ST. LOUIS – University of Missouri-St. Louis Executive Director of Athletics Dr. Holly Sheilley has announced the hiring of Stephen Cavallo as head women's soccer coach.

Cavallo, who becomes the seventh head coach in program history, comes to UMSL from the University of Denver where he spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach.

"Coach Stephen Cavallo is the right leader to build on the momentum of our women's soccer program and elevate it to the next level," Sheilley said. "He brings not only a championship mindset but also a deep commitment to the holistic development of each student-athlete. His experience, strategic vision, and understanding of what it takes to sustain success will be instrumental to our continued growth. Most importantly, his genuine passion for the student-athlete experience made him the clear choice to lead our team into the future."

""I am thankful to Dr. Holly Sheilley and the search committee for entrusting me with the opportunity to lead the UMSL women's soccer program," Cavallo said. "It's an honor to step into a program with a proud history and strong foundation. My vision is to foster a team culture centered on trust, commitment, and care—values that will guide how we train, compete, and support one another every day. 

"Together, we will continue to grow a program that everyone in the UMSL community can be proud of," he stated. "I can't wait to get started and begin this new chapter with the Tritons."

In his two seasons at Denver, the Pioneers posted a record of 20-8-9 including 11-3-4 at home and Denver's fifth-straight Summit League regular-season title and eighth overall in 2023. Cavallo helped five players earn United Soccer Coaches All-West Region honors. Liv Moritz was named the Summit League Newcomer of the Year in 2023 and Ella Frost was named the Summit League Midfielder of the Year in 2024.

Prior to Denver he spent time as an assistant coach at the University of Nevada serving as the goalkeepers coach and helped lead recruiting.

Cavallo spent six seasons as the head coach and nine seasons overall at Montana State University Billings. During his time with the Yellowjackets he coached Clare Kennan to first team All-GNAC honors in 2022 and helped lead Liberty Palmer to GNAC Freshman of the Year honors in 2021.

His 2019 team finished with the sixth-highest fall-season GPA in the country at the Division II level in 2019 and led Amanda Hemmen to first-team Academic All-America honors in 2018 and 2019.

He was a two-year starting goalkeeper at Frostburg State University in 2008-2009 after starting his collegiate career at Warren Wilson College.

Cavallo has a bachelor's degree in geography from Frostburg State and a master's degree in public relations from Montana State Billings in 2023.