, Evans was the director of coaching at the Storm Soccer Club in Denver.  In 2006, he took over the director of coaching position with the Pride SC.

Evans earned his United States Soccer Federation (USSF) A License in 1994.  He also earned both the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Director of Coaching Diploma and United States Soccer Federation (USSF) National Youth License in 2008.