Meet The Coaches

“Coach Kelley” has always had a passion for helping children grow and develop through different activities. Kelley is constantly energized and ready to have fun with her friends on Soccer Island! She attended Messiah College in Pennsylvania, and completed her B.F.A. in Musical Theatre with a minor in Disability & Family wellness.

She has been in multiple productions, and some of her favorites have included performing alongside children. What she enjoys most about working with children is their natural ability to bring creativity and imagination to every situation. She is excited to continue bringing joy to children in Southwest Connecticut.

Coach Rachel grew up in Pennsylvania, not far from Philadelphia but just recently moved here to Connecticut. She has danced all her life and began ballet classes at age 3. Besides dancing, Rachel enjoys cooking, baking, and playing with her dog. She also likes watching movies and has a special love for all things Disney. A fun fact about Rachel is that she loves sprinkles, whether on cookies, ice cream, or even on foods like oatmeal. Rachel graduated from Messiah University in Pennsylvania with degrees in both dance and public relations. Since graduating she has worked in marketing. Rachel is excited to meet a lot new friends on Soccer Island. She likes to have stay active, use her imagination, and have fun!

Coach Tyler lives in Fairfield, CT and is originally from Monroe, NY. He played soccer growing up and loves to watch movies and soccer matches in his free time. Fun fact, he went sky-diving and once caught a turtle while fishing! Tyler supports the New England Patriots and Manchester United. His favorite movie growing up was Elf. He is excited to be a part of the Soccer Shots team because he enjoyed playing the game growing up and wants to pass that enjoyment down to others.

Coach Fredy was born in Guatemala City, Guatemala, and currently resides in Norwalk, CT. He has been playing soccer since the age of 3 and has only played soccer growing up. During his spare time, Coach Fredy loves to play soccer on his own, watch Netflix, hang out with his family, and loves to do arts and crafts with his two younger brothers. Some of Coach Fredy’s fun facts are that he has a pet ferret named Jasper, he has played soccer in Guatemala and has played on the U-23 Guatemalan National team, and he speaks three languages. Fredy is excited to join the Soccer Shots team because he loves to teach children the best soccer skills and loves when the children have fun and are excited to play soccer.

Coach Al cannot wait to meet all of his new friends! Alhan was born in Boston, MA and lived in Florida for a while before ending up in Norwalk. His favorite hobbies are playing football, basketball, soccer and going to the gym with his friends. When Coach Al was little, his favorite foods were Mac and Cheese and Cosmic Brownies, and he had a great admiration for Kobe Bryant and Cristiano Ronaldo that still continues to this day! Coach Al is excited to share his love of soccer and teach something new to every friend that he meets.

Coach Lou is from New Rochelle, NY and currently lives in Orange, CT! He has played many sports throughout his lifetime, including Soccer, Football, Wrestling, Boxing, and Baseball. Coach Lou loves to ride his bike and play games in his free time! When Coach Lou was the same age as his friends on Soccer Island, his favorite movie was Finding Nemo and his favorite snack was Jello! Coach Lou is so excited to be a part of the Soccer Shots team to teach the game of soccer to many, and ultimately help to positively impact lives!

Coach Sarah has been playing soccer since she was 8 and has coached soccer in the past. She graduated with a bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and a minor in Communications from Western Connecticut State University. In her free time, she enjoys going on hikes and playing cards. Her favorite snack as a child was Oreo’s, and to this day, she continues to have a deep love for Oreo’s. A fun fact about Coach Sarah is that she has 2 bunnies, named Princess and Goofy. She is looking forward to positively motivating her friends on Soccer Island and is excited to join the Soccer Shots team!

Coach Maria was born and raised in Norwalk, CT and has played soccer since the age of five! She received a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of Connecticut and an MBA degree from the University of New Haven. Since graduating, she has been working in accounting. When not working, she does karate, enjoys traveling, and spending time with her family and friends! Her favorite food to eat is salmon because it is both tasty and healthy! Coach Maria is very excited to play soccer with all her friends on Soccer Island and to be a part of the Soccer Shots team!

Coach Taylor is originally from Trumbull, CT. Growing up, she practiced a variety of sports including soccer, karate, and dance. She then went on to get a bachelor’s degree in business management with a minor degree in dance from Manhattanville College and a master’s degree in sports management from the University of New Haven. When she’s not coaching for Soccer Shots you can find her training with the Joffrey Ballet School, teaching kids dance throughout Fairfield County and for a week each summer she works as a camp counselor at a summer camp for kids with Epilepsy. She’s excited to work at Soccer Shots because she loves working with kids, teaching them new things, and watching their passion for something grow.

Coach Pongsa lives in Norwalk, Connecticut and grew up playing Soccer and Baseball. He is a big Star Wars fan, and a fun fact about Coach Pongsa, is that he can juggle a soccer ball a thousand times! In his spare time, he enjoys playing board games and video games with his friends. Coach Pongsa currently plays Soccer in England and is excited to share his enthusiasm of the game with the Soccer Shots family.

Coach Danny is from Ansonia, CT and has had a passion for soccer since he was 4 years old! In fact, his first memory is going with his dad to be his assistant coach at a soccer game when he was at the age of 2! Coach Danny loves animals, and in his spare time does agility training with his dogs. He also loves music and drawing. Coach Danny is so excited to teach and engage with the next generation of Soccer Shots star players, and is ready to have a great time doing it!

Coach Alyssa is from Randolph, NJ and has been playing soccer since the age of 5! She currently attends Sacred Heart University where she plays for the women’s club and intramural teams. When Alyssa is not playing soccer, you can find her watching movies, reading, and spending time with her friends and family. If Coach Alyssa was a superhero, her power would be super strength, and if she could eat anything for the rest of her life it would be salmon! As a child, Coach Alyssa was most impacted by her soccer coach, and she is very excited to play that role and help her new Soccer Friends fall in love with the game of Soccer!

Coach Haktan is a recent Graduate of Quinnipiac University and he is originally from Danbury, CT! He is a former high school varsity soccer athlete and coach of an international student-focused developmental team at QU having won two league titles. In addition to coaching, Coach Haktan in his free time writes poetry and plays music! When he was little, he wanted to grow up to be an author, and his favorite snack was Swedish Fish (which it still is!). Given an established love for the game since his youth, Coach Haktan wishes to learn from the overall program at Soccer Shots and most importantly, the students, to better learn what it takes to be a formal coach.

Coach Mary has been an active soccer player since the age of five. She grew up in Greenwich, CT, and played for various soccer leagues throughout Fairfield County. Mary went to Providence College, and while she was there she ran two half marathons, played for their club team, and was an active intramural sport participant. She graduated from Providence College in 2018 with her Bachelors in Elementary/Special Education. She received her Masters in Autism Spectrum Disorders from Grand Canyon University in 2020. She is currently in year five as a special educator for a middle school in Fairfield, and is also a soccer coach for a high school in Fairfield. When she is not working, Mary loves to run, travel, go to the beach, spend time with her family, and play soccer. Mary is excited to be joining the Soccer Shots team because it combines a few of her favorite things – working with kids, coaching, and soccer!

Coach Jacob is from Hoboken, New Jersey. Jacob attends Quinnipiac University studying journalism and sports studies. Growing up, Jacob played baseball, basketball, and soccer which was his main focus. He previously worked coaching kids from 3-15 years old, in both private and public setting. Jacob is a huge music fan, can play the piano and is knowledgable about the film industry. He is excited to get started because he will be able to be around the game he loves and help inspire the next generation with his knowledge and passion for the game.

Coach James has been a resident of Norwalk almost his entire life and his passion for soccer has spanned nearly that whole time. He began his love for the sport while playing recreationally as a child and played premier in middle and high school. To follow the game, he went to college in London, to be closer to the best football (soccer) in the world. Coach James is a rabid Chelsea fan and a student of the game. He hopes to make coaching into a career and help make the US a soccer nation.

Coach Ashley just graduated from CCSU with a bachelors in Graphic Design and will be attending SCSU this coming fall to get a MBA in marketing. She played division 1 college soccer at CCSU for the past 4 years and will continue to play at SCSU. Ashley has also played for a semi professional soccer team out of Westchester New York the past 3 years. Some other sports I have played and still play are soccer, tennis, frisbee, and basketball.

Coach Macie grew up in Omaha Nebraska and moved to Bethel CT when she was in 4th grade. She started soccer when she was only 3 years old and found a true love for the game and plays for her high school team in Bethel CT, as well as her club team CFC. She committed to play D1 soccer at Butler University before her junior year of high school. She loves spending time with her family and friends and working out. Coach Macie’s favorite food is pasta. Coach Macie is super excited to work at Soccer Shots because she will be able to teach the game to younger kids while having fun!

Hubert was born in Port Au Prince, Haiti, but he moved to Stamford in 2013! Growing up, Hubert loved playing sports with his friends, especially soccer. Nowadays, Hubert relaxes with his family at home. He also works as a realtor as his full time position. Hubert is excited to coach because it allows him to stay connected with the game of Soccer. He is looking forward to having fun with his soccer friends, learning new things, and sharing his enthusiasm for the game.

Mike is a soccer enthusiast grew up playing local and club soccer. Played throughout high school and into college. HIs favorite soccer team is Bayern Munich and he loves teaching soccer to his two boys. He loves tacos, as they are so versatile! Mike is looking to remain active, teach the kids new skills, and learn new things with them while coaching with Soccer Shots.

Coach Aidan was born and raised in Wilmington, MA, having played soccer from kindergarten all the way through high school. He is currently going into his junior year at Fairfield University, where he is a Sports Media major. When Aidan is not on Soccer Island, he enjoys playing and watching sports, going to the beach, hiking, and hanging out with friends. Having previously worked as a Camp Counselor, Coach Aidan is looking forward to joining the growing team at Soccer Shots, where he hopes to instill confidence in young athletes and help usher in the next generation of soccer stars!

Cameron was born and raised in New Milford, Connecticut where he played for the New Milford High School Varsity team. He continued his student athlete career as the starting goalkeeper at University of Maine of Machias for 2 years and the University of Southern Maine for 1 year while majoring in Marine Biology. Cameron now owns his own fish store in his hometown and loves to spend his limited free time coaching, playing soccer, or watching it!