Coach Katie Bio 

Head Coach – Ridge High School Girls Soccer

Katie Donahue has led the Ridge High School Girls Soccer program with distinction since 2003, compiling an impressive career record of 234-109-37 as of the 2024 season. Under her leadership, Ridge has captured two Group 4 State Championships (2015, 2017), six Sectional Titles, and the 2020 Central West Regional Championship. Her teams have consistently competed at the highest level, earning national recognition with a Top 10 NSCAA National Ranking in 2015 and a MaxPreps Tour of Champions Award.

A respected and decorated coach, Donahue was inducted into the NJSIAA Hall of Fame in 2018 and has received multiple Coach of the Year honors from the Courier News, Skyland Conference, NJGSCA, NJ.com, and MSG Varsity. Her coaching philosophy emphasizes resilience, unity, and player development—values that have helped make Ridge a perennial postseason contender.

Donahue is also deeply committed to her own professional growth. She regularly attends coaching conferences, leadership seminars, and educational workshops, and is an avid reader of books focused on personal and team development. Her dedication to lifelong learning ensures she continues to evolve as a coach, mentor, and educator.

Before coaching, Donahue was a four-year starter and senior captain at Boston College, where she earned Big East Scholar-Athlete honors, multiple academic awards, and the Thomas McElroy Award for leadership and commitment. A 2013 inductee into the South Windsor High School Hall of Fame, she was a 12-time varsity letter winner in soccer, basketball, and lacrosse, earning all-state and all-New England recognition in multiple sports. She also played for a club soccer team that captured the 2001 U.S. Youth Soccer National Championship, scoring the game-winning goal in overtime.

In addition to coaching at Ridge, Donahue remains active in youth sports as a volunteer coach for her children’s teams and a supportive parent on the sidelines. She also pitched in coaching Ridge’s inaugural Girls Flag Football team, further advancing opportunities for female athletes. Off the field, she has been a dedicated special education teacher in Bernards Township since 2003. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and three children.

Collegiate Experience

Graduated from Boston College where she was a member and starter of the Varsity Soccer team for four years and captain her senior year. She won the Leadership Award, was a member of the All Academic team, named Big East Scholar Athlete, earned the Aeropostale Big East Scholar-Athlete and received Big East Academic All Star Honors and selected as the Thomas McElroy Award recipient. 

High School Experience 

Inducted into South Windsor High School Hall of Fame in 2013.  1997 Graduate of South Windsor High School.  Earned 12 Varsity Letters as member of the Varsity Soccer, Varsity Basketball and Varsity Lacrosse teams all four years. Served as Captain of Soccer team two years and the Basketball and Lacrosse team one year each. In Soccer she was All Conference four years, All State three years and All New England two years with 39 career goals and 21 assists. Her soccer teams won three CCC Championships. In Lacrosse she was All Conference and All State and won one CCC Championship scoring 123 goals and dishing 46 assists in her career and is credited as the second leading scorer of all-time after picking up the sport her freshmen year at SWHS.   She remains third on the all-time chart for most points in a game: 9 (Longmeadow 1997: 8 goals, 1 assist).  Basketball teams won two CCC Championships. 

Club Experience

Katie’s Club Soccer team won the U.S. Youth Soccer Region 1 Championship three times and a national championship in 2000, with Katie notching the winning goal in overtime.