Many new obstacles and challenges come with a new year of sports. This year both the boys and girls soccer teams faced new challenges while adjusting to new changes in the coaching staff. Angie Pinion and Mike Harrington led both teams to very successful seasons last year before resigning. Angie Pinion, former girls head coach, stepped down and was replaced by Jared Hall. When Mike Harrington, former boys head coach retired, Austin Wade stepped in. Below are some questions that the new coaches were able to answer!

Who is on the coaching staff, and why did you choose them?

Coach Wade- “Our coaches are James Kline and Ethan Wherley. Coach Kline brings a high level of experience and knowledge to the team. He has collegiate-level playing experience as well as several years of coaching. Coach Wherley is a Dover native, and he understands the ins and outs of the community. He also has a strong tie to the youth program, and he very much cares for the community and Dover soccer. Both have been valuable assets.”

Coach Hall- “Kyle Dummermuth Asst coach Tony Miller Asst coach.  I chose Kyle due to his involvement as a coach for many years in the girls program and the fact that he was a former player for Dover and had much success. Tony was chosen due to his previous coaching experience in the boys program as a JV coach and his coaching of the middle school team for years.  We also all have many of the same ideas and philosophies for the program.”

What prior soccer/coaching experience do you have?

Coach Wade- “I’ve played soccer throughout my entire life, and I’m in my fourth year of coaching. I started out coaching 7th and 8th grade boys at Marlington Middle School, and the following year I served as a JV Boys’ assistant at Marlington High School. Last year I moved down to Asheville, North Carolina where I served as the varsity boys’ and girls’ assistant at North Henderson High School. Finally, I accepted the teaching and head coaching job here at Dover, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity.”

Coach Hall- “I coached under Coach Loffredo  from 95-98 as his varsity assistant.  I also coached numerous years in the DSA.  I was also the JV coach for the girls from 2017-2019.”

Why did you decide to take over and become a head coach?

Coach Wade- “I love soccer, and coaching allows me to stay connected to the game. But more importantly I see being a head coach as an opportunity to help shape lives for the better. Winning is awesome, but developing a program where a group of hard-working boys feel at home, have fun, and feel proud of is a special opportunity that I’m excited to have.”

Coach Hall- “I decided to become the head coach of the girls because I enjoy working with student athletes and making them the best people they can be in all aspects of their lives. I also really enjoy the players that we have on the team  and many of them I have already coached before, so it was a pretty easy decision to coach the team.”

What were your expectations going into this season and what would you like to accomplish by the end of the season?

Coach Wade- “We want to take each day at a time. We plan to make the deepest playoff run that we can, but for now we will focus on getting better each day, performing well in the classroom, and building team chemistry.”

Coach Hall- “Expectations going into the season were for us to improve every game  and hopefully be playing our best soccer by tournament time.”

What sets your team apart from other teams?

Coach Wade- “Our team cares. All teams want to win, and those teams care, of course. But our boys hold extremely high expectations for themselves. They take pride in putting on that jersey and representing that logo. They want to make their school and their community proud. The respect and care for each other is something special, too. I haven’t seen a group of boys as respectful and dedicated to encouraging each other to get better. It’s a special atmosphere.”

Coach Hall- “I think the thing that sets the team apart is how the team comes to practice every day ready to work hard and improve.  The players are giving the coaches everything they have everyday and as a coach that is all you can ask from your players.”