The college coaching itch never really went away for Angela Berry White. A former US Women’s National Team player and the first female player to be inducted into the state’s Soccer Hall of Fame, she helped build women’s soccer programs at Butler and IU as an assistant, and was open to an opportunity to return to the college ranks amidst her 11-year term as Brebeuf Jesuit girls soccer coach.
The college game has a different level of athlete, White said. There’s a higher attention to detail and, unlike high school, everyone on the roster is 100% committed to the sport. She wasn’t actively looking to leave, but when IU Indy coach Chris Johnson retired following the season, the stars aligned.
“I’m an Indy native and have a lot of pride in the city I grew up in,” White, a North Central High School grad, said Monday. “I’ve known Chris for a long time. He started a good program there and I was like, you know what, I’m going to go for it. Good things happen sometimes when you put in a lot and trust in things. Why not me, you know?”
White applied for the job last month and after going through the interview process, was officially offered and accepted the position Monday, becoming the third IU Indy women’s soccer coach in program history.
“I’m always dug into the season, but now I can take that even further as part of my passion and do it 12 months a year instead of just half a year — or less — coaching high school,” White said.
“I’m so thankful for this opportunity and grateful to athletic director Luke Bosso and (the late) Jim Morris,” she later added. “Those two men are instrumental to me being here. I can’t say thank you enough.”
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White went 168-49-23 over 11 seasons at Brebeuf, with seven sectional championships, four regional championships and both of the program’s semistate titles. She guided the Braves to the Class 2A crown in 2015 and a runner-up finish in 2016, coached two Gatorade Indiana Player of the Year winners (Reilly Martin, 2014; Alia Martin, 2015) and won eight Marion County championships, with five straight from 2014-18.
The 2024 Braves fought through an injury-riddled regular season and caught fire during the state tournament. They took out two defending state champions — Park Tudor and Guerin Catholic — in sectional, then knocked off West Lafayette and Roncalli to reach the state semifinals for the second time since 2021.
“It was a tremendous time for me at Brebeuf,” White said. “I cherish those moments, the players I coached and what they were able to accomplish. It was a great experience and it was great to see the growth of the game. There’s been huge growth in high school soccer and that’s what you want.”
At the college level, White — who was a finalist for IU head coach six years ago — helped lead Butler to an 18-16-3 record in its first two seasons (1991-92). She then relocated to Bloomington, where the Hoosiers went 50-46-1 in their first five seasons and won the program’s lone Big Ten championship (1996).
White said recruiting in-state talent is among her top priorities at IU Indy — and she was already out recruiting Monday night, hours after being named head coach.
“I see so many great kids, it would be great to just have them stay,” she said.
White takes over an IU Indy team that finished 5-11-3 last season en route to its third consecutive Horizon League tournament appearance. The Jaguars are expected to graduate eight seniors from this year’s roster, but among the projected returners are all-league honorees Emma Frey and Hamilton Southeastern grad Caroline Kelley, who led the team with 13 and 11 points, respectively. 
“There’s a lot of talent on this team,” White said. “Chris did an outstanding job in his 22 years … and it’s a great nucleus to dive into. I just want to continue building upon that and have aspirations of being Horizon League champions, obviously, participating in an NCAA tournament and continuing to help these young ladies grow into strong women. And I think that all can be accomplished.”
Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.

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