Natalie Holmes enters her second season on the Bloomsburg women’s coaching staff as a graduate assistant coach. 

Primarily helping with the defense, Holmes helped the Huskies finish 14-5-2 with a 11-3-2 mark in conference play in her first season in 2022. Bloomsburg reached the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive season under guidance. Holmes was instrumental in the development of freshman Lorelai Hartzfeld becoming a second team United Soccer Coaches All-Region and D2CCA All-Atlantic selection while goalkeeper Riley Spingler also earned second team D2CCA All-Atlantic recognition. In total, she helped Bloomsburg amass six total All-PSAC nods in 2022.

Statistically, the 2022 Bloomsburg defense was one of the best in the nation. The Huskies tied for the national lead with 14 clean sheets and ended the year with the third-best goals against average in the country at .37. 

Holmes graduated as a highly decorated and standout player for the Huskies’ on their championship teams over her four-year career at BU. Following the 2021 season, in which Bloomsburg won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) title for the second time in three seasons, Holmes earned a pair of All-America nods from the United Soccer Coaches and Division II Conference Commissioners Association. She was named the PSAC Defensive Player of the Year and a First Team All-PSAC defensive player. Holmes earned PSAC Tournament MVP honors following a stellar tournament in 2021, where she finished the week with three assists and anchored the Bloomsburg defense, which posted a shutout in all three games. The defense allowed just 11 shots total in the three games and just five shots on net. Opponents had just three corner kicks, one in each contest, against Bloomsburg in the PSAC Tournament.

For her career on the pitch, Holmes earned six all-region awards from the United Soccer Coaches and D2CCA and three All-PSAC East honors, including a pair of second-team nods in 2018 and 2019.

Holmes excelled in the classroom during her time at BU as well as she earned CoSIDA Academic All-America third team honors in 2021 as well as All-District First Team accolades as well. She is a two-time PSAC Scholar-Athlete as well.

During her three seasons with the Huskies, Holmes helped power one of the best defenses in NCAA DII women’s soccer. Bloomsburg held opponents to a 0.57 goals against average in 2021, 13th best in DII, and posted 14 shutouts, 11th best in DII. In 2019, the Huskies posted a 0.44 GAA and a league-high 14 shutouts; in 2018, the Huskies had a 0.51 GAA and 15 shutouts.

Holmes graduated with her undergraduate degree in exercise science and is pursuing her master’s in the same field.