Samar Azem was named as the eighth head coach of the Wildcats women's soccer program in December 2021.
Heading into her fourth season at the helm of the program in 2025, she has amassed a 13-22-17 record on the Main Line, bringing her to a 84-76-34 showing over her last 11 years as a head coach. Since coming to Villanova, she has coached seven All-BIG EAST selections and has seen two players go on to sign professional contracts.
The Wildcats went 5-7-6 in the 2024 campaign with the program's best winning percentage in five seasons (.444). In BIG EAST play, they nabbed a 2-3-5 record, finishing seventh on the conference table with a .450 winning percentage. Of the three All-BIG EAST selections, one brought in First Team honors for the first time since 2019 for the program.
The 2023 campaign brought a 4-7-7 record for the Wildcats that started with the team logging an impressive undefeated streak to be on the last 13 teams without a blemish to their record. The ‘Cats went nine games without a loss, holding a 4-0-5 record in that time for the second-best start to a season since the 2007 squad’s 11-game undefeated spurt. Reaching back to the end of the 2022 season, Villanova went 12 games without a loss, the longest unbeaten streak in team history since the 2006 group went 13-0-2 to start the season.
Villanova’s 2022 campaign brought the second-best BIG EAST record in the last five years and third-best in the last decade, going 3-5-2 in league action and 4-8-4 overall. The ‘Cats allowed just eight goals in BIG EAST action, the second-fewest for the program in the last decade.
Azem came to Villanova after serving as head coach at Campbell University for the past five seasons where she guided the Camels to a 50-30-8 record. Azem led Campbell to a 12-4-2 overall record in 2021, a 9-1-0 Big South mark and a trip to the conference championship game. Prior to becoming head coach, Azem was a member of the Campbell staff as an assistant for one year and the Associate Head Coach for two seasons.
During the COVID-19 delayed and shortened 2020-21 schedule, Azem led Campbell to an 8-4-1 overall record and 6-2-1 Big South mark and its first Big South Championship since 1993. By winning the conference title, Campbell garnered an NCAA Tournament berth for the second time in program history. Campbell earned a No. 22 national ranking and had a program record four players named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Region teams. The Camels also had a program best seven All-Conference honorees. For her efforts, Azem was the 2020-21 Big South Conference Coach of the Year.
Throughout her Campbell career, Azem has helped the Camels become one of the top offensive teams in the country. For the past three years, Campbell has ranked in the top 10 nationally in scoring offense, including ranking eighth this past year, ninth in 2020 and 10th in 2019. Over the past three seasons, Campbell has outscored its opponents by a 126-53 margin.
Azem has also guided numerous players to individual honors. Highlighting this list is Alexa Genas who was the program's first-ever two-time Big South Attack Player of the Year, earning the honor in 2017 and 2019. During the 2020-21 season, Jessica Donald was named a Top Drawer Soccer Top 100 performer, while Cazzi Norgren was a Top Drawer Top 100 Freshmen honoree. Donald was also the program's first Big South Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2021.
Azem began her head coaching career at Division II Anderson University from 2011-13 where she tallied a 21-24-9 overall record, including a 12-10-7 record in South Atlantic Conference play. During the 2011 season, Anderson advanced to the semifinal round of the SAC Tournament for the first time in program history. Azem also led her team to a No. 8 ranking in the Southeast Region in 2011.
Her 10-year overall head coaching record stands at 79-69-28.
She also has had assistant coaching stops at Brevard College, Mercer University and Presbyterian University.
As a player, Azem was a standout goalkeeper at Campbell. In 2004, she helped the Camels win both the A-Sun regular season and tournament championships. Throughout her collegiate career, Azem also earned A-Sun All-Academic recognition and the program's Coaches Award in 2005 and 2006.
A native of Jos, Nigeria, Azem graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in broadcasting and a minor in Psychology from Campbell in 2007 and she earned her Master's Degree in education from Mercer in 2010.
