Keith Fontaine has joined the High Point University women's soccer coaching staff as an assistant coach, head coach Marty Beall announced Monday. Fontaine brings a wealth of coaching experience to the Panthers as they head into the 2010 season.

“We are very excited to have Keith join the staff as our Director of Player Development,” Beall said. “He will be in charge of running small group technical sessions and helping to develop the players' speed of play within the team training sessions. He comes with a vast array of experience in developing top-level players and we are thrilled that he will bring that expertise to the program.”

“I am very excited about the opportunity to join the women's soccer coaching staff. This is an incredible university with the vision to move forward and I am excited to help in the development of the program and the University as a whole.”

Fontaine has worked as a volunteer assistant under Beall for the past two seasons both at HPU and at Francis Marion. In his first season with the Panthers he helped guide the team to its third Big South Championship since 2003.

Prior to his time under Beall, Fontaine worked as a head coach at both the high school and club soccer level. He was the head coach at South River High School in Edgewater, Md., from 2000-2004. In his five seasons as head coach South River went a combined 55-7-4, won three regional titles and made one appearance in the State Championship. 10 players who played under Fontaine went on to play Division I soccer.

Fontaine was also the head coach of the Division I Washington Area Girl's Soccer team in Crowfton, Md., from 2000-2006. Fontaine's teams won several prestigious tournaments including the Disney Cup and the Coco Beach Expo.

Fontaine is a USSF licensed coach, earning his A License in 2004. He graduated from Towson State in 1996 with a degree in education. A native of Crowfton, Md., he now lives in High Point, N.C., with his wife Brandi.