Piedmont University Athletics

Shelby Forza enters her third season with the Lady Lions moving to a new role as Assistant Coach under Timmy McCormack after a pair of seasons as a graduate assistant with the program. Forza has been part of back-to-back USA South Tournament Championships while on staff and helped lead the Lady Lions to one of the best seasons in program history with a 20-2-1 mark in 2015. 

In 2016, the Lady Lions made another impressive tournament run after claiming the third seed in the West Division and won their second straight USA South Tournament title. Piedmont upset tournament host Meredith in the semifinals and knocked off Salem 2-1 in the finals for back-to-back titles. The Lady Lions had five athletes earn USA South West Division all-conference honors with four first team honorees and one second team. 

Forza’s first season in Demorest was one of magic as the Lady Lions’ Cassidy Reich, the 2015 USA South Player and Rookie of the Year, scored with just 15.3 seconds left in double overtime to give PC the league title.  Forza helped mentor seven All-Conference selections including Reich as well as nine USA South Players of the Week and five All-Tournament players.
 
Additionally, the Lady Lions ranked in the top ten in all of NCAA Division III in the 2015 season in three categories including shutout percentage (4th), goals against average (9th), and won-lost-tied percentage (8th).  Piedmont also excelled offensively leading the league with 62 goals as a team while topping the charts with 50 assists. 

A native of Ontario, Canada, Forza was a multi-sport athlete during her time at Wingate as she also participated on the school's first ever track and field team helping the team to a Southeast Regional Championship in 2012.  However, Forza's play on the soccer field was also elite as she was a conference champion in women's soccer leading her Bulldogs to the 2011 South Atlantic Conference (SAC) Tournament title, Forza's junior campaign with the team. 

That 2011 team would be the first of back-to-back NCAA National Tournament appearances for Forza and the Bulldogs as Wingate went an incredible 30-7-2 in her final two seasons on campus (2011, 2012).  Forza's goal in the 34th minute against a then 17-1 Lenoir-Rhyne in the 2011 SAC Championship Game would stand as the eventual game winner as Forza helped her team to three straight appearances in the SAC final to end her career. 

Overall, Wingate was an incredible 54-14-8 in Forza's four years with the team including a 27-5-2 mark in conference play that saw the Bulldogs post two straight 8-1 seasons, her junior and senior years.  Forza's Bulldogs also protected their home turf posting a 28-2-4 mark at home during that timespan with three undefeated seasons at Wingate University Soccer Complex in Forza's four years with the club.

Finishing her career with 47 appearances for Wingate over four years, Forza posted her best statistical season in her senior year with seven goals and five assists for a total of 19 points.  Finishing as the 2nd leading goalscorer that year for the Bulldogs, Forza's numbers also placed in the top two for total points and top three for assists in 2012.

That 2012 season saw Forza earn South Atlantic Conference 1st Team All-Conference honors as a forward and a Player of the Week honor in October of that season.  For her efforts in the posteason, Forza was also named to the SAC All-Tournament Team as well.  

After finishing her Wingate career, Forza went on to play for the Pickering Power in her native country helping the team in 2014 to the Ontario Women's Soccer League Regional Premier League Championship.  As the leading scorer for Pickering that season, Forza was also the leading scorer in the Central Division of the league as well scoring 13 goals in just 14 games with the team posting an 11-3 record.  

Forza brings coaching experience with her to Demorest having served as a coach with Glen Shields Futbol Club in the summers of 2014 and 2013.  During her time with the club, Forza coached youth players ages 12-14 within the House League program while also coaching four teams ages 4-6 in the Canadian Soccer Association's Long Term Player Development Program. 

Holding Canfitpro Personal Trainer Specialist Certification, Forza spent a few months as a personal trainer with Goodlife fitness conducting the life-changer program, fitness consultations, and assessments as she developed individualized programs for clients while she completed the Goodlife Personal Trainer Institute certification program.

Forza is a 2013 graduate of Wingate University with a bachelor's degree in Sport Management and earned an associate's degree in Recreation Therapy from Canadore College in 2014. She also earned her Master of Business Administration at Piedmont in 2017. 

Forza is a native of Ontario, Canada and will assist McCormack in all facets of the Lady Lions soccer program.