The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Summer Perala Promoted To Women's Soccer Associate Head Coach
8/29/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Aug. 29, 2007
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - UAB women's soccer head coach Paul Harbin has promoted Summer Perala from assistant coach to associate head coach, Harbin has announced. Perala, who is beginning her fifth season with the Blazers, has been an integral part of UAB's success over the past four years.
"Summer has done an exceptional job for us during the previous four years," said Harbin. "During her time here she has been involved in every aspect of running our program and has been an instrumental part of our success.
"Without question she is one of the hardest working women's soccer coaches in the country. We are privileged to have her on staff."
Since being hired in 2003, Perala has helped lead the Blazers to three Conference USA championships, including a regular-season title in 2003 and a pair of conference tournament crowns that led them to the NCAA tournament in 2004 and 2006.
A well-respected goalkeepers specialist, Perala spends a good amount of her time with the goalkeepers while also helping to run the day-to-day operations of the program. She was also named the director of the UAB Girls Soccer Goalkeeper Camps in 2003.
Perala is a 2002 graduate of Western Illinois University, where she served for one year as the student assistant/goalkeeper coach. At WIU, she helped plan and evaluate training sessions and was significantly involved in the recruiting of prospective athletes.
She also spent the spring of 2003 as the head coach of the girls' varsity soccer team at Guilford High School in Rockford, Ill., where her team advanced to the regional state tournament.
