The Iowa soccer team announced on Thursday it has hired former Kansas goalkeeper Julie Hanley as its new assistant coach.

Hanley will replace Jaimel Johnson, who spent two seasons in Iowa City before leaving for Texas in January.

"[Hanley] brings a high level of energy and fantastic enthusiasm to our program," head coach Ron Rainey said in a release. "Her playing background in the Big 12 is tremendous, and she’ll be a solid mentor to our goalkeepers — along with the rest of the team."

The Indiana native was most recently as a graduate assistant at Illinois State, where she was part of the 2011 Missouri Valley Coaching Staff of the Year. She spent two years tutoring the Redbirds’ goalies and defenders, helping the team make the NCAA Tournament in 2011. Illinois State went 22-13-2 during her tenure.

She interned at Kansas following a four-year playing career in which she became the second-leading Jayhawk goalkeeper in career wins, shutouts, and goals-against average.

"I’m excited and honored to join the University of Iowa women’s soccer coaching staff," Hanley said in the release. "Being a native of Indiana, I have great admiration for the Big Ten, so I’m thrilled to be offered this opportunity."

Hanley will work with a young corps of Hawkeye goalkeepers next season; Iowa lost its goalie with the most wins, Emily Moran, to graduation following a 2011 campaign in which the team finished a program-best 13-4-3 (5-4-2 Big Ten). The Black and Gold will have four goalies on the roster: Caitlin Schnorbach and Kiley Beck will be sophomores, and incoming freshmen Hannah Clark and Meg Goodson will join the team in August.

— by Seth Roberts