The hero of Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz FIFA Women’s World Cup qualification, Nicole McClure has signed on as an assistant coach with Princeton Women’s football.

Two years ago, the Reggae Girlz goalkeeper blocked two shots in a penalty shootout against Panama giving Jamaica’s senior women’s team its first-ever birth in the World Cup. She is now taking on the role as a coach at one of the USA’s elite colleges.

“It’s a privilege to start my college coaching career at Princeton,” McClure said.

“The women’s program has a strong legacy of outstanding student-athletes and I look forward to providing mentorship and guidance to these young women.”

Head coach Sean Driscoll said the Jamaican goalkeeping hero impressed during her interview.

“Nicole made an immediate impact during the interview process,” he said.

 “Her desire to be a part of our program was evident from her preparation, palpable energy and the questions she asked of our staff and our goalkeepers. Her life experiences and acquired knowledge from playing professionally in France, Ireland, Sweden, Norway, Croatia and Iceland, as well as the Jamaican National Team, will be invaluable for our goalkeepers and field players,” Driscoll added.

“Nicole is the embodiment of pursuing a true passion, which is a message I think will resonate with all members of our team. I believe her charismatic and infectious personality will bring a wonderful dimension to our program and she will be a tremendous teacher and mentor for our student-athletes,” he continued.

Between 2012 and 2019, McClure played professionally in Iceland, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Croatia, Israel, France and the UK.

The player, whose parents attended school in Jamaica before migrating to the United States, began with the U-20 team in 2008. She was called to the Reggae Girlz senior squad in 2014.

It was her shot-stopping ability that helped Jamaica make its first FIFA Women’s World Cup as the team finished third at the 2018 CONCACAF Women’s Championship, behind only the US and Canada.

In the play-off she third place in the world cup qualifiers Panama, where McClure helped Jamaica win the penalty-kick shootout 4-2 with a pair of saves. She started Jamaica’s final World Cup game against Australia.

With Princeton, McClure will be joining a program that won the Ivy League and made the NCAA tournament in three of the five seasons including a run to the NCAA quarterfinals in 2017 and the second round in 2015.