Attanasi completes soccer coaching staff

When Stuart Gore was hired in February, the new Montana soccer coach arrived in Missoula from Alabama without a staff in place.

It didn't take him long to realize that keeping J. Landham in his former role needed to be Gore's first move, because who wouldn't want to build off the coach who trained four different Grizzlies to Big Sky Conference Goalkeeper of the Year honors in 2020, '21, '24 and '25?

With that end of the field locked up, Gore had only one person in mind to coach Montana's forwards and offensive attack: Amanda Attanasi, who was a decorated goal scorer at James Madison from 2021 to '24.

Gore never coached her but was on staff at James Madison when Attanasi was recruited out of Washington Township, N.J.

As Gore moved from North Dakota to Northwestern State to Troy, he watched from afar as Attanasi scored 28 goals and added 13 assists for the Dukes while leading JMU to the NCAA tournament as a junior and senior.

"When I got the job, I knew retaining J. was so important," said Gore. "After that, Amanda was my first phone call. Normally the person you want and the person you get are two different people. I was really glad to be able to get my first pick."

Attanasi wrapped up her collegiate playing career in November 2024, scoring James Madison's lone goal against Ohio State in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

She earned her undergraduate degree in sport and recreation management from JMU last spring and served as the director of operations for the Temple lacrosse program this past year while starting to work towards a master's degree in sport business with a concentration in athletic administration.

"When Stu reached out, I knew this was something I'd definitely be interested in," said Attanasi. "He has a great personality, he knows the game well, and he has a history of running successful programs, all things I really liked.

"I'm excited to work with Stu. I'm happy I'm someone he thinks he can trust and wants on his staff. He knows I'm willing to do what it takes to make an impact and win some championships."

Attanasi was the South Jersey Times Player of the Year as a freshman at Washington Township High after scoring 29 goals. She added the same award as a senior in 2020 as she wrapped up a prep career that had her total 79 goals, 26 more than any other player in school history.

That had her on the recruiting radar of James Madison coach Joshua Walters, Sr., who was hired at JMU in 2018 and quickly brought Gore on as his associate head coach, after Gore coached Northwestern Ohio to a five-year record of 100-15-6 from 2013 to '17.

Years before Attanasi began playing high-level soccer for South Jersey Elite, Gore had been coaching for the club. That gave him an easy in when Attanasi made a trip to JMU's Harrisonburg, Va., campus.

"I was part of her on-campus visit," said Gore, who was in his first season at Northwestern State in the fall of 2021 when Attanasi arrived at James Madison for her freshman season. "I still remember her visit."

Attanasi was third-team All-Coastal Athletic Association as a freshman and part of the CAA All-Rookie Team, second-team United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region as a sophomore.

She had six goals and three assists as a junior, when the Dukes made the NCAA tournament as an at-large selection.

James Madison made the NCAA tournament again in 2024, when Attanasi was a senior and totaled 10 goals and three assists on her way to second-team All-Sun Belt and second-team All-Southeast Region honors.

Attanasi pulled the Dukes within 2-1 late in the first half of their NCAA tournament match at Ohio State, what would be her 28th and final collegiate goal.

It's been more than two decades since Montana has had a player score 28 collegiate goals. Only four ever have, only one since 2000.

"She was such a high-level player for JMU who has won championships and has a desire to win," said Gore.

"She's got a great soccer mind. I think she is going to turn into a great coach at the collegiate level. Our offensive players are really going to benefit from her knowledge."

Attanasi played on teams that won 42 matches over four years and had a league record of 24-5-10. She played her entire career under Walters, Sr.

"Playing all my life, coaching was something I was certainly interested in from the beginning," said Attanasi. "Being a player under Josh and a great coaching staff made me want to become a coach even more, with the way he showed his leadership and the way he ran his team."

She joins a program at Montana that has won three straight Big Sky Conference championships and won 36 matches over the last three seasons, with an NCAA tournament appearance in November.

The head coach is new but the expectations won't change. The staff knows that and embraces it.

"Stu knows what it takes to win a championship and I know as a player what it takes to win a championship," Attanasi said.

"Having that target on my back is something I love and am always up for the challenge. The goal is to continue to win and continue to be successful with this new group of girls."

Attanasi had an on-field job at Lincoln Financial Field last summer for the FIFA Club World Cup. This spring, she was on staff at Temple as the Owl lacrosse team went 12-5. She'll be back on the field this summer as Philadelphia hosts six matches as part of the FIFA World Cup.

Lincoln Financial Field will host a round-of-16 match on July 4. Attansi plans to be in Missoula two days later.

"I'm excited about it," she said. "I'm excited to teach the way I learned how to play, the positional way, as Stu has taught as well. It's all about asking questions, thinking on the field and buying in. It's a really good brand of soccer."

University of Montana Athletics

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