Moloney ready to lead Southwest girls' soccer - Jacksonville Daily News

Published: Wednesday, February 26, 2014 at 10:45 AM.

Samantha Moloney was in full soccer mode even before the Southwest first-year coach was joined by her players for practice Tuesday.

Moloney was on the practice field behind the school working on her individual skills while also getting her mindset right for practice as Southwest prepares for Friday’s season opener at home against Lincoln Charter.

“I have fourth period planning and so I come out here to get myself focused on these girls and only these girls,” Moloney said. “I come out and mess around with the ball. Sometimes it’s just juggling to myself and sometimes it’s getting touches on the ball.”

And then Moloney welcomes her players to practice.

At the age of 24, she can still hold her own on the pitch. After all, it wasn’t that long ago when Moloney was playing collegiate soccer at NCAA Division I Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla.

“We played World Cup the other day, but we (her team) got second and that was a little depressing, but it was fun,” Moloney said with a laugh. “They did (brag about beating their coach), but I just let them know that I’m their coach and that they should probably stop talking.”

Moloney was lighthearted when talking about the practice game her side lost during a recent workout.

But make no mistake about it. While Moloney enjoys having fun with her players, she is serious about soccer, having been involved with the sport since “I was young.”

Moloney, a military wife in her first year teaching English at Southwest, has plenty of experience in soccer.

She began playing because her father coached at California State Polytechnic in Pomona, Calif., and later became a standout at Higley High School in Gilbert, Ariz. She played two years at Higley, helping the school to a 24-0 record and a state title in 2006.

As a midfielder, Moloney set a state record with 140 career assists.

She then played two years of club soccer before playing a year at Oral Roberts. After an injury, she moved back home to Arizona and attended Grand Canyon University in Phoenix and began coaching high school cross country while continuing to stay active in soccer by coaching it in various amateur levels.

“I actually was a communications major at first,” Moloney said. “When I moved back to Arizona … I fell in love with teaching and changed my major halfway through my senior year to education.”

She then married and became a teacher at Southwest before the start of the school year.

Moloney later became the Southwest girls’ soccer coach after former coach John Sweeney was arrested in December and charged with solicitation of a child by a computer or other electronic device to commit an unlawful sex act.

Moloney was asked if it was difficult to have her players focus on improving as a team and not what happened in the past.

“Not really,” she said. “Some of the girls have questions and I’ve been more than willing to answer them. We’ve had an open line of communication and that’s how we are wanting to be. I’m going to be honest with them, and they are going to be honest with me. It’s been awesome. They’ve been focused and they know what they want to get done this season. That’s our only focus.”

And Moloney’s focus is helping the Stallions continue their winning ways.

Last year, Southwest went 11-9-2 overall, 6-0 in the Coastal Plains 1-A Conference and advanced to the NCHSAA 1-A East Regional final for the fourth consecutive season.

Southwest also won state titles in 2010 and 2012 and advanced to the state final in 2011. The Stallions have moved up to 2-A this year following statewide realignment.

“Obviously I want to see wins. Every coach does. But I also want to see them come together as a team and have camaraderie,” Moloney said. “I want our seniors to start the season on a great note and end it on an even greater note and I want to see the freshmen step up to the plate. Obviously we are moving up to a different division and it’s going to be a little tougher, but I like the group of girls I have.”

The Stallions have six seniors returning and several others with playing experience, which Moloney said has made her transition easier. Junior forward Alex Crow led a balanced Southwest team last year in scoring with eight goals and three assists.

“I couldn’t be more blessed to come into this group of girls,” Moloney said. “They are disciplined and they know when I ask them something they will do it. If they don’t understand, they will ask questions. … They have talent and they have the potential to get better.”

Moloney said she is excited about this year’s team, which she hopes will be anchored by the midfield.

The middle features senior Kimberly Carroll (7 goals, 2 assists) and junior Amanda McCurry (4 goals, 2 assists).

“I’m a midfield coach,” Moloney said. “Our midfield will be the strongest point of the field.”

But regardless of how many victories the Stallions get, Moloney hopes her relationship with her players continues to grow as she coaches them in a sport she has enjoyed her entire life.

“I absolutely love it,” she said of coaching the Stallions. “I’ve played soccer since I was young and I’ve always wanted to coach. I have a passion for the game.”

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