FORT MYERS, Fla. – Florida Gulf Coast women's soccer head coach Jim Blankenship announced the addition of assistant coach Alia Skinner on Monday, completing the staff for 2026. 

"We are very excited Alia has chosen to join our staff to begin her coaching career," Blankenship said. "She has extensive experience playing in the ACC, professionally (Houston Dash) and with the US Youth National teams which will be an invaluable resource to our student-athletes."

"I'm very thankful for the opportunity to step into my first coaching role with such a successful program," Skinner said. "It's exciting to join FGCU under Coach Blankenship, who has created a program that consistently competes for conference titles and NCAA Tournament appearances. I'm looking forward to guiding our players through the journey of collegiate soccer and hope to draw inspiration from my relationships with my former coaches and apply what made them successful."

Skinner spent 2024 with the Houston Dash, Brommapojkarna (Sweden), and Knattspyrnufélagið Fram (Iceland). In Iceland, she joined the team during the summer transfer window with the side sitting in eighth place in its division. Skinner started the next five matches, delivering a pair of clean sheets and a perfect 5-0 record, which helped the club earn a 2nd place finish and promotion to the top division in Iceland.

Skinner played collegiately at Virginia Tech from 2020-2023 where she was a four-year starter at goalkeeper. She tallied 235 career saves and had an 82.3% save percentage in 2023, the second best mark in the ACC that season. Skinner collected numerous recognitions for her performance, including a National Player of the Week nod, two ACC Defensive Player of the Week awards and a College Soccer News Women's Team of the Week placement. She set the Virginia Tech ACC-era record for saves in a game when she had 14 against No. 4 North Carolina in 2021. She was also recognized every semester on the Dean's List and AD Honor Roll.

For the US National Team, Skinner participated in U-20, U-16 and U-14 camps, and won the Torneo Delle Nazioni with the U-16 USYNT.

Skinner aided in running summer camps while a student-athlete at Virginia Tech, mentoring youth players and providing support to promote growth in technical skills, confidence, and love for the game.

A Fleming Island, Florida, native, Skinner returns to her home state to begin her coaching career.

For more information on FGCU women's soccer, follow @FGCU_WSoccer on Instagram, X (Twitter) and Facebook, and visit fgcuathletics.com.