Steve Barrows enters his eighth season at the helm of the women’s soccer team at Northwestern Oklahoma State University. Since the team’s inception in 2001, Barrows has compiled a successful 67-59-6 record.
In his tenure, Barrows has captured a Sooner Athletic Conference Championship (2004), competed in five SAC playoffs, appeared in two Region VI tournaments and received the NSCAA Team Academic Award each season since 2003.
On an individual level, he has produced a NAIA Third Team All-American, four NAIA Honorable Mention All-Americans, seven NAIA Academic All-Americans, four ESPN The Magazine Academic All-Americans, eight SAC First-Team All-Conference selections and seven SAC Second-Team All-Conference picks.
Last season, the Rangers posted a 7-10 overall record along with a 4-5 SAC mark and made the team’s fifth appearance in the SAC playoffs. The Rangers fell 2-1 in the SAC quarterfinals to the eventual champions, Rogers State University.
In 2006, Barrows’ team finished with a 4-12-1 overall mark. During the 2005 season, he led the Rangers to a winning season with a 9-7-2 overall record and with a 3-3-1 Sooner Athletic Conference mark. During the season, the Rangers defeated #14 Auburn-Montgomery and cracked the NAIA top 25 for the third consecutive season.
The Rangers’ most notable season was in 2004, when the Northwestern women finished 16-3-2 and took home the school’s first Sooner Athletic Conference championship.
Not only has Barrows been an influence on the field, he has been a force in the classroom. For the last five years, his squads received national team academic and sportsmanship recognition from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. He received the John Sheffield Teacher of the Year Award for his outstanding efforts in the classroom during the 2006-07 academic year.
Following Barrows’ lead, the Rangers have played in the SAC Conference Playoffs from 2002-05 and have competed in two Region VI tournaments.
The 2004 squad placed second in the Region VI Tournament and narrowly missed out on a chance to play in the NAIA National Tournament.
The inaugural season of 2001 did not turn out exactly as Barrows would have liked. After ending the season with a 4-14 record, he quickly got the Rangers going in the right direction.
Barrows not only showed improvement in the 2002 season, but he proved what kind of coach he is by turning in a 13-7 record. The Rangers finished third in the SAC and extended their season to the second round of the conference playoffs, where they lost a 1-0 heartbreaker to Oklahoma Christian University.
In 2003, the Rangers finished with an impressive 14-6-1 record and made it all the way to the Region VI playoffs.
Barrows brings experience to Northwestern soccer as both a former semi-professional player and coach.
He started his love of soccer at age 7 in St. Louis where he grew up and trained under former professional players from the United States, Europe and South America.
Barrows started his semi-professional career playing for F.C. Monterey in 1976 as their right wing. He then moved on to play in South Korea for the United Stars as the center forward from 1977-78.
His ties with Northwestern started in 1979 when he played the role of player/coach for the Rangers club team.
After he graduated from Northwestern in 1984 with degrees in psychology and sociology, he continued his tour of soccer playing. He was a player and captain for two teams in Albuquerque, New Mexico, before playing and coaching for the Albuquerque Gunners from 1986-90 where he became the general manager and president of the team.
Before Barrows made it back to Alva, he stopped at Kansas City from 1990-92 and played for the Lobos, a member of a premier indoor soccer league.
Barrows completed his master’s of psychology from Northwestern in 2003.
In 2006, Barrows officially retired after 25 years of distinguished service with the U.S. Army and the Oklahoma and Kansas Army National Guard units.
He resides in Alva with his wife, Vanedda.
Ashley Guinn
Graduate Assistant Coach
Northwestern alumna and former Ranger soccer player Ashley Guinn begins her first season as a student assistant coach, following a four-year playing career.
Guinn, a native of Mansfield, Tex., played in 69 games for the Rangers from 2005-08 and scored 33 goals, ranking second in career total points and goals. She also had six assists and six game-winning goals during her career.
The forward was a second-team all-conference performer during her junior year and named to the ESPN the Magazine All-District Squad. She was twice named a NAIA Academic All-American.
Guinn graduated in May with a degree in business administration. She coached the inaugural Alva High School soccer teams this past season.
Guinn graduated in May of 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. She is currently working on health and sports science degree.