<p>Growing up the oldest of four in a suburb of St. Louis, Beth Goetz, Ball State athletic director, was surrounded by sports. Up until her senior year of high school, Goetz played softball, basketball and soccer. Most of the colleges Goetz visited for soccer had first-year programs because, at the time, collegiate women's soccer programs were still being established. After graduating high school, she was recruited to play soccer at Brevard College and later transferred to Clemson.<br/><br/>After graduating in 1996, Goetz began coaching at Missouri-St. Louis, her hometown school. She went on to become an associate athletic director at Butler before becoming the deputy athletic director at the University of Minnesota. Her last stop before Ball State was the University of Connecticut, where she was chief operating officer. Everywhere she's worked, Goetz said, she has tried to be a mentor to the women around her.</p>
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