After a pair of seasons playing on the pitch for the Valiants and another on the sideline as a member of the coaching staff underneath head coach Peter Coughlan and assistant coach Isabel ter Weeme, Mia Castaneda was hired as the leading assistant coach of the Manhattanville University women's soccer team ahead of the 2026 season.
Castaneda is no stranger to GoValiants.com Field after a four-year undergraduate playing career in the Skyline Conference. Castaneda played for Saint Joseph's Brooklyn in 2021 and 2022, earning All-Conference Second Team recognition as a freshman before making the First Team as a sophomore. She then transferred to Manhattanville to continue her playing career and undergraduate studies, playing in 29 games for the Valiants over the next two years. Castaneda finished with 43 points in a Manhattanville kit, scoring 18 goals and handing out seven assists. In just two seasons, Castaneda recorded eight match-winning goals, the eighth-most in program history. She would conclude her playing career with her second Skyline All-Conference First Team selection as a senior in 2024.
Castaneda joined Peter Coughlan's staff in 2025 as a volunteer assistant coach for the women's soccer team. She has also coached in Harrison since 2023, working with the Harrison Youth Soccer Club in a coaching role since 2023 while also serving as the head coach of Harrison High School's JV girls soccer team in 2025.
A native of Mamaroneck, Castaneda graduated from Manhattanville with a bachelor of science in business management and a minor in computer science in 2025.
