June 15, 2006

LAS VEGAS - Brittany Oliveira has been named assistant women's soccer coach at UNLV, head coach Katherine Mertz announced on Thursday. Oliveira takes over for Stephanie Rigamat, who resigned her position earlier this spring to pursue other professional opportunities.

"I'm very excited to have Brittany join our staff here at UNLV," said Mertz. "Brittany will be a great addition, with her playing experience at Stanford as well as her Division I coaching experience in the Big Ten. Her passion for the game will help and inspire the team both on and off the field."

Oliveria comes to UNLV from Northwestern, where she spent the past two seasons as an assistant for the Wildcats. At Northwestern, she was involved in all aspects of the program, including training, game preparation, recruiting, and fundraising. She was also the coach for the U13 and U14 girls teams for Team Evanston Soccer Club since January of 1995.

She was a standout player at Stanford, helping the Cardinal to four straight NCAA appearances from 2000 to 2004. Oliveira appeared in 84 matches during her collegiate career, starting 33 matches, and finished with 12 goals and 10 assists. Her senior season, she posted four goals on the way to earning honorable mention all-conference honors.

Oliveira received her bachelor of arts degree in American studies from Stanford in 2004.