University of Wyoming Athletics Director Tom Burman announced Wednesday the hiring of Josh Purdum as the new head coach of the soccer program. Purdum – who becomes the sixth soccer head coach in school history – comes to Laramie from Colorado State where he was an assistant coach the last two seasons.

“We are excited about Josh coming to UW to lead Cowgirl soccer,” Burman said. “His experience and enthusiasm resonated well with all those he met with when visiting campus. The future of Cowgirl soccer is very bright.”

Purdum worked primarily with the Rams’ goalkeepers the last two-plus seasons, but his coaching experience is vast. Purdum coached at North Dakota State for four years – one of which was as the associate head coach – was an assistant at Eastern Kentucky for two seasons and was an assistant with Drake for one year.

“My wife and I are extremely excited to be making the transition to Laramie this spring,” Purdum said. “I cannot than Tom Burman, Peter Prigge and the rest of the committee enough for trusting me to be the next head coach of Wyoming soccer. I’m honored to be joining a program with tremendous support and following from the community.”

Purdum graduated from Northern Colorado with a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2011. That’s also where he got his start in coaching as a graduate assistant coach from 2011-14 while earning a master’s degree in clinical counseling.

Purdum competed in semi-professional soccer for the Northern Colorado Cutthroats of the Premier Arena Soccer League from 2009-11. He’s currently in the process of obtaining a USSF B License.

Wyoming represents Purdum’s first head coaching position. And he has a vision for how he wants his program to look.

“I want to be competitive in every aspect of the game and within the Mountain West Conference,” Purdum said. “I want players that love the game, love the competition and love making others around them shine. I want the fan base to see that Wyoming soccer is disciplined, detailed and committed to the brand.”