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 Lauren is currently a senior at Sacred Heart University, and is excited to begin coaching with Soccer Shots! She is from Ridgefield, CT, and is studying Psychology and Neuroscience. In her free time, she loves to spend time with animals, read, and spend time with friends and family. Lauren’s favorite food is pasta because it goes well with anything. As an intern, Lauren seeks to gain experience in the office and on Soccer Island teaching her favorite soccer skills!.

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 Meghan is originally from Red Bank, New Jersey and has been playing soccer since she was four! She is currently a student-athlete at Fairfield University studying business and playing on the women’s soccer team. Her favorite hobbies are running on the beach, listening to music with her friends, and playing with her dog, Griffin. Coach Meg’s favorite food is pickles and her favorite drink is a Shirley temple with extra cherries!! She equates all of her growth and success in her soccer career to all of her amazing coaches she has had over the years and so Coach Meghan is excited to be a part of the Soccer Shots family and meet all of her new soccer friends!

Coach Angela is a lifelong soccer player and fan who is passionate about her love for the sport! Her hometown is San Ramon, California, but she now calls Fairfield her home while she is studying biology at Fairfield University. Angela plays at the collegiate level as a forward for the Fairfield University Women’s Soccer team. Her first job in high school was as a youth swim instructor and since then she has worked in a variety of different soccer coaching positions during her time at Fairfield. Angela enjoys long-distance running in her free time and loves listening to music as well as cooking with her roommates. She is a big foodie, so much so that she named her dog Waffles! Her favorite soccer player is Messi and she even shares a birthday with him. Angela is so excited to work at Soccer Shots and combined her love for working with kids with her passion for her sport.

Coach Arden is a fun, outgoing, student athlete at Fairfield University. She is originally from Hunterdon County New Jersey where she grew up playing soccer. When she is not playing soccer for the women’s team at Fairfield, she is spending time with her friends, going on adventures, reading, going to the gym, or going to the beach. She loves being spontaneous. Coach Arden is beyond excited to work at Soccer Shots because of all the opportunities to meet new people and work with today’s youth. She believes Soccer Shots has a massive impact on shaping kids into who they will become and the idea of being a part of that is such a privilege. With every job she has had, she has always wanted to have a sense of purpose when working, and she sees Soccer Shots as a perfect fit for that.

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 Amanda is energized and full of excitement to work with Soccer Shots! She grew up around sports, participating in dance and cheerleading through her high school years. She attended SCSU and Graduated with her B.A. in Business and Psychology. After working with The Edge Fitness Clubs for the last several years, Coach A is returning to Southern to get her Masters in Early Childhood Education and pursuing her childhood dream of being an Elementary Education teacher! While she pursues her Master’s, she is also Assistant Teaching Pre-K and of course coaching her Soccer Friends! Coach A is so excited to bring her energy, creativity, and silliness to Soccer Island!

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 Jill is originally from Boston, MA and currently resides in West Haven, CT. She graduated from the University of New Haven with her Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice this past May and is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in Criminal Investigations. Coach Jill has been playing soccer since the age of 3, and her first childhood memory is buying a pair of pink cleats with her mom! When Coach Jill was little, her dream job was to be a pastry chef because she loved desserts. Now, in addition to coaching with Soccer Shots and going after her Master’s, she works full-time at Orangetheory Fitness! Coach Jill is so exited to be a part of the Soccer Shots team and can’t wait to play soccer with all her friends on Soccer Island!

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 Tatum played soccer in high school and is very passionate about the sport and the community it provides. She is a full time student, and works with disabled children at a separate job. In her free time, she loves to read write, and paint. Tatum´s hidden skill is cooking, and she loves Italian food. Growing up, Tatum loved visiting the zoo, and her favorite movie was Finding Nemo. Coach Lauren is so excited to share her love of soccer and make a difference in the lives of others.

Coach Tim recently moved to New Haven, and he is originally from Boston. He played soccer, basketball, and baseball growing up. In his free time he loves to play soccer, watch sports, spend time with friends, and read. His favorite superpower is flight, as he would fly everywhere. A fun fact about Coach Tim is that he has a golden retriever named Mac. He can’t wait to positively impact the kids through soccer, make new friends, and have so much fun!