Patricia Hughes begins her eleventh year as head coach at UM. The 2007 NSCAA/adidas South Region Coach of the Year has coached her team to four-straight postseason appearances. She enters 2011 with an overall record of 95-93-15 (.505).

Last season, the Falcons made another trip to the conference tournament. The Falcons, after a tough first month of competition, fought their way back into contention and only lost two games by three or more goals.

Hughes, the second coach in the 12-year history of the UM women's soccer program, took over the program in the fall of 2001. She led the team to its first ever conference championship back in 2007 when the Falcons captured the Gulf South Conference crown.

In her ten seasons at UM, Hughes has developed 15 GSC First Team members, 12 GSC Second Team members, seven NSCAA All South Region Team members, 13 GSC All-Academic team members, 10 Peach Belt Conference Presidential Honor Roll athletes, seven PBC-All Academic team members, three CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, five Peach Belt Conference Second Team athletes and an All-Southeast Region Third Team member.

A native of Dublin, Ireland, Hughes was a member of the coaching staff on the first University of Montevallo women's soccer team in 1995. She was formerly head coach at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn. for the 1999 season before returning to UM as an assistant coach in the fall of 2000. Hughes was also an assistant and interim head coach at Auburn University from 1997-1999.

A graduate of Coker College in 1993, Hughes was a two-time NAIA All-American, an NSCAA/adidas All-American and named to the All-District team four times. The all-time scoring leader, male or female in Coker College soccer history, she was also named First Team NSCAA All-East three times, the team's leading scorer and team captain four years and team MVP and best offensive player twice. In the spring of 2001, Hughes became the first women's soccer player to be inducted into the Coker College Athletic Hall of Fame.

Hughes also played internationally, making twenty appearances for the Republic of Ireland National Team from 1985-90, and also played with the Alabama Angels, a women's semi-professional league from 1995-98.

Locally, Hughes was also a Alabama State Coach for the Olympic Development Program (ODP) from 1995-99. She received her master's degree in education from UM in the spring of 2001.
In her first stint at UM as assistant coach, the 1995 team finished 3-14-1. In her first season as head coach, the team posted a nine-win season and qualified for their fifth GSC Women's Soccer Tournament over a six-year span.

In addition to her UM administrative assignments, Hughes has served as a member of the NCAA Division II National Soccer Committee and chair of the NCAA South Region Soccer Committee.

Named the school's Senior Women's Administrator in 2004, she served as Interim Director of Athletics in 2007, and recently was named Assistant Athletic Director. She will assist the Director of Athletics in all facets of administration and governance of the eleven-sport Falcon athletic programs with an emphasis on community relations.

Hughes resides in Pelham.