The Lakeview Girls soccer team has acquired a new soccer coach for the upcoming 2025 season. Heather Sferra, the new Bulldog, has been coaching for about 4 years now, where she last volunteered time at Bristol High School and assisted coaching at Austintown. Growing up close to the community, Sferra went to Howland High School, where she played soccer and was a two-year letter winner.
Sferra “started playing when she was in kindergarten and has loved it ever since,” she continues that “soccer has been her passion for as long as she can remember.”
So far, Sferra has met the team and coaches the futsal on Mondays at the elementary school with the boys and girl’s team and coach Facciolo. With lots of time before the season kicks in, Sferra is looking to plan and get the team involved in tournaments and camps to get the team ready for the season.
Sferra states, “It is my goal to develop talented, disciplined, team oriented soccer players. Soccer has been a very important part of my development as an adult and I strive to provide the same learning opportunities for the players that will benefit them for years to come. While success on the soccer field will be emphasized, greater importance will be my efforts to cultivate responsibility, accountability, toughness, and other character building traits in these young athletes that my coaches in the past instilled in me.”
It is clear Sferra wants nothing more than the best for her athletes, and the team can see it too. With lots of returning players, they are looking forward to a new season with a fresh start.
Returning player Leah Clark is “looking forward to this season and can’t wait to see what she brings to the team.” She also adds, “I’m excited to be involved in all the summer tournaments and camps she is planning. I really think it could impact our team a lot. With not having a ton of seniors last year, I think we have a strong foundation and can possibly beat our record from last year.”
With it being Clark’s senior season, she wants to get the most out of it that she can. The small size of the girls’ team means that increased practice time and skill development are key to their overall strength. And it is clear Sferra is aiming for that. Like Clark said, the summer tournaments are a great way to get the team prepared for the season. Freshmen through seniors benefit from playing and bonding with teammates before school begins.
A player returning for her senior year, Nora Lewis, is also “excited for a new start, and can’t wait to start practicing with the team. I know we don’t have a lot of new players joining the team, but our younger girls have gotten a lot better. And I can’t imagine how more we’ll all develop with such a great coach coming in. Coach Sferra seems really dedicated to us and it seems like she wants nothing more than the best for us. I think it will be a great season and we will all learn a lot from everything Coach Sferra is aiming for.”
Lewis and Clark share similar positive outlooks regarding the upcoming season, and they see no potential downsides or negative factors that could hide their talents and dedication.
It appears that Clark and Lewis are very confident; they believe the team will make great strides and improve significantly under their new coach. Sferra’s extensive experience and ambitious goals make her an ideal addition to the Lakeview girls’ soccer team, promising a significant contribution.
