Jennifer Burns enters her third season as the head coach at Louisiana Tech after orchestrating one of the biggest turnarounds in the country last season.

Burns -- formerly named Jennifer Soileau before marrying LA Tech head athletic trainer Bob Burns in May -- led her team to a 7-10 mark in 2005, one year after the inaugural Lady Techster team went 0-10-2.

It was one of the top 25 turnarounds in the country on the Division I level.

Making the improvement even more impressive is the fact that Burns and assistant coach Rich Stoneman accomplished the feat with a roster that included 18 true freshmen, led by Louisiana Freshman of the Year Emily Cleaveland.

Soccerbuzz.com ranked Burns' first recruiting class -- the 2004 team was made up of basically walk-ons and transfers -- the fifth best in the WAC, and Burns knew the group could possibly set the tone for the future of Lady Techster soccer.

It did.

After a season opening 3-0 loss at Northwestern State, Burns and Co. made Louisiana Tech soccer history by recording the first win in the program's young existence -- a 2-0 victory over Mississippi Valley State on Aug. 28 at Joe Aillet Stadium. 

They wouldn't stop there as the Lady Techsters reeled off five straight wins, including four shutout victories, on their way to a great start.

Burns' offense had a complete overhaul in year No. 2.  After scoring only three goals in 12 games in 2004, Louisiana Tech finished the season ranked 20th in the country in scoring in 2005 averaging 2.47 goals per game.

Off the field, Burns' team also faired well as 10 of her players earned Academic All-WAC honors during the year.

And although her second year at Louisiana Tech proved much more successful and enjoyable, Burns admits that she learned plenty from the hardships of the inaugural campaign.

Her success at every level of competition as a player and coach in the women's world of soccer has her confident that she can establish a winning tradition for Tech soccer in the years to come.

While Burns -- who holds a level B coaching license and who recently earned a NSCAA Advance National license -- may still be considered a young head coach in Division I soccer, the NCAA is a familiar scene for the Baton Rouge native.

After a stellar prep career at Parkview Baptist High School, featuring two district MVP crowns, four all-state selections, and the 1997 Louisiana Class 3A All-State MVP Award, Burns joined a two-year old soccer program at the University of Mississippi.

After only one Southeastern Conference victory in Ole Miss' previous year, the Rebels were looking for that solid, gritty leader to guide them to a winning tradition, and head coach Steve Holeman found that leader in Burns.

Burns, who starred as a midfielder for the Rebels, led Mississippi and set freshman scoring records with 11 goals and 31 points to help the program earn its first winning season at 11-9, including a 4-4 mark in the SEC.

During Burns' sophomore campaign, Ole Miss finished 9-7-2 and 3-5 in the SEC, and she continued her offensive rampage scoring nine goals and registering 14 assists for 32 points.

During her senior season, Burns led the Rebels to a 13-6-1 overall record and the program's first winning mark in SEC play at 5-3-1.

While building a strong team foundation at Ole Miss, Burns garnered four team MVP honors, three First Team All-SEC accolades (1998, 1999, 2000), three National Soccer Coaches Athletic Association All-Central Region selections, two Soccer Buss All-Region selections while also being named to the 2000 USASA National Team's Player Pool.

During her Ole Miss days, Burns accumulated 30 goals and 39 assists for a Rebel record 99 points while her off the field accomplishments in the classroom were just as impressive.

Burns was a four-time Academic All-SEC award recipient and was named a National Soccer Coaches Athletic Association Scholar All-American second team member in 2000 before graduating from Ole Miss in 2001 with a bachelor's degree in exercise science and minor in psychology.

Prior to receiving her master's degree in education at Southeastern Louisiana University in May of 2004, Burns continued her soccer-playing career with a year in the Women's United Soccer Association with the Philadelphia Charge.

In the WUSA, Burns said she learned what it takes to compete at the highest level, and her experiences on the field at the professional level prepared her for coaching on the sideline.

After a year in the WUSA, Burns began her coaching career by completing an internship with Holeman at Ole Miss, where she learned valuable lessons such as how to organize and process recruiting information.

Burns then landed a graduate assistant coaching position at Southeastern Louisiana in the fall of 2002.  Searching for her first head coachign position, Burns departed Southeastern for her former high school and coached Parkview's junior varsity team while assisting with the varsity squad in 2003.

After one year at Parkview, Burns coached a year at Bishop Sullivan High School before Tech hired her as the University's first head soccer coach in July of 2004.