Jaelyn Cunningham

Jaelyn Cunningham joined the Virginia women's soccer staff following the 2025 sason and brings with her experience across multiple levels of women’s soccer.

Cunningham takes over the role after spending the 2025 season at Harvard where she coached goalkeeper Rhiannon Stewart and defender August Hunter to All-Ivy honors. Defender Jasmine Leshnick also earned All-Ivy honorable mention honors.

Prior to Harvard, Cunningham spent two seasons as the goalkeeper coach at Houston as the Cougars transitioned from the American Conference into the Big 12.  In 2024, the keeping staff ranked fourth in the Big 12 in saves and led the league in saves per game (5.94) match. In 2023, her first season with the Cougars, she led a group of keepers that finished atop the Big 12 in saves, while starting keeper Olivia Dietrich led the conference in saves per game (4.75) and third in the Big 12 with 76 saves on the year.

Cunningham spent two seasons as the goalkeeper coach and recruiting coordinator for two years at Toledo, coaching the Rockets in the 2021 and 2022 seasons. At Toledo, she coached defender McKenna Shultz to 2021 MAC Freshman of the Year and second team All-MAC honors. That 2021 squad set the program record for fewest goals allowed in a regular season and keeper Emma Boutorwick set the program’s single-season record for goal against average (.758) and tied for fourth nationally in shutout ranking.

In 2020, Cunningham served as the goalkeeper coach at Queens University of Charlotte, helping the Lions to the finals of the South Atlantic Conference tournament. She also coached Erica Turner to first-team All-SAC honors.

As a player, Cunningham was a three-year starter at Illinois and earned All-Big 10 honors in 2018. She finished her career ranked second in program history for most saves in a season with 106 saves  in the 2017 season as a sophomore.

Cunningham also played in the professional ranks, spending the 2018 season with the Seattle Sounders Women before joining the Chicago Red Stars for the 2019 season and the Orlando Pride in 2020.