Meet The Coaches

Coach Orlando grew up in Florida. He began playing when he was 12 and has been playing ever since. He began sharing his passion for soccer when he started coaching for the Orlando City youth development program. The reason he is most excited about living in North Carolina is that he will get to learn how to sled! So share any pointers you have with him.

Coach AJ serves as one of our Director of Partner Services in addition to serving as one of our coaches. He was born and raised in a little town near Hershey, Pennsylvania, where they make all the yummy Hershey’s chocolate. He moved to North Carolina 4 years ago to complete his degree in Sports Management at NC State in 2016. Ever since he could walk, he has been playing soccer with his friends. When he’s not playing soccer, he’s running around with his crazy dog, Jessie. If you see Coach AJ, ask him to tell you a silly story about Jessie!

Coach Alexi grew up in Davidson, NC and started playing soccer when she was 5 years old. She played until the 9th grade and after that pursued volleyball for the remainder of her high school years. Coach Alexi graduated from NC State University in May 2017 with her Bachelor’s in Biological and Agricultural Engineering and a minor in Spanish. Some of her favorite things to do are cooking, playing sports, running, or spending time with her family! She is looking forward to meeting all of her new friends!

Coach Amber was born and raised in Bahama, NC. She has played many sports since she was 4 years old including basketball, volleyball, ultimate frisbee, cross country and soccer. Coach Amber is currently pursuing a career as an Athletic Trainer or Coach in youth sports, attending Virginia Wesleyan University and Piedmont Community College. She loves running also is a big animal lover! In my free time, you can catch her playing with her furry baby family consisting of 4 quarter horses and 2 miniature horses, 1 cat and 7 dogs!

Coach Annalise was born and raised in Wooster, Ohio. She has been playing soccer since she was 3 and coaching since she was a freshman in high school. She graduated from Urbana University May 2017 with a degree in Sports Management, playing college soccer all 4 years. Coach Annalise had the opportunity to attend the Women’s World Cup in Canada 2015, which was one of her most memorable experiences. She loves spending time with friends and family, going to the beach, playing soccer, skiing, hiking, and watching the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Coach Bernadette was born in Seattle Washington and has been playing softball and soccer her entire life. She is a United States Military Academy graduate with a degree in psychology. She played Division I softball at the academy and currently coaches softball at William Peace University, along with giving private lessons at Grand Slam USA. She has a passion for teaching sports to all and spreading the love of the game.

Originally from Dallas, Texas, Coach Caine is our resident musician. He plays multiple instruments – guitar, drums and the trumpet to name a few, and was also a college football kicker. Caine loves taking trips to the mountains, Mexican and Italian food and his dog, Bella. Oh, and he also loves coaching your children!

Coach Carson was born in Charlotte, NC, and lived in both Texas and Indiana. He is a junior at NC State University, pursuing dual degrees in Business Administration and International Studies. He has played soccer since he could walk. He is a 4-time State Semi-finalist for CSA and also a State Semi-Finalist for 3A NC High Schools with Weddington High School. He studied abroad last year and toured the Estadio Bernabeu in Madrid. Coach Carson plays intramural soccer at NCSU and works as Operations Coordinator for Camp Kesem, which is for kids who have a family member who are battling cancer or have passed away from cancer. His favorite soccer team is Manchester United!

Coach Casey grew up in Rocky Mount, NC and is a huge NCSU fan! She attended Bob Jones University receiving a Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education in May 2016. She just completed my first year of teaching in fifth grade and will be teaching second grade this year. She has played soccer since she can remember and loves it more than any other sport. She has been privileged to coach basketball and soccer where she teaches and loves watching the girls progress throughout the season! Ask Coach Casey what her last name used to be!

Coach Cassidy has grown up playing soccer. She is also our recruiter, and loves to meet new prospective coaches. She graduated from NC State with a degree in Animal Science. She is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania but has fallen in love with the Raleigh area. In her free time, you can find her reading or sitting on her back porch. Her favorite thing about working with kids is that you just never know what they will say.

Coach Chris has been playing soccer almost as long as he’s been walking! He has competed in soccer tournaments all over the world, and has managed to score goals in four different countries. Coach Chris enjoys sharing his passion for soccer with our Soccer Friends. When he’s not teaching, Coach Chris has his nose buried in a calculus book, probably trying to determine the rate of acceleration needed to score a goal from midfield.

Coach Domenic was raised in Cary, and played soccer for Cardinal Gibbons High School, CASL, and our North Carolina ODP teams.  He graduated from the College of Charleston May 2017 with a degree in Business and a Concentration in Marketing. Coach Domenic studied abroad in Europe and worked with Nottingham Forest Football Club while traveling to many different countries!  In his free time, he loves to watch soccer matches, and Chelsea is his favorite soccer Club!

Coach Douglas is originally from New Jersey, but moved to North Carolina when he was 10. He has been playing soccer since he started walking! Coach Douglas attended East Carolina University where he attained a degree from the Kinesiology Department as a Health Fitness Specialist major. While at ECU, he was President of the ECU club soccer team, playing other collegiate teams from across the country. He loves spending time with our friends because they can turn a bad day around instantly!

Coach Glenn was born in the little town of Zeist in the Netherlands to an American Father and a Dutch mother. Getting to travel the world as an Air Force kid provided him a deep love of traveling and exploring new places. He loves reading, playing many sports (mainly soccer), and spending time with friends, especially international friends, along with many outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, and whitewater rafting. Coach Glenn’s faith is very important to him and he attends seminary here in Raleigh, NC, and is very excited to be a part of the Soccer Shots team!

Coach Keith serves as one of our Director of Partner Services in addition to serving as one of our coaches.  He holds both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree, and played soccer for Campbell University.  He is married to Lisa, and has three children, a grandson and a brand new granddaughter.  Just ask him to see pictures!  Having come from a background of teaching and pastoral ministry, Coach Keith loves meeting new people and helping them become the best they can be!

Coach Kye lived in Florida, Arizona, and Texas before moving to Cary when he was 11. He has been playing soccer since he was 3 years old and played locally for Cardinal Gibbons HS, CASL, and TFC. He graduated from UNC Chapel Hill in 2017 and won a National Championship in 2015 playing for the UNC Club Soccer team. In his free time, Coach Kye loves hanging out with friends, enjoying sports, and playing video games. Coach Kye is really excited to meet and share his love for soccer with all of our friends!

Kyle was born and raised in Apex, North Carolina.  He started playing soccer at the age of 5 and never stopped. He attended Panther Creek High School and played soccer in college at the University of Mount Olive. When he’s not involved with soccer Kyle enjoys other sports like hockey, basketball, and football or playing with one of his three dogs.

Coach Kylie was born and raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina. She ran track starting at age of nine all the way through her first year of college. Coach Kylie attended East Carolina University and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Sport Studies with a minor in Communication. While in school, she studied abroad and went all the way to GREECE! In her spare time, she loves being with family and friends, working out, swimming, or just relaxing and watching TV. She is extremely excited about the wonderful friends she will meet and work with at Soccer Shots!

Coach Luke grew up right here in Durham, NC and currently attends North Carolina State University, studying Industrial Engineering and Spanish. He has played soccer recreationally ever since he could remember, and also loves to play basketball and frisbee. Recently returning from a study abroad trip to Peru and a National Park trip across the United States, Coach Luke loves to explore the world and to go new places. When not busy with school, you can find him exercising, playing with dogs, or just relaxing in his hammock. Coach Luke is excited to be on the Soccer Shots team and is ready to meet new friends!

Coach Mario was born and raised in Angola. He first lived in Rhode Island when he came to the USA. He played soccer for NC Wesleyan College where he graduated with a degree in Sports Management. He can speak five languages and can read and write in all but one. He’s always dreamt about coaching youth and helping them find the passion and love that he has for soccer and how much it can impact a person’s life. In his spare time, he likes to go for a run  with his funny Doberman Pinscher.

Coach Michael was born in a small town called Fort Thomas, KY and moved to North Carolina when he was 2. Coach Michael has lived in NC most of his life and started playing soccer when he was 7 years old and has had a passion for the sport ever since! He is currently in school at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary hoping to become a pastor and serve in the Armed Forces as a Chaplin.

Coach Michelle grew up in chilly Western New York and is a relative newcomer to the Raleigh-Durham area. She has been playing soccer since she was 5 years old, and has never stopped! Coach Michelle earned a Bachelor’s degree in Sports Management and a Masters Degree in School Counseling. When she is not playing or coaching soccer, you can can find her running, reading a good book or playing with her silly dog Teddy!

Coach Ty was born and raised right here in Raleigh. He has played soccer since he was 4 and was a referee for 4 years and coached for 2. He played Varsity Soccer at Knightdale High School. He currently attends North Carolina State University majoring in Environmental Technology. He enjoys spending time with friends and family and playing soccer anywhere he can fit it into his schedule. He is very excited to be able to continue to pursue his love of soccer with Soccer Shots and meet new, wonderful friends and see such an impact on their lives.