Rice Women's Soccer Coach Brian Lee to Step Down

Lee will leave the Owls at season's end after seven years, with Rice starting a national search for his successor.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Soccer

Wide view of an empty women's soccer pitch with a single goal and a sideline bench under flat overcast daylight, suggesting a program in transition. — Rice University women's soccer coach Brian Lee will step down at season's end after seven years leading the Owls, and the school has begun a national search for his successor. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Rice University announced that women's soccer head coach Brian Lee will step down at the end of the season, agreed upon by Lee and interim athletic director Eric George. Rice will begin a national search for the program's next head coach immediately.

Why it matters

The departure ends Lee's seven-season tenure in Houston, during which he compiled a 76-52-23 record at Rice. The change comes as the program prepares to open a new chapter after a 6-7-5 regular season.

Lee's Rice tenure produced a 76-52-23 record, two conference coach of the year honors (2020, 2024) and six players earning conference player of the year honors. Rice finished 4th in the conference at 4-4-2 and will play UTSA in the American Conference Championship on Sunday, while the search for his successor has not been detailed.

The players

Brian Lee

Lee is a longtime collegiate coach, born in Cheltenham, England, who has led Rice women's soccer since 2019 after earlier stints at Furman and LSU.

Eric George

George is Rice University's interim athletic director, who agreed with Lee on the coach's departure.

The details

Rice interim athletic director Eric George and Lee agreed the head coach will step down at season's end. Lee will assist with the transition through the end of the year, including supporting current student-athletes and recruits.

2019: Lee hired as Rice head coach.
2020: Lee named conference coach of the year.
2021: Mijke Roelfsema becomes the first player in school history to earn first-team All-American honors.
2024: Lee named conference coach of the year again.
End of the 2026 season: Lee steps down as head coach.

Season Trajectory

Lee's exit follows a 33-season career that spans Furman, LSU and Rice, with 363-232-78 career totals. The decision leaves Rice without its longest-serving coach of the current era as the program enters its post-2026 transition.

The search for Lee's replacement will determine the program's recruiting approach heading into its next season. Current student-athletes and incoming recruits will work through the coaching transition during the remainder of the year.

The takeaway

A coaching change at the end of a successful run often reshapes recruiting and program direction, and Rice's next hire will set that course. Readers following the Owls should watch for the search's outcome as the season closes.