Soccer Coach: Ragin’ Cajuns Assistant To Play Professionally In France

Former Longhorn made immediate impact in short stint with Ragin’ Cajuns

Matt Sullivan, Associate Director of Athletics Communications

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LAFAYETTE – Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Women’s Soccer Coach Lance Key had a feeling that assistant coach Chelsea Surpris’ stint with the program would be a short one due to her desire to play professionally.
 
The dream for Surpris came true earlier this spring when she signed a professional contract with the French-based Montauban FC. The league runs from September through May with a month off in December.
 
Surpris, who joined the Ragin’ Cajuns as an assistant late in the 2019 season, spent part of the winter playing with the Haiti National Women’s Soccer Team at the 2020 Concacaf Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship.
 
"Chelsea’s time with us was relatively short, but we expected and hoped that might be the case because a short stay would have meant a professional playing contract, which was always her dream," said Key. "Not long after hiring her she was contacted by the Haitian Federation about playing with them in the Olympic qualifiers. We both knew that could be the bridge she was looking for. It turned out to be exactly that. Chelsea started and played a full 90 minutes on each of their three group stage matches before boarding her flight to France."
 
After a four-year collegiate career at Texas, Surpris earned national and international experience beginning in 2011 as a USYSA U-14 National Champion. Surpris was a member of the USA U17 Girls’ National Team in 2013 and was an ECNL U-18 National Champion in 2014.
 
Surpris was included as part of the U.S. Women’s U20 National Team Player Pool and attended the id2 Player Development Program National Camp in Portland, Ore.
 
In her short tenure with the Ragin’ Cajuns, the former Texas Longhorn standout and 2019 UT graduate made an immediate impact with the team, helping Louisiana post a 9-8-3 record and its first-ever semifinal appearance in the Sun Belt Conference Women’s Soccer Championships.
 
"She was a tremendous influence on our program, and in particular our student-athletes during her time on staff," Key said. "Her example of discipline and determination as a player as well as her ability to relate and articulate valuable insight into the development of the young women in our program proved to be a wonderful relationship.
 
"We are incredibly grateful to call Chelsea family and thankful for her service to our program. She is deeply missed, but Louisiana Soccer is so proud of her pursuit of her dreams.  We will always be cheering her on as she pursues her passion."
 
"On a personal note, having had the opportunity to coach her for part of her collegiate experience (at Texas), I am overjoyed for this opportunity for her. She is obviously a talented player, was a fantastic student in the classroom, and she is truly an even better human being. She is the type of person we all want to be surrounded by."