This Month in Marin FC – July 2018
This Month in Marin FC summarizes the month’s news and notes in a series of ‘high-level’ briefs from various club constituents.
In This Edition
From the President
Here are a few highlights and news tidbits from the past month:
While the summer weather settles in with sun on the fields and fog on the hillsides, I must remark on the abundance that soccer and Marin FC enjoys at the moment.
World Cup
The mighty have fallen as the determined arise. Some of the best players are showcasing their talents for their nations in what has proven to be an exceptionally engaging World Cup competition in Russia. Only every four years do we get to revel in this level of excitement, this time made even more compelling with the announcement of North America’s selection to host soccer’s biggest stage in 2026.
Players, Teams & Volunteers
Player registration onto our newly formed teams has progressed smoothly despite the added complexity of team types and age ranges. Nearly 60 teams and 900 players have their new volunteer managers and treasurers to thank for that! While we’re all enjoying the summer weather and the soccer on TV, they’re busy planning for the fall and beyond.
Fields
There’s abundant light at the end of the tunnel on fields as both College of Marin and San Rafael High have opened their new all-weather turf fields. With Terra Linda High School coming back online as well, the club’s ability to get our players onto the best playing surfaces in the area has rocketed. 90% of the trainings scheduled through August will be on turf, a large majority of which are on brand new fields. While this will reduce slightly when the high schools return to session, our Field Scheduler, Chas Thorp, is optimistic about maintaining high quality fields for our teams into the future.
Travel Grants
On the initiative of our Financial Aid Director, Vicki Sodaro, and at the urging of several team managers, the board has approved a new component to our aid programs: travel grants. To help players in need and already approved through the FA process, the club has allocated funds to provide 50% of airfare costs for FA players traveling to mandatory team events outside of California.
The Siren has Sounded
As of Friday evening, our inaugural WPSL squad, the Marin FC Siren, has wrapped its first season in the world’s largest women’s soccer league. The win-loss record depicts a team in formation, but every match was meaningful, and our ladies gave serious scares to league leaders California Storm and SF Nighthawks. Many thanks to the coaches and volunteers for guiding this important effort.
Summer Team Camps
We’re happy to welcome a cadre of Spanish coaches to lead a slate of summer trainings for teams that have opted in. Thanks to Michael Sharp and Ben Swann for organizing this great addition to our summer offering. Additionally, for the juniors age group, the club is thrilled to launch the JJC, July Juniors Camp, consisting of six group training sessions for players staying in the area and anxious to get a jump on the fall season and before their teams return to play.
Is there such thing in soccer as too much of a good thing? Let’s find out.
Evan Cross, President
From the Director of Coaching
Here are a few highlights and news tidbits from the past month:
June Typhoon
June was largely focused on the formation of new teams and getting them up and running. We doubled the club’s size, in regard to the number of teams, registered players, coaches and managers. And we had a new tryout window to deal with where everyone tried out at the same time. There was lots to get our heads around and it took until early June to get everything sorted out, but thanks to the collective effort, we were able to pull it together and make it all happen.
Down Time?
Our Development Academy teams and a few teams that participated in US Club Regionals wrapped up their respective seasons. Most everyone’s down time was spent recharging the batteries and completing administrative tasks like ordering new uniforms and scheduling.
The Siren
Our one on-the-field constant in June was our WPSL team, the Siren. Coach Tyler Gottschalk was able to form a team from a mix of alums and current U19 players, and the experience has proved to be a great development platform for our current players and alumnae alike.
– Josh Kalkstein, DOC
In the Spotlight
This month’s spotlight features an interview with University of San Diego sophomore and Marin FC Siren standout, Lauren Foehr. Here’s what she had to say:
Tell our readers a little about yourself.
I was born in Greenbrae where my parents, Rich and Jodi, raised me, my twin brother Trevor, and my older brother Dillon, now 22. I attended Bacich, Kent, and Redwood schools. At Redwood I started on the varsity soccer team all four years and also played varsity tennis my freshman year. I also played basketball until the beginning of high school, but with conflicting seasons, I chose soccer and ultimately never looked back. I graduated from Redwood High in 2017 and am now a student-athlete at the University of San Diego.
Recollect your Marin FC experience if you will.
Before Marin FC, I played four years of soccer for Central Marin Magic under coach Brandon Murphy. My first year with Marin FC was on Josh Kalkstein’s U15 Blue team. From there I went on to play on Simon Ireland’s U16 and U17 blue teams before ending my time with the club on Tyler Gottschalk’s U18 and U19 blue teams. Through the Marin FC younger years, I would guest play on older teams, as well as play on ODP State and Regional teams.
What other schools did you look at and why did you ultimately pick USD?
I was recruited by Georgetown, University of Arizona, Santa Clara University and Columbia, but ultimately chose the University of San Diego because of its academic core and competitive athletics split focus. The team dynamic was also very appealing, and the location was a plus too.
What were some of the adjustments you had to make to successfully transition from club to collegiate ball?
The biggest change is the speed of play. AS with the transition from high school to club, the leap from club to D1 soccer is equally seismic.
Summarize your collegiate soccer career to date. What have been some of the highlights?
My college soccer kickoff was a little unusual. I came in with a newly repaired ACL, and so had to red-shirt for the fall season. As a result, my collegiate athletic experience didn’t really start until the spring. I started the first game of the spring season against the Philippine national team which was a personal highlight, and I’m really looking forward to playing in conference games this fall.
What are you learning as a collegiate athlete that you’ll take into post collegiate life?
Time management, preparation and commitment are all very important when it comes to collegiate athletics and are definitely qualities I’ll take into post collegiate life.
From athletics to academics. What are you studying?
I’m studying biology on route to pursuing a career in sports medicine.
Any interests outside of soccer?
I love to be outdoors and doing something active. The beach, hiking in mountains or running on trails with my friends are all personal favorites.
Any thoughts about life after college?
I’d love to travel and see more of the world, but I’m also planning to go to graduate school.
The Marin FC alumni community is alive and well. Do you keep in touch with many of your former teammates?
I do keep in touch with many of my former teammates. In fact, I still talk to some of them daily, and have really enjoyed the opportunity of playing with them again this summer on the newly formed WPSL team, the Marin FC Siren.
Anyone you want to thank or recognize at Marin FC?
I would love to thank all my former coaches … Josh Kalkstein, Simon Ireland, and Tyler Gottschalk. They all provided me with great coaching and helpful tools during my time with the club. A special thank you must go to Tyler for helping me navigate the college recruiting process.
How can our readers follow you if they’d like to track your athletic activities?
They can follow our team at any of the following:
- Website: http://www.usdtoreros.com/sports/w-soccer/usd-w-soccer-body.html
- Twitter: @USDwsoccer
- Instagram @usdwsoccer
From the Director of Development
Got Team News?
To share a game summary or tournament recap:
- Visit MarinFC.com
- Locate ‘Media & Info’ under ‘About Marin FC’ at the top of the page
- Click ‘Submit an Article’
Alternatively, click here: https://forms.marinfc.com/submit-an-article/
Edited posts will be added to our website homepage “latest club news” section and posted on our Facebook page within 48 hours. We encourage you to use this tool to keep all in the club informed re: individual and team accomplishments. A big thanks to those of you that use it already.
– Ian Tonks, Director of Development