Meet The Coaches

Coach Amanda is from Staten Island, New York. She moved to San Diego in March 2018 to continue impacting children on and off the soccer field. Coach Amanda coached & directed for the Soccer Shots franchise in Staten Island before her move. Coach Amanda graduated from the University of Vermont where she played Division 1 soccer.

She earned her Bachelors’s Degree in Early Childhood Special Education with a concentration in Communication Sciences and Disorders. Coach Amanda has been playing soccer since the age of 4, she typically plays in the midfield. Coach Amanda’s favorite food is pizza and she loves to make it from scratch. In her free time, Coach Amanda likes to play soccer with her friends; she is a part of a co-ed league & a women’s league here in San Diego.

Fun fact about Coach Amanda: when she was first introduced to soccer she loved to play with grass more than the actual soccer ball. “Each week I would look forward to going to soccer practice, however, once I got there I would chase butterflies and play with the grass. After a year of not playing soccer I one day just decided to join in. I have been playing soccer ever since and thank my dad for continuing to bring me to the soccer field regardless of if I played or not.”

“I enjoy teaching children about the sport I love, it also fascinates me how much they enjoy learning character development while interacting with their peers. I love doing this job because of the impact Soccer Shots sessions have on children. Moving to San Diego has allowed me to visit some awesome townships and meet amazing families and children!” 

Coach Amanda’s favorite Soccer Shots game is the Silly Martian game, “children always love to kick coach with a soccer ball, and it is truly amazing to see all of them smile and giggle while doing it!” Coach Amanda can’t wait to share her passion for soccer, character development, and enthusiasm with your children!​

 Aly is a San Diego native that attended Point Loma Nazarene University. She has a Bachelor’s degree in social work, was a before and after school program supervisor and most recently was the Director at Formula Marketing San Diego. In her free time, she enjoys watching football and running around with her two toddlers, Stone and Cash. She’s been to Uganda, and gave birth to her son Cash, named after Johnny Cash on Johnny Cash’s birthday. Her favorite food is Italian and favorite color is pink. Aly is beyond excited to be a part of spreading the word about Soccer Shots to give as many children as possible the opportunity to experience the best soccer program in San Diego!

Coach Andrew graduated from Chapman University where he earned a Bachelors in Sociology with a Minor in Physical Education for Elementary. He was a scholarship football player in college and a multi-sport athlete at Grossmont High School where he excelled in soccer, track and field, football, and baseball. Coach Andrew first played soccer when he was 5 years old and he believes it helped him excel in all other sports in his life. His favorite position in soccer is forward because who doesn’t like scoring goals?!

Coach Andrew has been working with children for over 18 years and found the Soccer Shots opportunity while working in an after-school program. His experience of working with youth and his passion for sports made coaching for Soccer Shots an easy match. When Andrew is not coaching he enjoys being a Dad and going to the beach with his family. He has a 4-year-old daughter and they love eating their favorite food together, pizza!

“I like teaching children new games and character development words so they can learn new things every week when I am coaching soccer shots. I love being a soccer coach and having fun with all the different children I teach all over San Diego.

My favorite Soccer Shots game is Castle keepers. It is a really fun way to teach children how to be goalie and the other children get to try to score goals. It is a good way to teach two positions in one game.” Coach Andrew can’t wait to share his passion for sports, character development, and healthy lifestyles with your children!

Annie is originally from upstate New York, but has not resided there in over 20 years. Annie is an army Veteran and worked for the Department of Defense in Finance and Accounting, with a focus on wounded warrior operations. During her tenure, she resided in Fort Campbell Kentucky, Germany, and Indianapolis. After completing 20 years with the federal government Annie decided to pursue a career that allowed her to have more creativity and fun which led to her completing her Digital Marketing Certification with SDSU. Annie loves the outdoors, spending time her with her fiancé, daughters, and dogs, and can often be found on the trail. Her love of the outdoors brought her to sunny San Diego. An avid hiker and backpacker have brought Annie to many interesting locations and adventures including meeting wild bears. As a mom to two daughters Annie is drawn to soccer shots because of its program, the values, and the people. Annie loves to surround herself with people who are authentic, friendly, and have a positive impact on their community.

Coach Ava is from Northern California and grew up in a small town named Walnut Creek. She moved to San Diego because she had always wanted to live closer to the beach and she really wanted to go to SDSU. She is currently a senior at SDSU studying Child and Family Development. She is also minoring in Counseling and Social Change. She currently babysits and works at a surf shop called South Coast. She started playing soccer when she was four years old, it was her dad’s favorite sport and he was really excited for her to get into it. She played soccer all the way until her Sophomore year in High School when she began getting too busy with other sports and activities. She also played water polo and was on the swim team all the way through high school. Her favorite color is blue and her favorite food is pasta. In her free time, Coach Ava likes to go to the beach and surf or boogie board. A fun fact about her is that she has had a chameleon as a pet and she loves to travel! She is super excited to be working for Soccer Shots because soccer was such a big part of her childhood growing up and she has so many amazing memories with her dad and friends playing soccer! She used to coach soccer when she was in high school through Walnut Creek Soccer Club and it was a very fulfilling experience for her so she just can’t wait to get back to coaching!

Coach Fel was born and raised in Fresno, CA and initially came to San Diego for grad school. She has been in SD since 2019 but misses Monterey Bay where she spent five years and earned a bachelor’s in Psychology (CSUMB). Coach Fel used to be a preschool teacher and hopes to continue pursuing a career in child development.

She has been playing soccer since she was six years old and enjoys playing forward. She also enjoys disc golf! Her favorite food is thick crust pizza (Gianni’s in Monterey) and anything that involves bread. In her free time, she likes to go to the gym, play in her adult soccer league, play video games and take her dog for walkies!

Two fun facts about coach Fel are that she is a Women’s National Collegiate Disc Golf Champion and has competed in several Spartan Races throughout California. She is passionate about working for Soccer Shots because she gets to impact children through her favorite sport! Especially since it’s done in a way that builds confidence and promotes character development while also experiencing the momentum of their progress.

Coach Gianna is from Chula Vista, Ca, she and her family have lived in San Diego her whole life and she plans to continue living here! She loves soccer and has played since she was 5 years old. Coach Gianna continued to play in club soccer teams until she was 16 and was a midfielder and defender. She also participated in Varsity cross country and track and field in High School.

Coach Gianna’s favorite color is red and her favorite food is tacos! She enjoys going to music concerts, snowboarding, playing soccer, going to the beach, and exploring San Diego with friends in her free time. Two fun facts include that she has never broken a bone and that she was a Music Education major and sang opera at SDSU! Gianna loves working with kids and admires their creativity, she is extremely excited to continue creating a positive and fun environment for the youth for years to come!

Coach Kaylee was born in Poway here in San Diego. She grew up in El Centro her whole life and decided to come back to San Diego to continue her education. Kaylee has played soccer since she was four years old and moved on to travel and high school soccer where she was Captain and leading scorer as a forward. She has won several awards during her soccer career including MVP and player of the year, within her division. In her free time, she enjoys painting, listening to music, and playing with her new puppy. Some fun facts about her are that she is adamant about being active and is a middle child. She is passionate about impacting children because she has looked forward to returning to soccer and inspiring the younger generation to join the soccer community.

Kevin was born and raised in San Diego, CA. He graduated from the California State University of San Marcos with a Bachelor’s in Arts and Technology and a Minor in Photography. He has been playing soccer longer than he can remember, but he believes he started playing when he was 5 years old. He has played many positions growing up and is currently a defensive midfielder. His go-to food is chicken wings and his favorite color is blue. In his spare time, he enjoys going out to try new restaurants he has never been to before. One fun fact about Kevin is that he knows how to cook and practices making new recipes when he finds them. Another fun fact about him is he likes to go exploring/adventuring to new places. Kevin Is excited to be here at Soccer Shots because he is able to go out to coach children in a fun environment and capture the special moments the children have in their experience with soccer.

Coach Lauren was born in Jacksonville, Florida however she spent most of her life living in a town called Edmonds just north of Seattle, Washington. She is now in San Diego and currently a Senior at San Diego State University studying Pre-Law and minoring in Spanish. Coach Lauren has been playing Soccer since she was 5 years old and continues to coach and play for fun because it is something she has loved ever since she could remember. Growing up she played Soccer for numerous clubs around Seattle and was also on her high school team, playing competitively in both till she was 18. Her most prominent position was center and outside midfield, but also played a lot of center defense in Highschool and some clubs as well.

Her favorite food is a dish from Spain called Paella, she could eat it every day for the rest of her life! And her favorite color is pink! In her free time I enjoy going to the beach and also am a huge foodie, so she loves to discover new restaurants and explore different types of food from all around the world, and with that she also absolutely loves to travel.

2 fun facts about me Coach Lauren is that 1. She have lived in all four corners of the United States. and 2. She loves bulldogs, both French and English, she has a Frenchie that lives at her parents’ house and then here in San Diego she has an English Bulldog that lives with me.

She is passionate about working for Soccer Shots because she truly believes in the mission of teaching through sports. Growing up some of the most valuable lessons and things that she was taught came from her coaches and trainers throughout her experience playing soccer and she wants to be able to do that for other kids as well.

Liam is originally from the Bay Area. He moved to San Diego in 2018 for school and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business from San Diego State University four years later. He grew up with 3 older brothers and has been involved in sports since he was 4 years old. He played soccer for 4 years growing up and continued to play football, rugby, and golf in high school.

Liam’s favorite food is chicken wings and his favorite color is orange. In his free time, he likes to skateboard, hike, and go to the beach. 2 fun facts about him are that he is a 2x Intramural flag football champion, and more than half his clothes are from thrift stores. Liam has worked with elementary school students for over 4 years, and believes the positive impact sports have on children will carry with them for the
rest of their lives.

Coach Loryn is a third-year transfer student at SDSU and she is originally from a little town on the Central Coast called Paso Robles. She is a Child and Family Development major. At home, she has worked at two preschools and obtained her AST in Early Childhood Education and have received two Certificate of Achievements: Child Development Associate Teacher and Child Development Teacher. She plans on obtaining a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and becoming a TK Teacher! She played soccer for over ten years where she played every position, however her favorite positions are left defense and left forward. She also grew up also playing softball, swim, cheer, gymnastics, and dance– but soccer was her favorite sport! Her favorite food is sushi or Mexican food and her favorite color is olive green. In her free time, Coach Loryn loves to go on hikes, go swimming, go to amusement parks, and hangout with her friends and family. Two fun facts about Coach Loryn are: she is the oldest of six children and she raised pigs and lambs with the FFA throughout high school! She is passionate about working for Soccer Shots and impacting children because she remembers the impact her coaches had on her growing up that really helped her fall in love with the sport. She is excited to be a part of helping children discover their love for soccer as well as help them create long lasting, impactful relationships and memories!

Coach Marcos was born and raised here in San Diego, although he prefers saying that he’s from “La Frontera.” He grew up in San Ysidro, a district of the City of San Diego immediately north of the U.S.-Mexico border. He graduated from San Ysidro High School Class in 2016 where he played soccer for a club outside of school in the Left-Back position.

His favorite food is sushi though Korean-style wings are of his liking too. Marcos’s favorite color is gray, and in his free time, he likes to read comic books, go to the movie theatre or spend time with his friends and family. Marcos is the oldest out of a combined nine siblings, which is why he is so passionate about working for Soccer Shots. He aspires to set a good example for his younger siblings because he believes that with good practice, soccer can teach a person, especially children, how to be a good person and an excellent team member.

​Coach Michael is originally from Portland, OR.  He moved to San Diego back in 2005 for a new job.  The majority of his career has been spent building sales teams within multiple industries, including healthcare and human resources. 

Although Coach Michael never played competitive soccer, he has spent the last three years coaching both his boys in various soccer teams.  Coach Michael competed in various sports including baseball, wrestling, and hockey. 

Coach Michael has a twin sister and is a 4x fantasy football champion.  He has a passion for building relationships.  Joining the Soccer Shots team allows him to be a kid at heart and role model for his players.

Coach Noel is from Hemet, California. She came to San Diego for school and the beautiful coastal lifestyle. Noel earned her B.F.A in Dance at San Diego State University in 2020. She is currently attending SDSU for digital marketing. 

Coach Philippa was born and raised in San Diego, CA. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2022.  She is excited to have returned to her hometown of San Diego post-graduation.

Coach Rowan is from Tucson, Arizona. He started playing soccer at the age of 3 in Nogales, Arizona, and I continued to play throughout high school in Tucson. While he has played all over the field in his career, central midfield is his favorite position because he can be involved on both ends of the pitch and get lots of touches on the ball as well!

Coach Rowan’s favorite food color is green because green food is healthy and makes you grow up to be a big strong soccer player. In his free time, he likes to surf, skate, and play lots of piano.

Two fun facts about him are that he has two adorable dogs back home named Nina and Bella, and another fun fact is that he won a freestyle soccer trick contest before.

Coach Rowan is incredibly passionate about joining Soccer Shots because Soccer was always the best part of the day when he was younger and wants to be able to give as many kids as possible the same opportunities which he had to go have a blast on the soccer pitch.

Coach Tiffany is originally from Orange County CA and is stoked to be down in San Diego to be a student at SDSU. Tiffany has an Associate’s degree in Child Development from Fullerton College and currently is working towards her bachelor’s degree in Child and Family Development. Not only that, she has spent the past 3 years as a Nanny specializing in infants and toddlers. Most of her soccer experience comes from childhood and playing soccer with kids when she was a summer camp counselor. Coach Tiffany’s favorite food is fish tacos, and her favorite color is blue! During her free time, she enjoys reading, going to the beach, and trying new restaurants with her friends. Two fun facts about Tiffany are that she used to work at Walt Disney World and she loves to cook! Tiffany is excited to be working for Soccer Shots because she is passionate about providing children with positive, impactful early childhood experiences and building meaningful relationships.