Sarah Rahko makes her debut this season on the Georgia State sidelines. Rahko has significant experience as a successful Division I student athlete and as a coach.
She has worked with club teams and organizations, assisted at the Division I level and served as head coach at Division III Wellesley College.
As an athlete she was twice named an All-American at Boston College.
"We’re very happy to add a coach with the experience and character Sarah [Rahko] has," said coach Martelli. "Sarah understands the rigors of being a college student and how to excel in the environment and, in her young coaching career, she has led a number of young ladies to success. We’re very excited to bring Sarah into our family."
Rahko joins the Panthers after spending last season as an assistant coach at Florida Gulf Coast University, where she helped guide the Eagles to a winning season in their first year of Division I competition (11-7, 7-4). The Eagles finished with the third-best record in the Atlantic-Sun Conference. Rahko coached the conference Freshman of the Year and four All-Atlantic Sun honorees. While at FGCU, she concurrently held the position of Director of Training for the Cape Coral Soccer Association’s premier women’s program.
Prior to FGCU, Sarah was the head coach at Division III Wellesley College in Boston after serving as their assistant coach for one season. In her lone season as head coach in 2006, she led Wellesley to a 9-7 record, their best in four seasons. She has also served as an assistant with club teams, including the 2004 U-17 Y-League national champions.
As a student athlete at Boston College, Rahko was twice named to the NSCAA Women’s Division I All-American team, garnering third team honors as a sophomore in 2001 and first-team recognition as a senior in 2003. In her senior year, she led Boston College to its best season in school history (15-3-3) as she paced the team in assists, with nine, and was third on the team in points, with 21. She was a four-year All Big East honoree, including three consecutive years as a first-team member, making Rahko the first Eagle to accomplish that feat. In addition, she was Big East Rookie of the Year and Big East Midfielder of the Year. Rakho graduated in 2004 with a degree in Human Development.
Prior to her collegiate career, she was named a NSCAA All American, New Hampshire Player of the Year and named to the Parade Magazine All America team. Rahko also participated on the Boston Renegade’s two-time "W" League national championship teams. Her career included participation on multiple Northeast Regional ODP teams and she was a member of the U.S. U-21 National Team pool.
