The Leesburg High School Girls Soccer Team recently went through a sharp change in coaching staff. After working with the same coaches for so long, a fresh start can be disheartening but the new coaching staff is doing their utmost to help these girls in every way they can.

Varsity head coach Alyssa Kaminski, known to the players as Coach AK, says, “I’m open to the way they were once taught, and we both just have to transition smoothly into an understanding that can build up from where we are now.” 

Coach AK believes in the mutual learning process, showing the girls that they are not the only ones who have to adapt. 

This new team of coaches embraces a mindset that is heavy on communication.

“Open communication helps a lot, assuring them [the players] that, regardless, if it’s something that they need on the field or off the field, that they can always come to either of us,” assistant varsity coach Emily Bailey says. 

All the coaches recognize that their players need a healthy and fun environment to play in for success to come naturally. Especially junior varsity coaches Adrianna Aravalo and Mary Yanez, who seek to teach their players how fun the sport can be and give them the skills necessary to play at the varsity level in the coming years. 

“They are very nice and they always have a way of joking with us, and there’s a boundary between joking and seriousness but it’s mostly joking and it’s really fun,” senior midfielder Kathryn Davis says.

These coaches show that there is a time and place for hard work, but that time and place can also be for laughter and fun.

Though the season only recently began, these players are already seeing improvement.

“I’ve become more flexible in other positions, they’ve pushed me to play outside of my comfort zone,” senior wing midfielder Abigail Lloyd says. “I’ve seen improvement as the season has gone on.” 

This new team is stressing the importance of thinking outside the box and testing the waters of different positions.

Coach Kaminski has stepped into a big position, filling the shoes of previous coaches that have been around for a long time. She has a plan for this team and is putting it into action. 

“We don’t want to be that underdog anymore, we want to get out of that realm and become a team where we work so hard that we start accomplishing great things,” she says. 

If you have a free night and you’re looking for something to do, come out, support this team and watch their journey as it unfolds.

Story and photos by Riley Goldberg