By Megan Sanders, February 17, 2026
From starting his coaching career 10 years ago, goalkeeping coach Andy Gutierrez now balances his time coaching at Cal Poly Pomona and Mt. San Antonio City College.
Gutierrez joined the CPP women’s soccer coaching staff in the fall of 2024 and was part of their national championship winning team. Despite taking the 2025 fall semester away from CPP to focus on being the goaltender director for the Sporting California Elite Clubs Regional League, he has returned and is planning on staying with the team for the foreseeable future.
Throughout his career, Gutierrez coached several professional players, one of them being former CPP goaltender Bella Hara, who was part of the national championship team in 2024 and now plays professionally for Fort Lauderdale United FC.
Gutierrez coached Hara on the side before she transferred from Azusa Pacific to CPP. After she transferred, Hara suggested Gutierrez become her goaltender coach at CPP. After talking to the rest of the coaching staff, he made it official.
Before coaching at Mt. SAC and CPP, he spent three years as a coach at Cal State Fullerton. According to women’s head coach Jay Mason, it is great to add a coach to the staff with so much experience.
“He relates well to coaching players who play the position because he’s someone that’s played at a high level,” Mason said. “It gives them confidence in what they’re trying to get better at.”
When Gutierrez is not coaching at CPP and Mt. SAC, he runs his own coaching services called La Academia Goalkeeping, where he helps coach youth level players up to professionals. His personal training services focus on one-on-one goaltending training as well as hosting clinics.
“I work with (them) on a weekly basis and just try to sharpen up their skills and help them reach their goal, which is to play at the university level,” Gutierrez said.
Before becoming a coach, Gutierrez was a goaltender himself, starting at age 5 to playing at Mt. SAC, where he was honored as a First Team All-Conference selection. He competed until fracturing his tibia, which ended his career.
Gutierrez said one of the best parts of coaching is helping athletes reach a goal and just building relationships and connecting with people.
“Growing up, my brothers, my dad and my mom played soccer, and the majority of my family members were goalkeepers,” Gutierrez said. “I was kind of just born into it.”
During his first coaching season at CPP, Gutierrez said he felt a sense of pride and joy after the team won the national title because he knew he accomplished something not a lot of coaches get to experience.
According to CPP red-shirted freshman goaltender Jenna Tetrault, Gutierrez is a great addition to the team and makes practices enjoyable.
“Character wise, he just adds a lot of energy,” Tetrault said. “For me and Parker (LaMont) and just the whole team, he really pushes us, and it’s nice because he does it in a way that we’re always laughing and having a good time.”
Looking ahead to this next chapter at CPP, Gutierrez said his goals for the team are to keep staying consistent. As for himself, he wants to show up with a positive attitude, get the goaltenders to perform at their best and help get the team to another national title.
Feature image courtesy of Megan Sanders
