PROVIDENCE, R.I. – JWU (Providence) women's soccer head coach
Chris Flint has announced the addition of
Christina Maciel to his coaching staff.
Maciel – who has previously worked at both Bryant University (2007-14) and UMass Lowell (2015-17) –spent the past nine seasons as a member of the Lincoln High School women's soccer coaching staff.
Maciel took over as head coach of the girl's varsity program at Lincoln in 2022, guiding them to a record of 36-31-6 and four playoff appearances while elevating them back to the Division I ranks. This past fall, the Lions earned a spot in the state semifinals for the first time in school.
Under Maciel's guidance, Lincoln produced multiple all-state, all-division, all-tournament selections, and a United Soccer Coaches (USC) All-Region Selection last fall. The Lions were also the recipient of the Maddie Potts Sportsmanship Award in the Fall of 2024.
Maciel began her tenure at Lincoln as the girl's middle school coach (2017-21) and helped develop the program into a consistent contender in the middle school playoff scene, culminating in a divisional championship in 2021.
A 2004 graduate of Bryant University, Maciel cut her teeth in the collegiate coaching ranks at Dean College as both an assistant and head coach (2004-06). She then returned to her alma mater as an assistant coach under Flint and helped navigate the program through its transition from Division II to Division I. The Bulldogs climbed as high as No. 2 in the country in 2007 and advanced to both the Northeast-10 Championship match as well as the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season. Her responsibilities were wide-ranging, including game management, training, audio-visual management, alumni relations and recruiting.
At UML, Maciel was involved in day-to-day coaching duties for the River Hawks and played a major role in recruiting, travel, academic oversight and growing the camps/clinics arm of the program.
Maciel holds a USSF C and D license, a United Soccer Coaches (USC) National Diploma, a USC Advanced National Diploma, a USC High School Coaching Diploma, USC Director of Coaching Certificate, and a USC Goalkeeping Certificate. Maciel also holds her NFHS Level 3 Coaching Certification. She has established a name for herself in both the club and Olympic Development programs in Rhode Island.
Maciel has spent two decades working with RI ODP, serving as the Director of Coaching for over 15 years. During her tenure, SRI ODP has produced several East Region team selections as well as national team selections, including Mary-Kate McGuire, Corinne Ciummo, and Ryann Denecour. Most recently, Maciel took on the role of Coaching Education Director for Soccer Rhode Island after having previously served as the Vice-President of the RI Girls HS Coaches Association for the past two years.
A native of Townsend, Massachusetts, Maciel currently resides in Riverside, R.I. with her husband Michael, children Mary-Kate and Gabriel, and niece Cailyn.
