A three-time Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year and the all-time winningest coach in program history, Randy Dedini enters his 19th season at the helm of the Sacramento State women’s soccer program in 2025. Dedini, who took over the squad in 2007, has guided the Hornets to a pair of Big Sky Conference titles and two NCAA Tournament berths in his tenure — both firsts in school history.
Dedini, who enters the 2025 campaign with 124 career victories, has led the Hornets to .500-or-better records in Big Sky play nine times while claiming the 2007 conference regular season crown and tournament titles in 2007, 2010, and 2024.
Named the Big Sky’s top coach following the 2007, 2010, and 2016 seasons, Dedini guided the Hornets to a combined 29-21-10 overall record and a 14-5-5 mark in league play over those three years. That run included a 12-4-5 overall mark and a 4-0-3 Big Sky record in his inaugural season at the helm and a 6-2-2 conference record in 2016.
Three years later, Dedini and his charges went 17 straight matches — a program and Big Sky record — without a loss during the 2019 regular season and extended that streak to 22 consecutive contests thanks to a 1-0-4 record to kick-off the pandemic-delayed 2020 campaign before falling to Idaho in a road match on March 26.
In 2024, the Hornets wrapped up a storybook season with a dramatic finish in the Big Sky Conference Tournament as the No. 5 seed, becoming the first school in the history of the league's postseason event to advance and win the title in penalty kicks in all three of their matches. Sacramento State advanced 4-3 on penalties against No. 4 Northern Arizona and No. 1 Montana, before clinching the title with a 7-6 victory against No. 2 Idaho in the championship match.
Earning a berth in the NCAA Tournament for a third time in the program's history, the Hornets faced off against top-seeded USC before having their season brought to a close. In the process, the team's nine-match unbeaten streak entering the NCAA Tournament was tied for the second-longest in school history while the nine draws set a new school single-season record.
At the end of the year, five Sacramento State players were named to the All-Big Sky team while six student-athletes were named to the Big Sky All-Tournament team, including gaining the MVP.
During his tenure, Dedini has mentored several Hornets to success both on the field and in the classroom. Entering the 2025 campaign, Sacramento State student-athletes have earned a total of 114 All-Big Sky honors — including 29 first-team laurels — as well as a pair of league offensive players of the year (Katie McCoy in 2007 and Kylee Kim-Bustillos in 2019), four conference defensive players of the year (Rachel Leonard in 2016, Mikayla Reed in 2019, Christina Lazar in 2020, and Aubrey Goodwill in 2020), and a Big Sky goalkeeper of the year (Aaliyah Fesili in 2019).
Two of his charges have won the Big Sky Golden Boot award in McCoy (2007) and Kim Kemper (2008), while Reed (2016) and Kim-Bustillos (2017) were named the conference’s newcomer of the year. In postseason play, both McCoy (2007), Elece McBride (2010), and goalkeeper Sierra Sonko (2024) have been named the Big Sky Tournament MVP while 20 players have earned a spot on the conference’s all-tournament team.
A career-high nine student-athletes earned All-Big Sky honors in 2007 — five of those on the first team — in addition to nine more following the 2010 campaign. The Hornets have had at least one first-team honoree in 15 of his 18 seasons and have placed six-or-more on the league’s postseason honor roll 13 times.
Off the field, 176 student-athletes have gone on to earn Big Sky All-Academic Team honors, including double-digit honorees 10 times. During the pandemic-delayed season of 2020, when most classes were held remotely, the Hornets did well to balance their academic and athletic workload during an unprecedented time as 17 student-athletes earned conference academic laurels — the most in program history.
Dedini’s athletes have also been recognized nationally as five players have been named to the United Soccer Coaches’ all-region squad — including two-time honoree Kim-Bustillos, who earned a pair of second-team awards in 2017 and 2019 — while a two more were named to both scholar all-region and College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA) all-district teams. McCoy eared all-region academic honors in 2005 and 2006 and all-district honors in 2005, while Kemper was a 2008 academic all-region honoree and a two-time all-district winner in 2008 and 2009.
Prior to taking over as head coach in 2007, Dedini was an assistant coach with the program for three seasons from 2004-06, overseeing the Hornets’ ascension into the top of the Big Sky standings. During the fall of 2006, the women’s program reached the Big Sky Tournament championship match for the first time in program history. The team’s 10-7-4 record was also a then program-best until the 2007 team bettered that win total. In 2006, a highly touted recruiting class made major contributions during the year. The program’s 30 goals during the season were fueled by Dedini’s aggressive offensive approach and the ability of the newcomers to contribute immediately. Sacramento State out-shot its opponents 172-106.
Dedini first started as the goalkeepers coach for the Hornets in 2004. During that year, freshman keeper Brittany Auernig was named rookie of the year after making eight starts and 59 saves. Dedini made the move to top assistant in 2005. The Hornets’ improved recruiting efforts and change in philosophy paid off with a then program-best second place finish in the conference standings and an 8-8-3 overall record. The team also advanced to the Big Sky Tournament for the first time since 2001.
In his own playing career, Dedini competed at American River JC before transferring to Sonoma State. Dedini had two standout seasons for the Seawolves as the starting goalkeeper and graduated with a degree in kinesiology. A second-team All-American in 1993, Dedini posted a school-record 13 shutouts that season, leading Sonoma State to a 17-3-2 record. He currently ranks second in school history with 21 shutouts and his career goals-against-average of 0.75 is by far the best in school history. The Seawolves inducted Dedini into the Sonoma State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008 and he is widely regarded as the best keeper in school history.
After graduation, Dedini played in Major League Soccer for the Colorado Rapids and the Kansas City Wizards (now Sporting KC). After his MLS career, Dedini spent five years playing with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds of the A-League (now United Soccer League), earning honors such as team MVP, Iron Man and the century award for breaking the 100-cap mark. In all, Dedini played professional soccer for 11 seasons. While playing for the Riverhounds, Dedini served as the assistant coach for the men’s varsity soccer team at Quaker Valley High School in Pittsburgh, Pa., helping the squad to the 2002 state championship.
In the summer of 2024, Dedini entered another hall of fame, inducted as part of the Riverhounds’ third class alongside former assistant coach Paul Child and midfielder Gary DePalma.
The starting goalkeeper for the Hounds' first team, Dedini played five years in Pittsburgh from 1999-2003 and established several records that still stand today. During his tenure, he finished with 57 wins between the pipes, holding all-time club marks for victories, shutouts (29), and matches played (125), while continuing to hold the single-season mark for saves with 136 in 1999, helping the team to its first-ever playoff berth and playoff victory that year.
Dedini is a Northern California native, having graduated from Vacaville High School in 1988. He and his wife, Katie, have two daughters, Jordyn and Jaycie, and one son, Jake.
