MEDIA
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Tritoncast (8/13/25)
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Tritoncast (8/14/24)
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Tritoncast (8/16/23)
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Tritoncast (8/17/22)
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Coaches' Corner (7/05/22)
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ESPN3 Interview (11/19/19)
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United Soccer Coaches Podcast (9/6/19)
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HERO Sports News (10/4/16)
One of the most decorated players to come through the renowned UC San Diego women's soccer program, Kristin Jones is in her seventh season leading the Tritons from the sideline and her sixth as head coach. Jones was named the program's sixth head coach on Jan. 16, 2019. The 2019 season was her milestone 20th in a row as a UC San Diego student-athlete or coach. Jones led the Tritons through their transition to Division I beginning in 2020, despite that season's cancelation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under Jones' leadership, UC San Diego made great strides in 2023. The Tritons concluded that campaign with a 4-3-3 mark in Big West play, including wins at tournament second seed UC Davis and third seed Cal Poly. Despite finishing fifth in The Big West standings last year, conference regulations prevented the Tritons from taking part in the six-team Big West Championship as UC San Diego concluded its transition to Division I. Grad student Katelyn Meyer was All-Big West Second Team for the second season in a row, with freshman midfielder Karize Madero earning an All-Freshman Team nod.
The 2022 season featured a challenging slate that nevertheless saw Jones' Tritons earn a win or draw in seven of their nine road matches. Senior back Katelyn Meyer was an All-Big West Second Team selection while captain Kennedy Carter garnered all-conference honorable mention as a forward.
Jones' third season as head coach was the Tritons' first competitive season in the Big West. That 2021 season featured a Triton defense which finished third in the Big West in saves per game with 4.94, in spite of two new goalkeepers earning all of the minutes. UC San Diego boasted a pair of Big West honorees in 2021, including Honorable Mention selection Katelyn Meyer and All-Big West Freshman Team member Keara Fitzgerald.
Having jumped straight into coaching at her alma mater in 2004 after exhausting her eligibility, Jones took over as the top assistant under her former head coach, Brian McManus, prior to the start of the 2006 campaign. She was elevated to the position of associate head coach on Aug. 28, 2015. Throughout that time, Jones assisted with all aspects of the team in addition to on-field coaching, including recruiting, scheduling, budgeting, travel and camps.
During Jones' 15 years as an assistant on the staff, the Tritons posted an overall record of 229-58-36 (.765), with 10 California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) banners (three regular-season and seven tournament), 12 NCAA Division II Championship appearances, five West Region crowns and two national runner-up placements. She was part of the 2016 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Division II West Region Staff of the Year under the award's new format.
In her first year as head coach in 2019, Jones continued to coach the Tritons to success. The Tritons captured their fifth-consecutive CCAA tournament title and made their fifth-straight NCAA postseason appearance. UC San Diego finished the season leading the nation in shutout percentage (.737) and save percentage (.892).
Jones served as the senior member of the 2018 staff, which included Trent Painter and Greg LaPorte, with UC San Diego completing a third successive sweep of the CCAA regular-season and tournament championships before defending its West Region title. The Tritons went 19-3-2 overall, 10-2 in league play, and a perfect 11-0 at home on their way to the national semifinals in Pittsburgh, Pa.
In Division II, the Tritons were a record 10-time CCAA tourney champions, with Jones a part of all ten as either a player or coach.
A gifted forward donning the No. 9 shirt in Triton blue and gold, Jones helped usher in the Division II era at UC San Diego as it won back-to-back national crowns in 2000 and 2001 immediately after making the move from Division III. She punctuated her freshman year by assisting on the game-winner with just 15 seconds left in regulation to edge Northern Kentucky, 2-1, in the 2000 championship game in Miami Shores, Fla. Jones followed that moment up by tallying the title-clinching goal in the 78th minute of a 2-0 victory over Christian Brothers at Triton Soccer Stadium and being named the 2001 NCAA tournament's Most Outstanding Offensive Player. From 2000-03, Jones' teams went 75-10-2 (.874), earning four consecutive CCAA banners and NCAA postseason berths and advancing to the national semifinals on three occasions.
Jones completed her illustrious college career with 78 matches played, 61 starts, 26 goals, eight of them game-winners, 29 assists and 81 total points. A two-time All-American, three-time NSCAA All-West Region First Team selection and three-time All-CCAA performer, she was named the 2003 CCAA Player of the Year after producing team-leading totals of 10 goals and 12 assists as a senior. Jones, also one of 13 UC San Diego Athletes of the Year for 2003-04, still ranks No. 6 on the program's all-time list in career assists.
Alongside her duties at UC San Diego, Jones has long been a fixture among area club and high school soccer circles. She was named the director of coaching for La Jolla Youth Soccer League's (La Jolla Impact) recreational and competitive programs in 2012, and was the longtime girl's varsity head coach at La Jolla High School. She guided LJHS to five CIF San Diego Section Division III finals in six years from 2008-13, with a pair of titles and two subsequent CIF Southern California Regional Soccer Championships Division II runner-up showings in 2009 and 2011. Jones was chosen the 2009 CIFSDS Coach of the Year. The Vikings fell in the first round of the 2015 CIFSDS Division I playoffs, and most recently won the CIFSDS Division II crown in March of 2017 in her second-to-last season at the school.
Jones previously assisted with the organization of the La Jolla Nomads Soccer Club for six years, earning a promotion to assistant director of the girl's program in 2008.
Jones earned her bachelor's degree from UC San Diego in human development in 2004. The San Diego native starred in her prep days at Oceanside High School, where she was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in 2023.
