Santa Fe Prep ends 12-year drought win district title
Steph Coppola has long been regarded as one of New Mexico’s top high school soccer coaches, but it wasn’t until just recently that she really learned how to win the psychological battle with her players.
Not that long ago, she took the fire-and-brimstone approach before Santa Fe Prep’s girls soccer team faced crosstown rival St. Michael’s. She’d toss out ideas like her team was being disrespected, that now was the time to get nasty.
Coppola figured out that her team’s personality required a different approach.
Say hello to the positive, communicative
Blue Griffins.
While you’re at it, say hello to the District 2-1A/4A champions.
Getting an early goal from Anna Swanson and a late tiebreaker from Casey Chandler, Prep beat St. Michael’s 2-1 on Monday afternoon at the Christian Brothers Athletic Complex. The win accomplished a number of things, namely the end of a 12-year district drought.
“I’ve been on the team through some of the lowest lows,” Chandler said. “What really stands out to me and this team is how close we are. I’ve done a lot of team
sports but I’ve never been closer to a team. I know everything about them; they’re all like my best friends. I can’t specifically point out one person and say she’s not part of it.”
Prep (13-0-1, 9-0) remains the only undefeated girls team in New
Mexico. While Tuesday wasn’t exactly their best game, it certainly was a vintage performance for a team that is getting better as the season reaches its end.
Swanson staked the Griffins to a 1-0 lead just 88 seconds into it, taking a pass into the St. Michael’s end and beating her defender and Lady Horsemen goalkeeper for her 41st goal of the season. She leads the state in that category.
It remained that way well into the second half when the St. Michael’s offense came to life with the sun at its back. The Lady Horsemen peppered the net with four quick shots, including Claire Lee firing just high in the 50th minute and Maya Chavez sending a head-high shot off the keeper’s hands for a corner kick.
The breakthrough came in the 53rd minute when Lee tied it with an unassisted goal in the box. She gathered in a loose ball off a corner, had one shot stuffed by a Prep defender and drove the rebound through the crowd for the equalizer.
Both teams had chances in the minutes that followed but it wasn’t until the 76th minute that Chandler jumped in from her spot at forward and drove a short roller 10 yards into the net for the game-winner.
All the while, there was Coppola taking the reserved role on the sidelines. She would occasionally yell out instructions but, just as she’s done all season, she never got too high or too low. She’s always in control and it’s a demeanor that mirrors the personality of her team.
She said the road to building a district champion at Prep was a long one, but one that was also needing her to change her approach.
“I just needed a lot of patience,” Coppola said. “There were times the last couple years I maybe didn’t show enough of it, but I think somewhere as you get older and you’re coaching a long time it’s about the players. Really, truly we say that all the time, but I just kind of got that. I said, look, they’re going to play the game the way they want it.”
In other words, put the players in a position to win and then cut them loose. No need to yell. Not much need to drop the proverbial hammer.
“It took a while to figure that out, but appreciating the love this team has for the game and going with that approach is what I needed to do,” Coppola said.