GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum University women's soccer head coach Mike Joy has announced the addition of two new members to his coaching staff.

Chelsea Parker has been named assistant coach while Kayla Walker will be serving as a graduate assistant coach.

"I am very excited about the upcoming season and so thankful we have been able to successfully fill our staff vacancies with a tremendously talented and very qualified group of coaches," said Coach Joy.  "Chelsea was a tremendous goalkeeper and All-Conference Player in the South Atlantic Conference and has coached in our region for almost four seasons. Kayla was a leader on her team at Lander and has been involved with coaching throughout her collegiate career and has numerous coaching certificates."  

Parker comes to the Greeneville campus from Charleston, South Carolina where she was the Assistant Director of Coaching for the James Island Soccer Club.

Parker served the previous two seasons as an assistant and goalkeeper coach at Lees-McRae College.  While at the Banner Elk, North Carolina school, she mentored five All-Conference Carolinas standouts, including goalkeeper Alexis Feely, who was tabbed the league's Defensive Player of the Year in 2017. 

In her first season at LMC, the Bobcats went 7-12 overall and finished fourth in the conference standings in 2016.  Lees-McRae placed fifth with a 5-12-3 record, but got hot in the postseason and advanced to the Conference Carolinas Tournament final.

Parker emerged on the collegiate coaching scene at Shorter University where she was the goalkeepers coach and graduate assistant for two years. Parker earned her Master of Arts degree in leadership in 2014.

Parker player collegiately at South Atlantic Conference member Mars Hill University where she was four-year letter-winner and earned All-SAC second team honors as a goalkeeper in 2011.  She logged a 1.45 goals against average that season while posting 52 saves and three shutouts.  She served as team captain her last two seasons with the Lions.

Parker graduated from Mars Hill in 2013 where she majored in history and double minored in English and women's studies.  She was a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, Dean's List, Phi Alpha Theta and Sigma Tau Delta. 

Parker is also USSF E and D coaching certified.

Walker recently completed her collegiate playing career at Lander University where she lettered for three seasons while playing in 43 matches including 39 starts.  She played on defense where she accounted for six goals with the Bearcats and was named the 2016-2017 team most valuable player.

She was a member of the Dean's List and was the recipient of the Life Scholarship and the Physical Education and Exercise Science Senior Scholarship.

This past spring she served as varsity assistant coach with the Greenwood High School women's soccer team.

She graduated from Lander in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science degree in exercise science. She was also a member of the Physical Education and Exercise Science Club and volunteered with Habitat for Humanity.

The Lexington, South Carolina native holds USSF E and F coaching licenses and is in the process of completing her D certification.