ST. PAUL, Minn. – Macalester College head women's soccer coach Madeline Buckley has resigned to become the head coach at Vassar College. Assistant coach Marissa Olson-Guillou has been named the interim head coach for the upcoming season by Associate Vice President for Student Affairs/Director of Athletics Donnie Brooks.

"Maddy's impact on Macalester extends well beyond the field," Brooks said. "She brought incredible energy, positivity, and a passion for developing student-athletes that elevated everyone around her. As a colleague, she challenged our department to think bigger, work harder, and continue moving forward together. She built a culture rooted in connection and accountability, and her influence will be felt for years to come. While we'll miss her, we're excited to see her lead the program at Vassar and wish her nothing but continued success."

Buckley spent four seasons at Macalester, guiding the Scots to three winning seasons and three appearances in the MIAC Playoffs. In her first season in 2022, she helped Macalester make the postseason for the first time since 2015 with an 8-6-5 overall record and a sixth-place finish in the MIAC standings. The next year, the Scots tied for third with a 6-3-2 conference mark and hosted a MIAC quarterfinal match. This past fall, Buckley's squad closed the regular season with a 6-0-1 record and took fifth in the MIAC. During her time at Macalester, she mentored four All-MIAC players and one All-Region player. In four seasons, Buckley compiled an overall record of 32-28-12, including a record of 18-17-9 in conference games.

"I have been so fortunate to begin my head coaching career here at Macalester," Buckley said. "I want to thank Donnie, Steve Murray, my colleagues in athletics, admissions and advancement, as well as President Suzanne Rivera and Dr. Kathryn Kay Coquemont for their support of me and our program over the last four and a half years.
 
"I have been privileged to coach incredibly smart, strong, young women, get to know their families and meet so many loyal alums who have supported our program. I want to thank Marissa Olson-Guillou for being such a steadfast, loyal, and strong assistant coach for our program.
 
"My difficult decision to leave is all about being closer to my family in New York and the opportunity to coach at a school very much like Macalester that values strong academics and strong athletics. I leave with a heavy heart but one that is full of gratitude because, as we love to say, Macalester is wonderful! Thank you, Macalester community, for everything you've given to me and I know the program is onto new heights. GO SCOTS!"

Olson-Guillou joined Buckley at Macalester in 2023. She has been involved in every aspect of the program, including recruiting, practice and game planning, and travel. In addition to her coaching duties, Olson-Guillou coordinates the intramural programming at Macalester. Prior to coming to St. Paul, she served as the top assistant at Saint Mary's University for one year after spending four years as the top assistant at UW-Superior.

Olson-Guillou played collegiately at Augsburg University, where, in 2014, she helped lead the Auggies to a MIAC Tournament title and their first NCAA Division III national tournament appearance in the program's history. In total, Olson-Guillou was a member of three MIAC title teams at Augsburg. Olson-Guillou and the Auggies also qualified for the national tournament in 2016, reaching the second round. A native of Burnsville, Minn., she was an all-conference goalkeeper at Apple Valley High School.

"I'd like to thank Donnie and the administration for seeing me in this role and trusting me with leading this program I've been fortunate to have been a part of for the past three years," Olson-Guillou said. "I'm thankful for all the support that our players have shown me as their assistant coach, and I'm excited to have their continued support through this transition and into the season. Most importantly, I'm thrilled to take on this challenge and ready to guide this team to reach its potential this fall."

The Scots, who have 29 players back from last year's team, begin the 2026 season on Sept. 4 at the University of Chicago.