Valerie Henderson enters her second season in 2013 as an assistant coach with the San Jose State women[apos]s soccer team.
Henderson was a team captain and four-year starting goalkeeper (2004-07) at UCLA. Named a 2007 NSCAA Scholar All-American, she helped lead the Bruins to four straight NCAA Women[apos]s College Cups, including two championship game appearances. Henderson currently holds records at UCLA for career shutouts (38) and career wins (76).
In addition to her collegiate experience, Henderson brings a wealth of international experience to the Spartans. While at UCLA, Henderson competed for the USA at the 2006 FIFA World Youth Championships in Russia and was named Woman of the Match after a shutout victory versus France. She also helped the USA U-23 Team defeat Germany in the 2008 Nordic Cup Championship and did not allow a goal over the course of the tournament.
Following her collegiate career, Henderson was drafted in the third round of the 2009 WPS draft by the Los Angeles Sol, where she played from March 2009 to March 2010. She then played for the Philadelphia Independence, also of the WPS, from March 2010 to August 2011. Henderson most recently played professionally for the KIF Örebro women[apos]s professional soccer team based in Örebro, Sweden.
Henderson came to the Spartans after spending the previous two years as an assistant and goalkeeper coach for the Lamorinda Soccer Club based in Lafayette, Calif.
The native of Concord, Calif. earned a B.S. in English from UCLA in 2007 and is a contributing writer to ESPNW.com. In January 2013, Henderson earned her National [quote]C[quote] Coaching License from the U.S. Soccer Federation.