J.P Valadares

Assistant coach J.P. Valadares completed his third season as an assistant coach with the University of Iowa women’s soccer program.

In 2025, the Hawkeyes finished with a 12-5-4 overall record and posted a 6-2-3 Big Ten Conference mark, tying for third in the league’s regular-season standings. Iowa earned the second preseason ranking in program history, opening the season at No. 13 before climbing as high as No. 5, the highest ranking in program history.

Working with the goalkeepers, Valadares guided two standout performers during the season. Senior Taylor Kane earned Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week honors after recording a shutout against Saint Louis, snapping a Billiken streak of 46 matches without being shut out. It marked the third time in program history a Hawkeye earned Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week recognition, with two of those honors coming under Valadares’ guidance (Macy Enneking and Taylor Kane). Kane also recorded 13 saves at UCLA, tying for the seventh-most saves in a single match in program history. Rotating between Kane and Fernanda Mayrink, Iowa’s goalkeepers combined for 10 shutouts.

The Hawkeyes advanced to their 16th Big Ten Tournament appearance before falling to Wisconsin in the quarterfinals. Junior Sofia Bush earned Big Ten All-Tournament Team honors. Following the conference tournament, Iowa earned a five seed in the NCAA Tournament, securing its third consecutive NCAA berth, a program record. It also marked the third straight season the Hawkeyes hosted an NCAA Tournament match. Senior Kenzie Roling’s goal lifted Iowa past South Dakota State and into the NCAA Tournament Second Round for the third straight year. Iowa became one of just 11 programs nationally to reach the NCAA Second Round in three consecutive seasons.

Iowa matched up with LSU in Nashville in the NCAA Tournament Second Round, falling to the Tigers after the match was delayed one day due to weather.

Four Hawkeyes earned All-Big Ten postseason recognition, with juniors Sofia Bush and Millie Greer earning second-team honors. Freshmen Liana Tarasco and Elle Wildman were named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, while senior Taylor Kane was Iowa’s Sportsmanship Award honoree. Bush and Greer also earned United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-Region honors.

Iowa excelled academically, with five student-athletes earning CSC Academic All-District honors. Seventeen Hawkeyes were named Academic All-Big Ten, while 14 earned Dean’s List recognition, including two who were also named to the President’s List.

Hawkeye fans continued to provide strong support, as Iowa averaged 2,076 fans per home match, ranking fifth nationally and first in the Big Ten. Iowa’s home match against TCU drew a crowd of 2,382, setting a program record for regular-season attendance.

In 2024, Valadares helped guide Iowa to the program’s first-ever Sweet 16 appearance. The Hawkeyes were ranked in the top 25 throughout the season, finishing 11th in the NCAA RPI and 12th in the United Soccer Coaches poll. Iowa posted a 15-3-4 overall record, including an 8-2-1 Big Ten Conference mark, to finish third in the league standings, tying a program record.

A set-piece specialist, Valadares’ schemes were instrumental in Iowa’s success. The Hawkeyes scored 12 goals on set pieces during the season while allowing none. Over two seasons under Valadares’ direction, Iowa scored 20 set-piece goals, including two in the NCAA Tournament, one of which clinched the program’s first Sweet 16 berth.

Goalkeeper Macy Enneking flourished under Valadares’ guidance, becoming the first Hawkeye ever nominated to the Hermann Trophy Watch List, the highest individual honor in women’s soccer. Enneking was also named a United Soccer Coaches Player to Watch, marking another program first.

Enneking earned her third career selection to the Big Ten All-Tournament Team following a six-save performance against Washington, becoming the only Hawkeye with multiple selections. She finished her career as Iowa’s all-time leader in wins and shutouts, with 25 of her shutouts coming under Valadares’ tutelage. Enneking recorded 33.5 career shutouts, placing her in the Big Ten record book.

Iowa’s defense allowed just 12 goals during the 2024 season, breaking the previous program record by four goals. The Hawkeyes recorded 12 shutouts, one shy of the school-record 13 set in 2023. Enneking posted a 0.541 goals-against average, ranking 12th nationally, and tied for seventh in the country in shutouts.

Attendance at the Iowa Soccer Complex reached a program-record average of 1,479 fans per match in 2024, ranking 13th nationally and second among Big Ten programs.

In his first season at Iowa, Valadares helped guide the Hawkeyes to the second Big Ten Tournament championship in program history. Iowa defeated three ranked opponents during its postseason run, marking the first time the program accomplished the feat in a single postseason.

During the 2023 season, Enneking tied for fifth nationally in shutouts with a program-record 12.5 clean sheets. She became one of four players in program history named to the United Soccer Coaches First Team All-North Region and earned Big Ten All-Tournament Team recognition. Enneking was named Top Drawer Soccer Player of the Week on Sept. 5 and earned Big Ten weekly honors on Oct. 3.

Iowa finished the 2023 season with a 13-5-4 overall record, including a 6-0-1 nonconference start and a 3-4-3 conference mark. The Hawkeyes went 3-2-1 against ranked opponents and earned the eighth and final seed in the Big Ten Tournament before defeating No. 12 Michigan State, No. 5 Penn State and No. 12 Wisconsin en route to the conference title. Iowa became the lowest seed in Big Ten history to win the tournament.

Following the tournament championship, Iowa climbed to the highest national rankings in program history, reaching No. 14 in the College Soccer News poll and No. 17 according to Top Drawer Soccer. The Hawkeyes finished the regular season ranked 30th in the RPI and earned a five seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Iowa earned the second NCAA Tournament win in program history with a 2-0 victory over Bucknell, played before a program-record crowd of 2,639 at the Iowa Soccer Complex. The season concluded with a 3-2 loss to fourth-seeded Georgia in the NCAA Tournament Second Round at Riggs Field in Clemson, South Carolina.

The Hawkeye defense recorded a program-record 13 shutouts during the season and outscored opponents 36-17, holding decisive advantages in shots (307-164) and shots on goal (149-75).

Fifth-year senior Samantha Cary earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors, freshman Sofia Bush was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, and redshirt junior Zoë Bessert received the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. Academically, five Hawkeyes were named CSC Academic All-District, a program record.

Valadares joined the Hawkeyes after three seasons as an assistant coach at Southern Miss. During his tenure, the Golden Eagles never missed a conference tournament, won the first regular-season title in program history and reached the conference tournament final for the second time in program history. Southern Miss finished No. 37 in the RPI during the 2021 season, the highest ranking in program history.

With extensive knowledge of the South American recruiting landscape, Valadares recruited Ilana Izquierdo to Southern Miss. Izquierdo led the team in scoring as a freshman with seven goals and seven assists in 2021, earning Conference USA Freshman of the Year honors and First Team All-Conference USA recognition.

During the 2023 season, Valadares served as acting head coach for one match against No. 9 Ole Miss, leading the Golden Eagles to a draw, the best result in series history.

Valadares became the first goalkeepers coach at Southern Miss to lead the program to back-to-back seasons with a save percentage of .800 or higher. In 2022, the Golden Eagles set a program record with a .860 save percentage. Over his first two seasons, Southern Miss improved its goals-against average to 0.95, down from 1.38 over the previous three seasons. His goalkeepers posted a school-record 0.83 goals-against average during the 2021 season.

Valadares was the third coach in Conference USA history to guide multiple goalkeepers to conference Goalkeeper of the Week honors in the same season. Kendell Mindnich earned multiple weekly honors and was named All-CUSA and to the CUSA All-Tournament Team.

Prior to Southern Miss, Valadares served as goalkeepers coach for the Pearl River Community College men’s and women’s soccer programs during the 2018 and 2019 seasons. His goalkeepers earned four conference weekly awards and one All-Region XXIII selection, with two advancing to higher levels following junior college competition. Paige Horsnell turned professional in England, while Maddux Francis joined NC State’s men’s program in the ACC.

Both the men’s and women’s teams advanced to the conference semifinals during each of Valadares’ two seasons at Pearl River.

Valadares has also served as director of goalkeepers for the Mississippi Olympic Development Program and was a member of the ODP South Region staff.

Before coaching, Valadares was a decorated collegiate and youth player. He competed at William Carey University and helped lead the Crusaders to the 2011 NAIA Final Four. At the youth level, he played for América Futebol Clube’s U16 and U17 teams while the club competed in Brazil’s first division.

A native of Brazil, Valadares returned home to attend law school at the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais in Belo Horizonte after his freshman season at William Carey. He returned in 2014 to complete his bachelor’s degree.

Valadares holds coaching licenses from U.S. Soccer, CONMEBOL, The FA, FA Wales, and United Soccer Coaches, and has completed advanced training as a set-piece specialist through MBP School of Coaching. He earned a master’s degree in education with an emphasis in sports administration from William Carey University and is married to Gillian Valadares.