Women’s Soccer Head Coach Jeff Wilson Inducted into Sacred Heart’s Athletic Hall of Fame
On Oct. 18, Women’s Soccer Head Coach Jeff Wilson was honored for his decades of dedication to the success of young men and women on and off the field at Sacred Heart Cathedral’s Athletic Hall of Fame ceremony.
By Kyra Young
Women’s Soccer Head Coach Jeff Wilson is always looking to find his edge – not only for himself as a coach, but for his players.
“I’m always going to do my best when a player comes here to help develop women to be the best person, not just a player, but the best person they can become,” Wilson said.
Having led so many athletes with the same integrity and discipline that make up his philosophy, a Hall of Fame induction was inevitable.
At Sacred Heart Cathedral’s Athletics Hall of Fame ceremony on Oct. 18, Wilson was honored for his decades of dedication to the success of young men and women on and off the field in the Bay Area. At 22 years old, he stepped into an opportunity that would not only develop into a passion but also become a part of who he was for the next 30 years.
Wilson took on an assistant coaching position at San Francisco State University the year after his college playing career. After that season, with winter around the corner, he was informed that SHC’s men’s varsity soccer team needed a coach.
After his first season in 1996, Wilson returned to coach the SHC varsity boys team from 1998-2017, leading the Irish to five Central Coast Section finals appearances and four championships. He also taught and counseled at SHC for 19 years.
In 2016, he once again returned to the college level – this time as head coach for women’s soccer at City College. In his nine years with the Rams, the team has earned four Coast Conference League Titles, repeatedly closed the season ranked in the National Top 20 and qualified for the CCCAA playoffs every season. In 2024, the Rams reached the Final Four and finished the season ranked fourth in the nation.
Wilson himself has earned multiple Coach of the Year honors in his career. All the while, he has helped over 40 student-athletes transfer to play in the NCAA division, with seven All-Americans, four Scholar All-Americans, and a National Scholar-Athlete of the Year all coming out of City College.
Paige Pineda-Aliamus, who played under Wilson’s guidance for two years, went on to play for San Jose State in the 2025 season. She earned a number of accolades in her time with the Rams, including being named to the United States Soccer All-America First Team and nominated as the Coast-North Conference’s Player of the Year in 2024.
“Coach Jeff was one of the best coaches I ever had,” Pineda-Aliamus said. ”He cared for everyone on his team, not just as a player, but as a person. I feel very privileged to have had two years with him as a coach.”
Maleah Evans, who played with the Rams from 2020-22, went on to play at the Division 1 level with South Dakota State. She originally intended on attending City College for a year. After her first season with Wilson, Evans admitted she was devastated at the realization that City College could not be where she finishes her soccer career.
“I think that’s just a testament to the culture Jeff creates and the people he brings in, how intentional he is with every single player, how he gets to know us, our stories, what makes us tick and how to coach us best,” Evans said. “Jeff is someone that I owe my entire college soccer career and post soccer career to. He has shaped me into the person and the player that I am. I cannot say enough amazing things about him.”
Aside from athletic performance, both Pineda-Aliamus and Evans emphasized Wilson’s dedication to the team’s academic success. He would help every individual get in contact with tutors and make himself available to read over their essays.
“Jeff was the first person to engrain confidence in me in school,” Evans said.
According to Wilson, teaching and counseling have many parallels with coaching that he believes have only helped him become a more well-rounded coach.
Wilson found himself back on the field at SHC in 2021 with the girls' varsity soccer team, juggling SHC in the winter and City College in the fall. Despite the brief overlap in competition, Wilson says he finds a way to ensure balance amidst the chaos.
“I’ll learn to relax at some point,” he said with a laugh.
Surrounded by competition almost year-round, Wilson’s own competitive nature guides him in his guidance of others. From men to women, high schoolers to college students, or the field to his daily life, his philosophy does not stray.
“I think I’m somebody that asks players to push past their comfort zone, and I think part of that is understanding you’ve got to be audacious enough to really put yourself out there and push yourself, but humble enough to know that there’s still work to do,” Wilson said. “And I think that’s part of it – somebody who really believes in their players and will just keep pushing. The reason why I keep pushing is that I just see a different level in somebody, and I want them to just work to their fullest potential.”
For Wilson, teaching his players the importance of dedication has become fundamental to his coaching, pushing him to find his edge and make his team more confident and resilient. He aims for his players to take pride in the Rams legacy they are a part of and in what they helped create.
As for the induction, Wilson says the entire experience has been humbling. “I was the only non-Sacred Heart grad to be inducted that night. Although I didn’t graduate from there, it was such an influential institution in helping me become who I am today,” he said. Sacred Heart is a nationally renowned high school, and Wilson’s name is now part of its 175-year history.
