TCS Soccer: Growing the game

By Samantha DePriest

Did you know that Soccer is the most popular sport on the planet with over 3.5 billion fans around the world? Since the inception of the MLS (Major League Soccer) founded in 1993, the soccer fan base in the US has grown larger than ever. Atlanta United joined the MLS in 2017 and won the 2018 MLS Cup in just its second season. With the recent announcement to build the National Soccer Training Center in Fayetteville just 10 miles from the TCS campus, exponential growth of the sport in Georgia is anticipated over the coming years. The National Training Center will cover 200 acres in Trillith and be home to over a dozen soccer fields, over 100,000 square feet of indoor courts, and more than 200,000 square feet of high-performance facilities. And the icing on the cake for soccer fans was when Atlanta was chosen to host 8 matches in the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Annual TCS Youth Night is a beloved event each Spring.

Back on our TCS campus, the sport of soccer is experiencing significant growth as well. In the summer of 2022 Coach Mike Townson joined Trinity as Director of Soccer Operations and serves as the Varsity Boys head coach. Coach Townson brings years of experience with him to develop and grow a successful program at TCS. He came from Central Carrollton where he has coached the last 7 years prior to his move to TCS. He has been in education for more than 20 years and this Spring celebrated 175 coaching wins. He shares, “Learning how to support our student-athletes in participating in multiple sports and extracurriculars while maintaining a focus on our sport. It is so rewarding to see so many of our athletes success on the field, on the court, the stage, and in the classroom.” Coach Townson has brought several new members of the coaching staff along side him to continue growing a strong program from our youngest to our oldest student athletes.

Varsity Girls Soccer

One of the newest members to the coaching staff is Varsity Girls head coach Dan Robertson who came from Trinity Baptist College in Florida. In speaking with Varsity Girls Coach Dan Robertson, he shared his vision for the season, “Considering how far this group of girls went last year. We want to continue to build upon that success and improve our skill to get us to the Final four or State Championship game. We are learning a new system and style of play for the season. We have had a great start to the season with some big wins. We know we have tougher competition coming up and are pushing ourselves to get ready both physically and mentally for those games.”

The team verse for the year is Colossians 3:23 "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord and not men." Coach Dan goes on to share, “We are striving to have the attitude that God deserves our best. He has blessed us with talent and abilities and we are to use those talents and abilities in such a way that He gets the glory and not us. Each week we have a character word of the week that we call blocks. These "blocks" are foundational characteristics that championship teams have. Along with these character building terms we try to relate them to the scriptures and how they can impact our walk with Christ and how having this character built into my spiritual life will also make us Champions for Christ as well as Champions on the field.”

With regards to player development, Coach Dan shared that, “We are not only training our bodies to be physically ready and technically proficient with the ball, but we are also training the brain. A part of our training process is to challenge the players to use the muscle between the ears and read the game. The challenge is to see the open spaces and see the channels where we want to play the ball through. All the while training those off the ball to see the spaces around the person with the ball and connect with them. To do this we have to be confident and comfortable with the ball at our feet. So we take time everyday to develop individual technical ability on the ball along with our ability to pass and connect to each other through possession.”

The best way to keep up on all the latest of our Varsity Girls Soccer is by following their Instagram page: www.instagram.com/tcslionsgsoccer/

Middle School Girls Soccer

The TCS Lady Lions Soccer Program has been blessed with an amazing group of talented girls. These 6th, 7th, and 8th graders are not only using their athletic abilities to create a phenomenal season but they are also passionate in representing Christ in every aspect of the game. Their leadership and drive will impact our program for many years to come. My goal as the head coach is to bring these girls together as individuals and as a team. My motto is to "Show Up, Show Out, and Show Respect". Holding these girls accountable to these three simple tasks will help them in everyday life. Not only am I a coach but I look at myself as a leader to help them grow on and off the field. I want each and every player to know that they are enough because God created them and He doesn't make mistakes. I am so blessed to be given this opportunity to work with twenty of the most faith driven, hard working, and talented group of girls that will impact our program for years to come!”

Varsity Boys Soccer

Coach Mike Townson shares, “Our vision is to develop a winning tradition and help our players to be successful after graduation. Our training sessions are based off college practices , high energy and work rates while training all of our players together. This allows them to develop great practice habits at an early age. The most important part is developing good young men that will be great husbands and fathers that love the Lord. Being strong in our Faith out weighs wind and losses any day. ”

One sign of a successful athletics program is the number of student athletes committing to play next level ball. Last year Dylan DePriest, Class of ‘23, committed and now plays on the LaGrange College soccer team and this Fall will be joined by brother Connor DePriest, Class of ‘24, and Noah Schloegel, Class of ‘24, on the pitch.

(pictured l to r) Lions from past and present: Connor DePriest, Dylan DePriest, Ty Kopca, Josh Taylor, and Noah Schoegel

The number of alumni athletes who come back game after game to offer support and assistance on the sidelines and from the stands is also a tremendous win for the soccer program. Coach Mike shares his love for welcoming back past players to pour in and mentor his current team. Several of them serve in the TCS Soccer camps that are held throughout the school year and during the summer. Ty Kopca, Class of ‘21, has joined the coaching staff this season and assists Coach Townson with both the MS, JV, and Varsity Boys teams while Dylan DePriest, Class of ‘23, assists with MS boys team. Josh Taylor, Class of ‘23, has been spotted at several Varsity home games cheering on the Lions when he isn’t busy practicing on the Georgia Tech football field.

The best way to keep up on all the latest happenings in our Trinity Boys Soccer program is by following their Instagram page: www.instagram.com/tcs_boys_soccer/

Middle Boys Soccer

Coach Mike Townson goes on to share, “This year we changed our middle school program to resemble a developmental training academy. This allowed us to keep anyone that wanted to be of our program. These young men get the opportunity to develop their skills along with growing a love for the sport. Since we train all levels it allows our older guys to mentor our middle school players. They get to learn at an early age to give God all the glory and play for Him!!”

It’s the perfect time if your little Lion is interested in getting involved in the TCS Soccer program. The 2024 TCS Summer Camp landing page includes various camps for students as little as 2.5 years old and up. Click the button below for a comprehensive list of academic, athletic, and arts camps this summer happening on TCS Sharpsburg campus for all ages.

TCS Soccer Summer Camps

TCS Soccer: Growing the Game

TCS Soccer: Growing the game

PREPARING TODAY’S STUDENT TO IMPACT TOMORROW’S WORLD