Former Mercyhurst College Women's Soccer player Noreen Herlihy was inducted into the Mercyhurst College Athletic Hall of Fame Saturday, May 21, 2005, during the Department's annual Senior Student-Athlete Recognition Luncheon at the college's Egan Hall Dining Room.
Herlihy was a member of the Irish National Team from 1985-88. She played soccer for two years at Mercyhurst (1990, 1991) and was a two-time All-America, an Academic All-America, and an All-Region selection. She led Division II in assists in 1990 and was a member of the 1991 Mercyhurst College NCAA playoff team. She graduated from Mercyhurst in 1992 with a degree in Sports Medicine.
Following graduation, she remained at Mercyhurst as an assistant Women's Soccer coach and admissions counselor from 1992-94. She helped the 1993 and 1994 Lakers to the NCAA Division II final four before becoming the women's head coach at Slippery Rock in 1995.
Taking over a two-year-old program, Noreen directed a team that blazed a significant trail and established a lofty mark for future teams to equal or better. The 1996 team finished with a 14-5 record and was led by the school's first female soccer All-Conference, All-Region, and All-America selection, Sonya Maher. For her efforts, Noreen was chosen Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Coach of the Year. In 1997, Herlihy became the first woman to lead a collegiate men's program when she accepted the dual role of men's and women's coach.
Four years later, she led SRU to its first-ever trip to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference playoffs. In 2001, Herlihy's women's team earned an NCAA regional tournament berth, scoring an opening-round win and earning a spot in the regional final. Herlihy recorded her 100th career win on September 16, 2001, during The Rock's sweep of a women's/men's doubleheader against PSAC rival ,Shippensburg. She led The Rock to a PSAC championship and the NCAA playoffs for the second time in the team's history in 2003 and was named Northeast Region Coach of the Year. SRU finished 13-3-2 last season. Noreen owns a 10-year mark of 114-60-8 with the women.
She continued her education while at SRU and earned her Master's in Sports Administration in 2004.
