Head coach Rob Brewer has presided over the Missouri State women’s soccer program since its inception in 1996. He was inducted into the Missouri State Athletics Hall of Fame as a member of the 2025 class.
On August 25, 2017, he picked up his 250th career victory thanks to a 1-0 shutout at Central Arkansas.
Overall, Missouri State has produced a 225-207-61 record during Brewer's tenure. The 1999 Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year has produced 123 all-conference selections, 41 all-freshman selections and 90 academic all-conference honorees. Brewer also had 43 players make the MVC all-tournmant team with two MVPs. In 24 seasons as a program, his team has reached the MVC Tournament 22 times and won the MVC Tournament twice. Brewer coached the first player in program history to be drafted in Nia Williams, a fourth-round pick (27th overall) in the inaugural NWSL draft by FC Kansas City on January 18, 2012.
Brewer’s squad received numerous accolades during the 2020-21 season, including three All-MVC selections, in Jacqueline Baetz, Anna Durnin and Isabel Burke. The Bears recorded thrilling wins over Drake and Southern Illinois down the final stretch of the season. MSU recorded three shutouts with Katherine Montgomery and Kaitlyn Maxwell at the helm. Maddie Augustine, Baetz, Sierra Fury and Durnin all garnered MVC Scholar-Athlete selections.
Recording the most wins since the 2011 season, Brewer led the Bears to a 11-5-2 mark and advanced to the Missouri Valley Conference semifinal round in the 2019 season. MSU rattled off a six-game undefeated streak in non-conference action, including a 5-1 thrashing of Tulsa at Betty & Bobby Allison South Stadium. The Bears went 4-2-1 in Valley play and had seven players selected to All-MVC teams with Kaitlin Maxwell earning another MVC Goalkeeper of the Year nod.
Brewer’s squad received numerous accolades during the 2018 season, including a Missouri Valley Conference Goalkeeper of the Year selection in Kaitlin Maxwell. After a 3-0 start to the season, the Bears finished 8-9-2, highlighted by resounding victories over Kansas State and Tulsa on the road. With Maxwell at the defensive helm, MSU recorded six shutouts throughout the course of the season. Freshman Kennady Orlick played a key role in the Bears’ offensive line, posting four game-winning goals, tying her for the top spot in the MSU record books.
Making the NCAA Tournament for the second time program history, the Bears showed one of the most successful runs during the 2017 season. Brewer led the squad to a 10-9-2 overall record and 4-2-1 mark in the league. The Bears won the 2017 MVC Championship title at Betty and Bobby Allison South Stadium and earned the league’s automatic bid to the big dance. MSU helds its own against No. 16 Oklahoma State and tied 1-1, but later fell in penalty kicks.
Brewer’s squad went 5-8-4 in the 2016 season, racking up wins against Nebraska-Omaha, Central Arkansas, SEMO, Indiana State and Kansas State. The Bears finished an impresseive 5-2-2 on their home field, with all five wins taking place at Betty & Bobby Allison South Stadium.
The Bears went 9-7-1 under Brewer in 2015, tying for the most wins among MVC schools. Senior Alix Opfer became the sixth different player to record 20 points in a season for Brewer and she scored MSU's first four goals of the year. Aided by a 2-1-0 home league record, Brewer's Bears earned a home MVC Tournament match as the three-seed in 2015.
In 2014, Brewer guided the Bears into a brand new facility, Betty and Bobby Allison South Stadium. His squad racked up a 6-2-1 record at home including a 2-0-1 conference record at BBASS. Despite finishing 2-3-1 in MVC action and falling to the fifth-seed, Brewer's team reached the MVC Tournament semifinals.
The 2013 season didn't go as well as Brewer had hoped, but some positives did punctuate the year. Junior Kelsey Fouch picked up the eighth MVC Defensive Player of the Year award bestowed upon one of Brewer's players. The Bears went 2-2-2 in MVC play to finish fourth in the league, but were knocked out of the postseason on penalty kicks.
Brewer's team was outstanding at home in 2012. The team's seven shutouts all occurred at Plaster Field. His team had six-straight home shutouts and had not allowed a goal at home for 685 consecutive minutes until overtime of the final regular season match.
In 2011, Brewer's team went 12-5-2 and 4-1-1 in the Valley. Brewer guided the team to a school record 11-match unbeaten streak from Labor Day until the last match of the regular season. During the streak, the Bears registered the first-ever seven-game winning streak and won four consecutive matches in 1-0 shutout fashion, another first in team history.
Brewer's 2010 squad went 10-6-3 overall and 4-1-1 in MVC play, finishing second in the Valley for a second-straight season. It was Brewer's third 10-win season in the last five years. His team made its 15th-consecutive trip to the MVC Tournament and took regular season conference champion Creighton to overtime of the MVC Tournament finals before ending its season in heartbreaking fashion.
In 2009, Brewer led the Bears to a 9-6-3 overall record and a 4-1-1 conference finish. MSU finished a half game behind Illinois State for the conference title; the second-place finish was the highest conference finish in Brewer's tenure. The team reached the semifinals for the second-straight season and third time in four seasons before dropping a road decision to Creighton in overtime, 2-1.
Brewer led the 2008 squad to a 10-7-2 record and the conference semifinals before Evansville eliminated the Bears from the MVC Tournament. It was the sixth time Brewer had reached double-digit wins in a season at Missouri State.
The 2007 Bears squad ended the season with an overall record of 6-11-2 and a 2-2-2 Missouri Valley Conference record. Brewer's squad made its 12th trip to the MVC Tournament and earned a fifth-place finish in the Valley. The Bears defensive line was strong, holding opponent offenses to a 0.81 goals-against average. Missouri State suffered a tough offensive drought, scoring the lowest number of goals (16) and points (43) in Missouri State history in a single season.
In 2006, Brewer and the Bears' program celebrated their 100th win with a 2-1 overtime victory over Alabama A&M on Sept. 8 at the Arkansas Lady Razorback Classic. The squad had many highs and lows. The team's six-match winning streak from Sept. 1-17 tied a school record for consecutive victories. The Bears would win only three of their last 12 matches, however, to finish 10-9-2. MSU rebounded to avenge a regular season loss to Illinois State by knocking off the Redbirds in the first round of the MVC Tournament in Normal. A 1-0 overtime loss to MVC champion Drake ended the Bears' season.
The 2005 Bears ended the season with an overall record of 9-4-5 and a 3-1-2 Missouri Valley Conference record. Brewer made his 10th consecutive trip to the State Farm MVC Tournament and landed a third-place finish in the Valley. With the finish, the Bears matched the best regular season finish in MSU school history.
In 2004, the Bears finished with an overall record of 9-4-4 and a 3-2-2 record in the MVC, finishing the season tied for fourth place in the league. The year also saw three MSU all-time team records set in fewest goals allowed (13), goals-against average (0.73) and fewest saves (97).
In 2000, Missouri State won its first MVC Tournament championship and made its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The squad finished the season 12-11-1 overall and set a single-season team record with 11 shutouts.
In 2003, Brewer guided the Bears to a 9-9-3 overall record and a 5-2-0 MVC mark. The Bears advanced to the MVC tournament semifinals for the seventh time in eight years before losing 1-0 to eventual champion Illinois State.
Brewer led the Bears to their fourth straight winning season at 8-7-3 and a winning MVC conference record of 3-2-2 in 2002. Northern Iowa spoiled the Bears' chances of advancing to the MVC tournament semifinals for the seventh straight season, however, by defeating the Bears, 2-0, in the play-in game.
In 2001, Brewer and the women's soccer team enjoyed postseason success for the third straight season. After an up-and-down season, Missouri State entered the tournament as a fifth seed, beating fourth-seeded Drury in a tournament play-in game to earn a second straight semifinal game against Illinois State. Missouri State upset top-seeded Illinois State, 2-0, earning the Bears a spot in the championship for the third straight season. In the final game, Missouri State lost a heartbreaker to Evansville, 2-1, spoiling its hopes of reaching the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season.
In 1999, Missouri State posted a 14-7-1 record and finished runner-up at the Valley tournament after a grueling 3-2 loss to Evansville in three overtime periods. That season, Missouri State set team records for goals scored (65), assists (52) and wins (14).
A 1977 graduate of Lynchburg (Va.) College, Brewer came to Missouri State after seven years at Elon (N.C.) College, where he was assistant professor of physical education and served stints as coach of the men's and women's soccer teams. During his tenure, Elon made the move from NAIA affiliation to NCAA Division II in 1992-93. Brewer enjoyed tremendous success with the Elon women's soccer team, serving as the program's leader from 1989 to 1993 and compiling a 68-28-2 record, including four straight conference titles. In 1992, he was named the NAIA Regional Coach of the Year after leading the Lady Fightin' Christians to a 19-6 mark, an NAIA regional championship and a spot in the national semifinals in Tacoma, Wash.
In each of his first two coaching jobs, from 1985 to 1989 at Virginia Wesleyan College in Norfolk and from 1978 to 1985 at Roanoke College in Salem, Va., Brewer took men's teams with sub-.500 records and turned them into winners, producing 11 consecutive winning seasons. At Roanoke, he coached current Missouri State men's soccer coach Jon Leamy for four seasons.
Brewer, who earned his master's degree in education from Virginia Tech in 1981, was a standout soccer player at Lynchburg and competed as a high jumper on the Hornets' track and field team. He won the school's Outstanding Male Athlete Award as a senior in 1977 and was inducted into the Lynchburg Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.
The Lynchburg, Va., native was selected by the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Committee to serve on the Central Regional Advisory Committee in February of 1998.
Brewer and his wife, Karen, have two daughters, Katie and Molly. Molly played for the Bears from 2013-2016.
