WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – Beth Regan '79, the first head coach in the 40-year history of the Eastern Connecticut State University women's soccer program, has been voted into the Connecticut Soccer Hall of Fame.

Regan becomes the sixth individual associated with Eastern soccer to be selected but the first to be associated with the women's soccer program. A highly successful high school coach at Tolland High School prior to and after her appointment at Eastern, Regan was hired by former Eastern director of athletics Bill Holowaty when women's soccer became the sixth intercollegiate program for women in 1986.

Regan is among nine members of the Connecticut Soccer Hall of Fame Class of 2026, which will be the 28^th induction class on Saturday, March 7 at DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Bristol.  Social hour is from 5:30-6:30 p.m., followed by dinner from 6:30-7:30 p.m. and the induction ceremony from 7:30-9:45 p.m. Tickets are priced at $60 and must be reserved by Feb. 22.

The first of five permanent head coaches in Eastern program history, Regan compiled a six-year record of 48-30-9 while serving in a part-time capacity while maintaining her fulltime position as a teacher in the Tolland Public Schools. A native of New Britain, Regan never had a losing regular season at Eastern and  led the Warriors to post-season tournaments in three of her final four seasons, including their first NCAA tournament in 1989 in only their fourth year on the intercollegiate level.

In 2022, the Beth Regan '79 Endowed Women's Soccer Fund  was established in honor of Regan's pivotal role in the founding of the program. That year, the 1998 Eastern Alumni Hall of Famer also received the Distinguished Service Award for her accomplishments as an educator, coach, athlete and dedicated Eastern alumnus.

A four-year member of the Eastern basketball program who also played softball, Regan is in her 11^th season as a volunteer assistant coach with the women's basketball program.

"Beth Regan had an all-time great record at Tolland High School and built the women's soccer program at Eastern Connecticut State University," said Bill Duffy, President of the Connecticut Soccer Hall of Fame. "Additionally, she was a role model for women and girls as one of the lone female soccer coaches at a critical time in women's sports. She was a motivator, competitor, and mentor for her players, on and off the field. You could practically count the number of female high school coaches on one finger in 1982."

Prior to being named at Eastern, Regan found immediate success at Tolland High School, going unbeaten from 1982-1985 with a 54-0-6 record and leading the Eagles to three consecutive CIAC Class M State Championships (1982-84).

After leaving Eastern, Regan returned to Tolland HS (1992-2007) where she continued to develop competitive teams and shape generations of student-athletes. 

Regan was previously inducted into the Connecticut Girls Soccer Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the New Britain Athletics Hall of Fame. She also volunteers as a Special Olympics coach.

Previous inductees into the Connecticut Soccer Hall of Fame with ties to the Eastern men's soccer program are former players Greg Andrulis (inducted in 2019), John Natale (2015) and Mark Holowesko (2011) and former head coaches Thomas Nevers and Frantz Innocent, both inducted in 2001. Nevers was a charter inductee to the Eastern Alumni Hall of Fame in 1986 and Andrulis, a goalkeeper under Nevers, was inducted in 2006.