Coach Jeffrey Williams has a long-standing connection with Titan athletics, notably serving as the assistant coach for the girls soccer team for a decade. Following this tenure, he transitioned to the role of head coach for the boys soccer team from 2015 to 2023. However, when the recent opportunity arose to lead the girls team again, he was eager to seize it. His decision was greatly influenced by his friendship with the former girls head coach, Scott Bilton, with whom he had previously discussed the potential opening of the position.
“I knew that one day he might be stepping away from girls soccer, and I always knew it was a possibility there,” Williams said.
The girls were really taken aback by Bilton’s resignation he announced at the end of the season.
“I was really devastated when I found out, he was one of my favorite coaches,” senior Gretchen Grider said.
Williams is working to establish a strong relationship with the girls as the new head coach.
“I knew most of them already, so I had a decent rapport and I hope to build a relationship with them by always being there for them on or off the field,” Williams said.
In the past three seasons, the team has emerged as two-time conference champions. The team members and coaches have similar aspirations, including capitalizing on the achievements of the previous years, upholding their track record of success from earlier seasons, and enhancing their collective performance.
“We want to become better each week, learn more about each other and build relationships with each other. Some competitive goals include winning conference and going as far as possible in the state playoffs,” Williams said.
The team opened up the season with a 9-0 mercy rule against Northwest Guilford but followed it up with a disappointing 5-0 loss to Hough, where they were without Williams and junior defender Hannah Hanes.
“The beginning of the season wasn’t what we wanted, but we learned a lot about one another. We have become more comfortable with one another and are confident going into conference play,” junior Aislynn Maguire said.
The ladies start conference play this week with a home matchup against Mount Tabor on March 13, and follow that with an away game at Parkland on March 18.