Coaching Staff

Alexa Ream
Assistant Coach

Alexa Ream, most recently the head coach at Division 2 Clarion University in Pennsylvania, joined the Bucknell women’s soccer staff as an assistant coach in March 2023.

“We are excited to welcome Alexa to our women's soccer family,” said Cook at the time of her hiring. “Alexa brings a strong passion for the game and great coaching experience that will have an immediate impact on our student-athletes. Her work ethic, drive, and commitment to developing players directly correlate with our expectations of excellence within the program. Alexa has strong ties to the local soccer community and will be a great addition not only to our program but the Bucknell community.”

A native of nearby Jersey Shore, Pa., Ream played at both Clarion and Lock Haven during her undergraduate days. She was the team captain at Lock Haven as a senior and earned her bachelor’s degree in health science with a minor in coaching.

Ream launched her coaching career as a graduate assistant at Wheeling Jesuit, where she received her MBA in 2019. She spent the 2019 season as an assistant coach at Mercyhurst and helped the Lakers to an 11-6-1 record, its first season over .500 in ten years, and coached the PSAC Freshman of the Year and three all-region honorees.

In March 2020, Ream was named head coach at Clarion, just in time for athletics to be halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Her first full season with the Golden Eagles came in the fall of 2021, when she guided a very young squad to a 4-12-1 record, highlighted by a 2-1 win over No. 23 Slippery Rock. It was the program’s first-ever win against a ranked side.

Ream coached multiple Clarion players to all-conference honors, and the team recorded its highest GPA and retention rate in the history of the program.

In addition to her collegiate coaching, Ream has extensive experience at the club level, including as head coach of the STN North Penn Soccer Club in Northumberland since 2014.

PJ Steiner
Assistant Coach

Palmer “PJ” Steiner joined Kelly Cook’s Bucknell women’s soccer staff as an assistant coach prior to the 2023 season. Steiner, who coaches Bison goalkeepers among other duties, comes to Bucknell from nearby Bloomsburg University, where he was the goalkeepers coach for the Huskies’ men’s squad.

Steiner, who will immediately get to work with 2022 Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year Jenna Hall, brings an extensive playing and coaching resume. A 2016 graduate of Misericordia University and a goalkeeper on the men’s soccer team, he helped the Cougars to an ECAC Championship, three MAC Freedom finals appearances, and two NCAA Tournament berths. Steiner later played semi-professional soccer with the Electric City Shock.

After graduating with a degree in biology with a minor in chemistry, Steiner became the head soccer coach at Shamokin Area High School while also serving as head manager with The Edge of PA, where he organized soccer training sessions for kids aged 6-15.

In 2018-19, Steiner was the director of athletics at Millville Jr./Sr. High School, where he led the school’s first-ever state championship boy’s soccer team. While at Millville, Steiner also worked toward the first of his two master’s degrees, this one coming in the field of exercise science at Bloomsburg. In May 2021, Steiner completed a second master’s in sports management at Millersville University, where he also coordinated the school’s campus recreation program.

Steiner spent the 2016 season as an assistant men’s soccer coach at Penn State-Hazelton, where he helped the Nittany Lions reach the PSUAC championship game. From 2019-21 he was an assistant men’s coach at Elizabethtown, where he worked under one of the all-time winningest coaches in college soccer in Skip Roderick.

Steiner joined the Bloomsburg staff last season and helped guide the Huskies to a 14-5-1 record and a berth in the PSAC final.