Steve Sarkisian, the former University of Washington head football coach, was not the only big name in the Pac-12 conference to accept a new position at University of Southern California for the 2014 season.

Keidane McAlpine – former head coach of the Washington State soccer team – is also coming to Troy, said USC Athletic Director Pat Haden.

After taking the Cougars to two NCAA Tournaments in as many seasons as head coach, McAlpine will look to continue that success for a Trojan team that finished 8-10-2 this season and has not made a tournament appearance since 2010.

“Keidane really stood out (to us) with his vision of what he wants to bring to the USC soccer program,” Haden said according to usctrojans.com. “We believe he is qualified to lead USC back to the successful level that we expect of our soccer program.”

Despite winning the 2007 NCAA Championship in the first year under former head coach Ali Khosroshahin, USC recently hit some bumps in the road. McAlpine will provide a fresh face to a program in a rebuilding mode hoping to get the team back on track.

“I’m excited to get to work and be a part of the Trojan family,” McAlpine said. “I’m looking forward to working with a new set of women with the goal of bringing the national championship back to USC.”

Washington State will be looking for its second coach in three seasons after McAlpine’s sudden departure, and although the exit of McAlpine is a tough pill to swallow for Coug fans, there are still reasons to be optimistic for years to come.

WSU finished second in the Pac-12 conference during the 2013 season – the best finish for the Cougars in program history – and Athletic Director Bill Moos has indicated in the past that improvement of the soccer facilities will be a point of emphasis in coming years.