Meet The Coaches

Coach Abby was born and raised in Wake Forest, NC. She has been playing soccer since she was 5 and volunteering as a coach since she was a freshman in college. She graduated from Barton College in May 2021 with a degree in Graphic Design, playing college soccer competitively for 3 years. Coach Abby had the opportunity to play soccer in Sweden in middle school which was one of her most memorable experiences. She loves spending time with friends and family, traveling, playing soccer, and creating art.

Coach Alden was born in Florida and has lived in North Carolina for the last 25 years. He has played soccer for 20 years and has four years of coaching experience previously. He graduated from North Carolina State University with a Bachelor’s in History.

Coach Alejandro was born in Raleigh, NC but spent most of his life in Durham, NC. He has been playing soccer since the age of 5 and continued to play soccer throughout his life, whether it be in school or in his community. When not coaching he enjoys being with friends, playing video games and going to amusement parks.

Coach Ali was born and raised in North Carolina, she has been playing soccer since she was five and has always had a love for soccer. She is currently going to school for Graphic Design at Wake Tech. In her free time she enjoys running at parks, going to the lake with family or relaxing at home with her cats.

Coach Ann was born and raised in Raleigh, NC and has been playing soccer for 12 years. She played for CASL since she was 6 years old and played Varsity for Sanderson High School for 4 years. She plays midfield and defense but her favorite soccer position is left defensive back. She is a Psychology major at Wake Technical Community College studying abnormal and developmental psychology. When not playing soccer, Coach Ann likes backpacking on trails all over North Carolina or playing basketball and tennis with her friends.

Coach Anna was born and raised in Wooster, Ohio. She has been playing soccer since she was 3 and coaching since she was a freshman in high school. She graduated from Urbana University May 2017 with a degree in Sports Management, playing college soccer all 4 years. Coach Annalise had the opportunity to attend the Women’s World Cup in Canada 2015, which was one of her most memorable experiences. She loves spending time with friends and family, going to the beach, playing soccer, skiing, hiking, and watching the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Coach Anna was born and raised in Waxhaw, NC. She loves to be outside and has been playing the sport since she was 6 years old, she played soccer for her first two years of college at Catawba College. Recently, she graduated from NCSU and majored in Anthropology. She played professionally in the first season ever of the National Indoor Soccer League this past Winter with the Fayetteville Fury! Coach Anna’s hobbies include camping, hiking, and reading.

Coach Ash has been teaching young people for 4 years, and graduated from UNC with a bachelors in Biology and Psychology! Ash loves working with children and broadening young minds through exercise and challenges every day.

Coach Ayal was born in Long Island, NY. He moved around growing up and soccer was how he was able to meet new friends and connect with others. Coach Ayal has been playing soccer since the age 4 and loves the game. He played soccer through college and was on his college NCAA team. Graduating from Mitchell College where he earned my B.S. in Sport and Fitness Managment. Teaching the younger generation the game of soccer is what he finds most enjoyable. When he is not coaching he like to watch soccer with his wife and taking walks with his dog.

Coach Bonnie grew up in Greenville, SC and has been playing soccer since she was 5 years old. She is in school to receive her Masters in Counseling and is set to graduate in summer 2025. Coach Bonnie’s favorite position in soccer was midfield and striker. Over the years she attended many NWSL games and USWNT games. In her free time you can catch coach Bonnie playing spikeball, volleyball, and other various sports.

Coach Brooke grew up near Naperville, Illinois and moved to North Carolina after graduating high school. She has played soccer since she was 4 years old and she played travel soccer and Varsity soccer through her senior year of high school. She recently graduated from Purdue University with a degree in Neurobiology & Physiology with goals of becoming a Physician Assistant! In her free time she enjoys going to concerts, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.

Coach Bryce is from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma but has lived in North Carolina for a little over a year. He has played soccer since he was 4 years old. His favorite team to watch is Arsenal.

Coach Casey was born and raised in Hancock, Michigan, a small town located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula! He has been playing sports since he was 3 years old and has been passionate about them ever since! Besides changing children’s lives on Soccer Island, he loves to spend time playing hockey and traveling!

Coach Chloe is from Raleigh, NC and started playing soccer at the age of 3 and she now plays intramural soccer at UNC! Coach Chloe is a junior studying Business Administration with the hopes of working in the sports industry. She enjoys hanging out with friends, listening to music, and watching and playing sports in her free time. Go Heels!

Coach Chris has been playing soccer almost as long as he’s been walking! He has competed in soccer tournaments all over the world, and has managed to score goals in four different countries. Coach Chris enjoys sharing his passion for soccer with our Soccer Friends. When he’s not teaching, Coach Chris will be spending time with his wife and son as they attempt to complete DIY projects around their home!

Coach Corey was born and raised locally in Raleigh, North Carolina. He graduated from UNC Chapel Hill in 2019 and will always bleed Carolina blue! Last year, Coach Corey had the opportunity to work and live for a year in Korea, so feel free to ask him about some of the Korean words he may have learned! In his free time you can find him playing a wide variety of sports, reading, or gaming.

Coach Drew is originally from the Raleigh area where he grew up as a player and referee for CASL. He then attended Appalachian State University where he graduated in 2017 with a degree in Political Science. After playing both outdoor and indoor soccer as an adult, he transitioned into coaching administration. As a USSF certified coach he currently follows his passion for soccer at the youth development level. In his free time he enjoys backpacking, cooking, reading, and most of all, playing SOCCER!

Coach Dylan loves soccer!  Since he was 8 months old he was dribbling the soccer ball and since he was 4 years old he has been playing soccer competitively.  After playing all through high school and finishing his last youth season, he decided to try his talents at coaching.  His passion for children and youth sports is what he thinks will help pave a way to completing his dream.

Coach Emily is from New Jersey, but she was born in Charlotte, NC. She played soccer at Emory University and was the goalkeeper for the Emory Eagles. Coach Emily started coaching for Soccer Shots in Atlanta and Athens, GA before joining the RDU team. She graduated from the University of Georgia with a masters degree in kinesiology with a focus on sport coaching and coach education. She is currently pursuing a PhD at UNC-Chapel Hill in Applied Developmental Science and Special Education. In her free time, Coach Emily enjoys kayaking, cycling, and other outdoor adventures with her family.

Coach Emma was born and raised in Henderson, NC. She has been playing soccer since she was 4 years old. In high school her soccer team won back to back state championships. Coach Emma graduated from NC State University with a major in Sport Management and a minor in Coaching Education. In Coach Emma’s free time she likes to play golf and go to the lake.

Coach Emma is originally from Laurinburg, North Carolina. She is currently pursuing a Women’s and Gender Studies degree from UNC-Chapel Hill. Coach Emma has played soccer since she was four years old, including recreation teams, middle and high school teams, and a few years at the club level. In her free time, you can find Coach Emma hanging out with friends at the beach.

Coach Eric is originally from Fluvanna, Virginia where he lived most of his life. He graduated from Old Dominion University in 2017 with a major in Interdisciplinary Studies. After that, Coach Eric moved to Miami, FL for a bit before landing in Raleigh, NC. He plans to live here until his hair turns grey or until another location comes calling. He is a big Greenbay Packers fan and love soccer as well.

Coach Juan was born in Cali, Colombia and he grew up playing soccer. He even had the chance to play in the lower divisions with America de Cali, Boca Juniors de Cali, and other teams as well as his High School soccer team since 6th grade. Juan used to be a goalkeeper, now he plays midfielder or winger. He moved to the United States in 2019 to look for new opportunities! He has recently graduated, with an Associates degree in Science, from Alamance Community College and plans to transfer to NCCU to major in Geospatial Science. When Juan is not playing soccer, he enjoys listening to music, running, cooking, hiking, watching soccer, and spending time with his loved ones. Also, Juan believes that love and affection can melt away stress and anxiety in children which can lead them further into a successful future and it can help them develop strong relationships with others.

Coach Kyle was born in Hartford, CT and grew up in Cary, NC, he has been playing sports since he was 5 and has been passionate about them ever since. He is so excited to share that passion on Soccer Island. In his free time he loves to watch movies and spend time with his friends!

Hi, my name is Lauren! I am from Salt Lake City, Utah and have lived in the Raleigh-Durham area since I was 4 years old! I enjoy making art, painting, drawing, and spending as much time in nature as possible. Anything that includes hiking, swimming, running and of course playing soccer! Soccer has been a passion of mine since I was a kid and I love being able to teach younger kids. Playing other sports like basketball, football, and tennis are super fun to me as well however soccer is definitely my favorite!

Coach Lucia was born in Uruguay but has lived in New Jersey since she was four! She recently moved to Raleigh with her husband, dog, named Loki, and a little human, Xio, in October of 2022. She’s played soccer all her life and helped coach her father’s travel teams when she was younger. Her free time now is consumed with lots of baby cuddles, Liverpool games, and planning where she’ll sit when the world cup comes to the US!

Coach Mariah was born in Raleigh and has been raised in Fuquay Varina all her life! She has been playing soccer since she was five and is currently on the Varsity Fuquay High School team. ln her free time, Coach Mariah loves traveling, photography and spending time with her family!

Coach Matthew was born and raised in Troutman, NC. He started playing soccer at the age of 5 and played intramural soccer at NCSU. Coach Matthew graduated from NC State (The Best College) with a Bachelor of Science in Sport Management and a minor in Coaching Education. In his spare time, he hangs out with his fiancé, Lucy and his best paw friend Cash.

Coach Meshy was born and raised in the Dominican Republic, where he grew up soccer was a huge part of his life! After moving to the United States in 2011 he immediately joined a local soccer club and began working his way up the ranks until he was able to step foot onto the pitch representing Mount Olive University. Currently Coach Meshy is finishing up his degree at UNCG, where he balances his studies with coaching the club teams there as well!

Coach Nick was born and raised in DC and Northern Virginia. He started playing soccer when he was 4 and started coaching soccer when he was 16. He graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. When he’s off the soccer field he enjoys spending time with his 1 year old puppy, skiing down the slopes, roller blading, and anything that involves competition!

Coach Omar has been playing soccer since the age of 6. He enjoys watching soccer games, going for a walk in parks, and swimming.  Omar is majoring in Sports Management at NCSU and hopes to obtain a degree in that program.

Coach Shannon was born and raised in Asheville, NC. She has been playing soccer since she was 5. She graduated from University of North Carolina Wilmington with her BA in Professional Writing and is currently working on her Masters in English at East Carolina University. In addition to playing soccer she also loves spending time in her garden and hiking.

Coach Stewart was born in Alexandria, VA but moved to Pennsylvania when he was just 3 years old, it was there where he discovered his passion for the game of soccer. He has been playing since 4 years old playing club and school soccer all the way through highschool. He attended West Chester University through his sophomore year and is taking the year off from school to find a career he enjoys. When he is not playing soccer, he likes to play pickup basketball with friends, watch football, and play video games.

Coach Suraj was born and raised in Raleigh, NC. He has been playing competitive soccer since the age of 3 and loves Manchester United. Suraj is currently attending North Carolina State University studying Finance.

Coach Syd was born and raised in Durham, NC. He started playing soccer at the age of 5 and ended his career in college. Coach Syd attended a small college in Roanoke, VA and graduated with a degree in Film.

Coach Theresa (Tess) moved to Raleigh, NC from Buffalo, NY. She graduated from the State University Of New York at Brockport with a degree in Exercise Science for Health Promotion. She loves to spend time with friends, her cat Cooper and to be outside and enjoy the better weather in NC.

Hi, my name is coach Tyler. I am from Kernersville, North Carolina. I have been playing soccer for as long as I can remember! I’ve played soccer all through high school, at East Forsyth High School, and I now attend NC State University. I love playing and I am excited to begin coaching.

Coach Uche is from Nigeria but grew up in Durham. He started playing soccer in his early elementary school years and fell in love with the sport ever since. While Uche was in high school (Durham School of the Arts), and in college (UNCG) he refereed soccer, football, and basketball matches, and coached basketball. Uche has also been working with childcare for over 8 years and is excited to be able to coach again!

Coach Ye (Adonye) is originally from Michigan but he has grown up in North Carolina. In his free time, Coach Ye likes to play music, he’s a photographer, and enjoys playing basketball with his friends!