Dec. 26, 2006

FULLERTON, CA - Cal State Fullerton women's soccer Head Coach Ali Khosroshahin has been named head coach at the University of Southern California, the university announced on Tuesday.

He takes over at USC for the departed Jim Millinder, whose contract was not renewed following the 2006 season after 11 years as head coach of the Women of Troy.

Khosroshahin spent the last six years guiding a fledgling Fullerton program into the national spotlight, earning three trips to the NCAA Tournament and compiling a 76-40-6 overall record at the helm of the program, including a 34-13-3 mark in Big West Conference play.

A three-time Big West Conference Coach of the Year, Khosroshahin helped lead the Titans to regular season Big West crowns in 2001 and 2005 and a Big West Tournament championship in 2006 after compiling a 12-8-2 overall record and a 4-2-1 mark in league play.

The Titans became the first conference school to win NCAA Tournament games in back-to-back years after a 3-0 shutout of Loyola Marymount in this year's first round at UCLA. Fullerton eventually fell to the Bruins in a second-round match-up.

While with the Titans, Khosroshahin produced 44 All-Big West Conference honorees, including 23 first-team selections, and 13 players who were named to various all-region squads and a pair of All-Americans.

Cal State Fullerton won 10-or-more matches in five of his six seasons, including the last three straight years.

He debuted as a head coach in 2001, leading Fullerton to a 13-7 overall record and an 8-1 mark in the Big West to win the conference title and earn the program's first-ever berth into the NCAA Tournament. He was named the conference's Coach of the Year for his efforts.

In 2002, Khosroshahin paced the Titans to a 12-5-2 overall record and a 9-8-2 mark in 2003 that included wins or ties against three Top 20 teams.

In 2004, the Titans won their second Big West regular season title with a 7-1-1 mark and finished 11-8-1 overall before falling in the semifinals of the conference tournament.

Khosroshahin's best season with the Titans came in 2005 when he led Fullerton to a school-record 19-4 mark that included 10 consecutive victories and became the first Big West school to reach the third round of the NCAA Tournament, advancing after a second-round win over USC.

A search for Khosroshahin's successor will begin immediately.