Bean was named head coach by VCU Director of Athletics and Vice President Ed McLaughlin in January 2017 and is entering her eighth season at the helm.
Bean has led VCU to an overall record of 78-44 and holds the highest winning percentage by any coach in program history. The Rams have also posted a 37-14 record in the Atlantic 10 during her tenure.
In 2023, the Rams posted a 13-6 overall record and a 5-2 mark in Atlantic 10 play, finishing in a tie for second in the league. Bean coached NFHCA Third Team All-American, Atlantic 10 Co-Offensive Player of the Year, Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year and All-Atlantic 10 First Team selection Mora Marrero. Fellow freshman Morena Macera was named to the All-Atlantic 10 First Team. Sheridan Messier and Camila Rosenbrock were named to the All-Atlantic 10 Second Team.
The Rams had four earn All-Atlantic 10 honors in 2022 as Litiana Field was named to the All-Atlantic 10 First Team, Janne Wetzel and Lonica McKinney were named to the All-Atlantic 10 Second Team and Ana Iglesias was named to the All-Rookie Team.
In 2021, Bean led the Rams to their third Atlantic 10 Conference Championship appearance in four seasons and an overall record of 12-6. Maite Sturm became the program's first two-time All-American as she was named a NFHCA Third Team All-American. Sturm scored four goals and assisted 12 totaling 20 points on the campaign. In total, eight Rams earned conference honors and 21 players earning NFHCA Academic recognition.
Bean led VCU to an undefeated regular season in the spring of 2021 with a record of 7-0 and to the program's first Atlantic 10 Conference Championship and appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Bean was named the Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year and her staff as named the NFHCA South Region Staff of the Year. VCU also earned its first ranking in the NFHCA Coaches Poll poll since it inception in 1998, climbing as high as No. 17.
In 2018, Bean led VCU to its first Atlantic 10 Championship game after earning the No. 2 overall seed in the A-10 Championship. VCU went 12-7 overall with 7-1 mark in A-10 play, setting a record for the most conference wins in program history. The Rams had four selected to the All-Atlantic 10 First Team, one to the All-Atlantic 10 Second Team and four named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team.
VCU also had three players selected to an NFHCA All-Region squad, one first team selection and two second team selections. Emily McNamara led the country in scoring with 27 goals and was named NFHCA Second Team All-American, the highest individual honor in program history. She broke program records for career goals, total points, goals in a season and points in a career. McNamara became just the third VCU Field Hockey student-athlete to earn an NFHCA All-American distinction. The Black and Gold also garnered NFHCA All-Academic Squad recognition.
In her first season as head coach at VCU in 2017, she led VCU to a 14-6 overall record, the second most wins in a single season in program history. Bean also guided the Rams to a 6-2 record in the Atlantic 10 and a tie for second place, the highest conference finish and most conference wins for VCU since joining the A-10 in 2012-13. Under her guidance, Emily McNamara broke the program record for goals in a season with 21 and VCU had six players honored with postseason awards by the A-10. VCU was also named an NFHCA All-Academic Squad.
Bean joined VCU after a successful nine-year stint as the head coach at Saint Francis (Pa.) from 2008-16. Prior to guiding the Red Flash, Bean also served as the head coach at Rhode Island from 2002-07 and at New Brunswick from 1995-00.
Bean has been a four-time finalist for national Coach of the Year awards and has won seven conference Coach of the Year honors. She has also coached in the USA Field Hockey system, coaching various teams at the National Future Championship in addition to serving as a head coach in the Junior Regional High Performance Program.
Under her tutelage, the Red Flash won at least 10 games each of the last three seasons, advancing to the Atlantic 10 Tournament twice in those years. With the Red Flash, Bean was also named the A-10 Coach of the Year in 2014 and the Northeast Conference Coach of the Year in 2012.
Saint Francis finished 11-9 in 2016 and the team boasted two First Team All-Atlantic 10 selections, one second team choice and two All-Atlantic 10 Rookie selections.
Bean successfully guided the Red Flash from the Northeast Conference into the competitive Atlantic 10 in 2013 and never posted a losing season during her team's four years in the A-10. The Red Flash finished 10-7 in 2015, 14-3 in 2014 and 8-8 in 2013.
Off the field, Bean was selected as the inaugural USA Field Hockey Humanitarian Award recipient in 2016. She was given the award for the compassion and dedication she showed to her senior student-athlete, Kelly Quealy, through her battle with cancer. The award is given to someone whose actions and kindness have positively impacted and inspired those in his or her community.
Prior to her time at Saint Francis and Rhode Island, Bean was an assistant coach at Boston College. At BC, she coached five NFHCA Regional All-Americans, one NFHCA National All-American, 10 Big East Conference All-Stars, one Big East Defensive Player of the Year, one Big East Goalkeeper of the Year and one USA senior national team member in two seasons.
She joined the Eagles after five seasons as head coach at New Brunswick. At New Brunswick, she compiled a 65-15-7 record and earned four Atlantic University Athletic Association Coach of the Year awards (1995, '96, '97 and '99). Bean was also a finalist for National Coach of the Year honors in each of those four seasons. During her tenure at UNB, she recruited and developed the first CIAU Top-10 National Academic All-Canadian honoree in the history of UNB athletics.
At New Brunswick, Bean coached 18 CIAU Field Hockey all-Canadians, three national Player of the Year honorees, 26 Conference All-Stars and 24 Academic All-Canadians. Her teams won the conference title five consecutive years under her tutelage. In two of those seasons, her teams reached the national semifinals.
Bean earned her bachelor's degree in physical and health education at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, graduating with honors in 1993. She played field hockey at Laurentian for four years (1989-92), and earned all-conference honors in 1992 from the Ontario Women's Inter-University Athletic Association. In 1993, Bean moved on to graduate school at the University of New Brunswick, playing her last season in a Varsity Reds uniform. She earned AUA All-Conference Honors, CIAU All-Canadian Honors and CIAU Academic All-Canadian Honors in her senior season.
Bean has been a Level 3 certified field hockey coach since 1994, graduated from the NCAA women's coaching academy in 2005 and completed the NCAA Women's Coaching Academy Dimension 2 Program in 2010.
