Indiana State Director of Athletics Sherard Clinkscales announced March 24, 2023 that Paul Lawrence has been named the fourth women's soccer head coach in program history.

Lawrence comes to Indiana State following a six-year coaching stint at Florida Southern College where he led the Moccasins to their first Sunshine State regular season championship in program history this past fall.

"Paul Lawrence is a well tenured head coach, who has had consistent success wherever he has been," Clinkscales said. "He is a skilled tactician who builds his teams through strong player development on and off the field. He firmly believes Indiana State soccer should consistently compete for championships and is poised to help take our program to the next level."

Lawrence guides Florida Southern College to a 36-32-13 overall record since 2017 including a 13-2-4 mark this past fall. The Mocs hosted the first ever conference semifinals in school history and appeared in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 12 years. FSC added the program's first NCAA postseason win this fall beating Mississippi College in double-overtime.

He was named the 2022 SSC Coach of the Year becoming just the second soccer coach in school history to win the award. The team completed the 2022 season with 13 wins (most since 2008), eight conference wins (program record), 45 goals (third-most in school history), averaged 2.37 goals a game (second-best), and set a new school record with nine shutouts in the season, allowing only 15 goals all year. FSC also featured their first All-American selection with Morgan Collica named to the D2CCA All-America Third Team. 

"I'm looking forward to the start of something very special here," Lawrence said. "Sherard and Angie (Lansing) were instrumental in shaping my decision to make Indiana State my new home. I can't thank them enough for this opportunity and their trust in me. I have a clear vision for where I feel we can take Indiana State soccer."

Among the highlights during his time at Florida Southern include six All-Region selections, 10 All-Conference selections, the 2022 SSC Freshman of the Year (Angelina Coelho) and Defensive Player of the Year (Morgan Collica). The Mocs also excelled in the classroom earning three CoSIDA Academic All-American selections, 12 All-District selections, 36 D2ADA Academic Achievement Awards, and 121 SSC Commissioner's Honor Roll selections.

"We are eager to welcome Paul and his family to Terre Haute and into the Sycamore community," Senior Associate A.D./Senior Woman Administrator Angie Lansing said. "I have been impressed with his attention to detail and how he invested in our team during the hiring process. I look forward to working with him as he builds relationships in his quest for championships."

Prior to his time at FSC, Lawrence served as the head coach at Knox College in Illinois from 2014-16 leading the Prairie Fire to a 35-20-3 overall record. His 2016 team was the best in school history going 19-1-1 on the way to winning the Midwest Conference regular-season and tournament championships for the first time and earning the program's first bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

The 2016 season featured the Prairie Fire setting numerous school and conference records. Knox College went undefeated through the regular season for the first time since 1919. They outscored their opponents 65-6 and posted 17 shutouts with a 0.28 goals-against average that ranked fifth in the nation in Division III.

The team also ranked third nationally in shutout percentage (.810), seventh in save percentage (.903), and 23rd in scoring offense (3.10 goals per game). Knox also earned a top-25 ranking in the NSCAA national poll for the first time in program history, five players earned All-MWC honors, three were named to the All-North Region Team, and Lawrence was selected the MWC Coach-of-the-Year.

When Lawrence was named the head women's soccer coach at Knox College in January of 2014, the Prairie Fire had not had a winning season in 18 years, not qualified for the conference tournament since 1995, nor won a conference game since 2011.

After a 3-14 campaign in his first season, Lawrence guided them to a 13-5-2 record in 2015 and a spot in the conference championship game for the first time ever. Their 9½-game improvement was the third-best in NCAA Division III that year and tied for the ninth-best all-time at that level. One year later, Lawrence led them to their school-record 19 wins and their first trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Lawrence came to Knox College from Northwood University in Michigan where he spent the 2012 and 2013 seasons as an assistant coach under Dean Pappas. He helped the Timberwolves make back-to-back Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournaments and nearly upset undefeated and eventual national champion Grand Valley State in the 2013 GLIAC Tournament.

In addition to his time at Knox and Northwood, Lawrence spent one year at Alma College where he was an assistant varsity coach and head junior varsity coach under Jeff Hosler. He helped the Scots win the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship with the best record in school history (18-4-1) and qualify for the NCAA Division III National Tournament.

Prior to moving to the United States, Lawrence worked as assistant men's soccer coach and goalkeeping coach at Bournemouth University before taking on his duties at Alma College. While studying at BU, he was also involved with video analysis for English professional soccer club AFC Bournemouth.

Lawrence currently holds a USSF C License, NSCAA Premier Diploma, NSCAA Goalkeeper III Diploma, as well as various USSF and English FA coaching licenses.  He was a member of the Region II ODP staff as part of the girls' youth selection camp in July of 2013.

Lawrence graduated from Bournemouth University in 2011. He and his wife Maria have two daughters, London Olivia and Sydney.