Martinez, Ayinde Join Yale Staff

January 10, 2019

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Brendan Faherty, the Loring Family & Rudolph L. Meredith Head Coach of women's soccer at Yale, will have two familiar faces on his coaching staff. Sarah Martinez and Sade Ayinde, both of whom worked under Faherty at Stony Brook, will serve as assistant coaches at Yale.

"I feel extremely fortunate that Sarah and Sade are joining me at Yale. They played collegiately at the highest level, each with experience deep in NCAA tournaments, and these winning characteristics have transferred to coaching seamlessly. Over the last three years, I have seen first-hand their commitment to student-athlete development, their work-rates, and their passion for soccer. Put simply, they know exactly what it takes to compete for championships."

Martinez and Ayinde were both recognized as part of the America East Coaching Staff of the Year in 2016 and 2018 while at Stony Brook. During their tenures, they helped guide the Seawolves to three straight winning seasons and conference tournament appearances, a regular season championship, a conference tournament championship and a berth in the 2017 NCAA Tournament, the school's first NCAA appearance since 2012.

Martinez played at the University of Washington, where she led the Huskies to three NCAA Tournament appearances and was named team captain and Offensive Team MVP in her junior and senior seasons. She was named to the All-Pac 12 second team as a senior and won the University of Washington Athletic Department’s Most Inspirational Female Athlete Award twice.

After her playing career, Martinez spent four seasons on the Huskies’ coaching staff, serving as the Director of Soccer Operations for the men’s and women’s programs. Martinez graduated from the University of Washington in 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts degree, then earned a Master of Education in Intercollegiate Athletic Leadership from the University of Washington in 2013.

Ayinde played at the University of Maryland, where she led the Terrapins to three NCAA Tournament appearances, scoring 16 goals and adding 19 assists. She was named to the Soccer Buzz All-Mid Atlantic Freshman Team in 2008 and was voted the NSCAA National Player of the Week and ACC Player of the Week in 2010 after scoring both of Maryland’s goals in a 2-1 win over No. 2 North Carolina.

Following her collegiate years, Ayinde spent a season playing professionally in the first and second divisions in Sweden.

Ayinde’s coaching experience includes six years as a head coach of numerous girls’ teams with East Meadow Soccer Club. She also serves as a scout for US Soccer in the Northeast region and served as an assistant coach with ENYYSA ODP for several years.

She holds a USSF “B” coaching license and an NSCAA National Diploma.

Ayinde graduated from the University of Maryland in 2012, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts, Criminology and Criminal Justice.