Lisa Oyen has been named the new head soccer coach just four days after the Arizona soccer team’s final game of the season, Arizona Athletic Director Jim Livengood announced.

“”I’m very thankful to be given this opportunity,”” Oyen said through a statement on the team’s website Thursday. “”I’m very optimistic about the future of the program.””

Oyen is the fourth head coach in the program’s history. She succeeds former head coach Dan Tobias.

Tobias resigned on Oct. 12 due to personal reasons, five days after former player Leila Amini said the program had been deteriorating over the last few years. Oyen will attempt to bring success to a program from which the previous three head coaches have resigned.

Oyen was an assistant under Tobias for eight years at UA (2002-2009) and two at Washington State (2001-2002).

Oyen played collegiate soccer at Montana, where she was a starting midfielder. She also played for two years with the Miami Gliders of the United Soccer League Southeastern Division.

Players were told to meet at McKale Center for a team meeting at 5 p.m. Thursday evening, and were surprised with the news that the head coaching decision had already been made.

“”No one really knew what to expect because we’d been through a long season. We were surprised but at the same time excited,”” said redshirt junior Alex Davis. “”It’ll be good for the program because it’ll be a smooth transition since they already know us.

“”I had no idea that they would make the decision this week,”” she added. “”We thought that maybe it would be a couple weeks.””

According to Davis, Oyen’s fellow co-interim head coach from the second half of the year, John Galas, will return as her assistant.