Fresh Start

This girls soccer season has kicked off on a new note, introducing four new coaches to the program who are already making an impact both on and off the field. 

This fresh leadership not only brings experience and energy, but commitment and a drive to have the JA girls soccer team succeed. We welcome Coach Rich Dell, Sydney Spitz, Peyton Westphal, and Haley Schueppert to the JA community! 

“I’m most excited to help grow the community and culture within the soccer team,” JV coach Peyton Westphal stated. 

They made it clear that high school soccer is not just a sport, but a community. They hope to establish that sense of community in a meaningful way, in hopes it will stick with the players for their lives. 

“It’s important that the girls have a good experience but overall I hope to have the program stronger rather than an individual team.” Varsity coach Rich Dell exclaimed.

All of the coaches emphasized that it’s not just about JV or Varsity individually as teams, but instead the hope that the program will develop and they focus on both teams instead of putting a pedestal on Varsity. 

“Tradition is really important especially for a school like JA, so it’s important to keep a lot of that but also to be able to bring in change,” coach Sydney Spitz stated. 

Trying to build a bond with an already close knit team can be hard, but these coaches have managed to do it. This was a huge change for this team but the coaches were able to make it less intimidating. 

“Being able to meet them where they are in their stage of life has been really important for us. High school soccer was one of my favorite times, so being able to make it their favorite time has been special,” varsity coach Haley Schueppert exclaimed. 

This coaching change has been huge for this team but the coaches are ready to take on any challenges and be able to help build this community. 

“The majority of us being young females has helped a lot because we lived it not long ago so we understand where they’re at,” Westphal stated.