Delaney Castor is entering her third year as an assistant coach for Tarleton soccer ahead of the 2024 season. In August of 2023 she completed her master's degree from Tarleton State University.
A native of Irving, Texas, Castor works directly with Tarleton’s goalkeepers while lending her efforts to all areas of team operations, including recruiting, opponent scouting, team video and equipment.
In her second season in Stephenville, Castor led a trio of young goaltenders (two sophomores and a freshman). As a staff her keepers' led the WAC in saves collecting 139.
As an individual Mikayla Kendall became the first goalie in program history to record at least 100 saves, and the third goalie for head coach Pete Cuadrado to reach the mark. Kendall finished with a league-best, 126. Kendall placed fourth in the conference with two shutouts. She also ranked second best in the league with a pair of combined shutouts with Emma Barnes. Kendall finished second in save percentage at .778 and fourth in with a 2.20 GAA.
In the Texan's inaugural season, Castor helped guide freshman goalie Mikayla Kendall to rank in the top 10 of WAC goalies in both saves and goals against average.
Due to a few injuries to the team's pair of goaltenders in 2022, Castor was called upon as a goaltender and played a pair of games in the middle of the season. Castor was enrolled as a graduate student pursuing her masters and she had one year of eligibility remaining due to the CoVid-19 shortened season while she was at Howard Payne. Castor recorded 11 saves and allowed six goals in 180 minutes on the pitch.
“I am very excited about the addition of Delaney to our staff,” Cuadrado said. “She brings energy, work ethic, and drive, which will be a great fit for our program. During the hiring process, Delaney showed her passion for the game, a high level of goalkeeping knowledge, and great character that will help our student athletes achieve their best on and off the field.”
Castor joined first-year assistant coach Rex Carrell, who began his first full season at Tarleton in July of 2022
“I love the idea of building a program from the ground up,” Castor said. “Not many coaches can say they were a part of an inaugural season or witness a team’s first goal or first win. I was sold the first time I met Pete [Cuadrado] and Rex [Carrell]. I loved hearing their plans to take this program to the next level in its first year. They have the right balance of support and accountability that I think teams need to have in order to be successful.”
Castor is certified through United Soccer Coaches in Goalkeeping Level II. She is also certified in Foundations of Coaching and Get aHEAD Safely in Soccer. She also has her USSF D license for Texas soccer coaches.
She has worked extensively at a multitude of summer camps hosted by Division I programs, including Texas, Texas A&M and SMU. Castor assisted in the organization and implementation of camp activities and provided individual instruction to campers in all facets of the sport at each stop.
Castor has also worked as a private goalkeeper coach and has served as a volunteer soccer coach for Cen-Tex Soccer in Brownwood since 2018.
Her Division I coaching career was spawned by a standout playing career as a goalkeeper at nearby Howard Payne University.
She appeared and started in 60 games across four seasons for the Yellow Jackets. Castor earned All-Conference accolades each season, including first team All-Conference honors as a senior. Castor was honored as the American Southwest Conference Goalkeeper of the Year during her sophomore. Additionally, Castor garnered All-Region accolades from United Soccer Coaches and was honored as the Hero Sports Goalie of the Week during her tenure in Brownwood.
Castor’s name is smattered across the Yellow Jackets’ school record books. She broke 13 school records over the course of her four-year run in Brownwood, including career saves (453), career saves per game (7.6), career save percentage (.809), single-season saves (159) and single-game saves (24).
Castor is a graduate of MacArthur High School in Irving, Texas, where she was a three-time letter winner on the pitch. She earned a bachelor’s degree in education from HPU.
