Steve Havermale
by Jamie Harris
The Berkeley Springs High School Lady Indians soccer program will have a new head coach manning the sidelines at the start of the 2018 fall season.
Steve Havermale was recently approved by the Morgan County Board of Education to take over for Carla Cacicia. Cacicia resigned last fall at the completion of the 2017 season and left the BSHS soccer program with a career record of 9-44-5 in three years as a head coach.
Havermale will be bringing a lot of soccer coaching experience with him as he has been coaching soccer for the last 12 years.
Havermale started off as an assistant coach in the recreational soccer league with his oldest daughter in 2006. From there he has been a head coach in the recreational league when he coached his second daughter’s U6 team and all the way through her U15 season. Now Havermale will have a chance to coach her as a high school athlete.
“Throughout my years as a coach I have had the pleasure of coaching all three of my children and a lot of great boys and girls, several of which I will be with again on the high school team,” stated Havermale.
“Soccer was not a dominant sport when I was growing up, so when the girls said they wanted to play, I hit the internet and bookstores for information on coaching, positions and plays. Along the way I have been able to coach with some good people and been able to pick up pointers and tips.
This fall I will have a strong returning group and several talented newcomers to round out the team. With the graduation of the Tribe’s longtime keeper Morgan Smailes, I have some plans to strengthen the defense until my new goalie gets into her groove.
By coaching several of the players in the past and being a spectator over the past couple of years I have a mental list of the player’s strengths and opportunities. I plan to use the team’s collective knowledge to help plan drills and plays to get them involved and open a line of communication to build a stronger team.
Of course, my expectations for my first season is to improve our record, but my players come first. I want to help develop my new players and sharpen the skills of the returning Lady Indians. Soccer is a fast-paced game and you need to react quickly, one moment you’re offense going down the field and then in a second you become defense trying to get the ball back. Players will learn multiple positions, so they can benefit the team and open their opportunities. Skills can be taught through practices. Teamwork and communication are going to be my main focal point. Once we achieve these the wins will come. Looking forward to this new adventure and a great season,” stated Coach Havermale.
