The air is crisp, the sunsets early, and the Coronado girls soccer team is preparing for their 2023-24 season.
Change is here.
For the team, not only does this mean chilly nights of practicing, a staple characteristic of the winter sports season, but it also means new leadership from Miguel Gutierrez, the first-year varsity head coach.
Gutierrez joins the Islanders with 10 years of coaching experience at the youth, high school and collegiate levels.
30 Under 30 class
He started coaching at Ann Sobrato High School in Morgan Hill, and during his time there, he was selected for United Soccer Coaches’ 30 Under 30 class in 2020.
The 30 under 30 program is a year-long education and mentorship opportunity designed to support up-and-coming members of the coaching profession who are 30 years or younger.
There were 15 women and 15 men selected from over 550 applicants.
Coaching at the collegiate level
In August, Gutierrez took this expertise with him to coach men and women’s soccer at Southwestern College and teach health and exercise science classes.
The move, which landed him in Imperial Beach, allowed him to take on his newest endeavor as head coach of the Coronado girls soccer team.
Gutierrez is currently working on his PhD in sports psychology, a degree that spills into every aspect of his coaching, both at the collegiate and high school level.
“I’ve always had an interest in training the mental aspect of the game,” Gutierrez said.
He said he focuses on two things: building self confidence and presenting the “naked truth.”
“What I mean by that is just being honest with the athlete and having a great coach-athlete relationship with them and letting them know that I care,” Gutierrez said. “I think that’s the most important thing and when players have that, they’ll bring out the best in themselves and their team.”
Leadership of seven seniors
The team this year is looking towards the leadership of seven seniors, specifically from captains Lindsey Balsley, Ava Worthy and Giana Quijano.
Gutierrez said a lot of the team’s key contributors will come from the midfield, and freshmen Madeline Collins and Breck Dunn will hold up the younger end of the team as strong competitors.
All seven seniors started in the team’s first non-league game against La Jolla on Nov. 28, where the Islanders won 2-1 with goals from Alexandra Finch and Katie Collins.
The next game for the Islanders is against Mater Dei Catholic on Dec. 5.
Building a positive environment
Gutierrez is looking to build a positive environment and team chemistry this season, and his assistant coach Vivianne Mendoza, who he was an assistant coach for when she played soccer at Hartnell College, echoed his outlook.
“I think the goals for the team are for them to build chemistry with each other and build those relationships,” Mendoza said. “Obviously we want to win, but I think we just want them to have fun and especially for the seniors, we want them to enjoy playing together because it’s their last year.”
