Moe's Coaches Spotlight - Mitch Schwartz
Gameday: How many years have you been coaching soccer, and at Potomac Falls?
Mitchell Schwartz: This is my 5th year coaching high school soccer, 2nd at Potomac Falls, and 8th year coaching overall.
GD: What or who got you into soccer and why did you decide to coach at PFHS?
MS: Soccer was the sport I played as a little kid and continued playing through high
school. My coaching career began at Maryland where I was the women's club soccer coach there. After that I was the boys varsity head coach for 3 years at John F. Kennedy High School in Montgomery County, Maryland. My decision to coach at Potomac Falls is due to their tradition and dedication to soccer. When the opportunity
to apply for the job arose I quickly took advantage of it and consider myself very lucky to have been given the job. I enjoy the challenge of coaching a team with high expectations every year.
GD: What do you enjoy most about coaching?
MS: There are a lot of things that I love about coaching but mostly it is the chance to work
with the players and to see them develop as players and as people. I really enjoy the prep work that goes into getting your team ready for a game and scouting is a large part of that, which I like to do. My players have enjoyed
the scouting reports that I put together for them for each team we face.
GD: Who are your biggest influences or role models?
MS: My biggest role model in my life is my mother. She worked with middle school students and seeing, firsthand, the positive influence she had on so many people's lives, inspires me to try to do the same through teaching and coaching. After she passed away over 12 years ago I have consistently tried to make her
proud through my work with young people and a large part of that is coaching. I have had a lot of people influence me, and my coaching, and that begins with my best friend, Raphael. He got me started in coaching, and watching his passion for coaching has rubbed off on me, and I still go to him to seek his advice.
GD: What is the biggest challenge as a girls soccer coach?
MS: The biggest challenge that I face is getting the team ready with such a short preseason. With the girls playing on many different club teams we have to learn each other in such a short amount of time and while doing it indoors. I got used to fall soccer in Maryland, which allowed us to have a much longer time to get ready for the season. I don't think there is a specific challenge for me as far as coaching girls since I had done so for 3
years while at Maryland. The other challenge is competing with demanding club schedules that some of the girls keep during the high school season.
GD: What has been your biggest coaching career highlight, and most memorable moment, at Potomac Falls?
MS: My biggest coaching career highlight was during my time coaching the University of
Maryland women's club team. By winning the annual tournament at Penn State, beating undefeated Penn State 2-1, we gained the #1 ranking in our region and gained an invitation to the 16 team club soccer national championship tournament. My biggest high school coaching highlight would be in my first season at Kennedy High School. After
winning our first round game in our regional tournament, we faced the #1 ranked team who had only lost 1 game all year. We were down 2 with five minutes to play and tied it up. We remained scoreless in overtime and sadly lost
on penalty kicks. I will never forget that game as it took place on Halloween and there was freezing rain that night. I was so proud of my team for their effort that night. My most memorable moment so far at Potomac Falls
was our first game this year at Dominion. We scored two goals in the first two minutes of the season and went on to win 3-1. It was extra special for me as I teach at Dominion.
GD: What place did the team finish last season?
MS: We finished in 4th place last year.
GD: Do you expect the same finish as last year?
MS: I fully expect that we will finish higher than 4th. Currently, we are in 3rd place halfway through the season and we are playing much better this year. We have tough competition in front of us but I firmly believe in my players, that we will continue to move up the standings.
GD: Which players do you expect to step up and be leaders and what do you expect them to show?
MS: I expect all of my players to step up but I look to my veterans, especially my seniors, to be leaders on the team. Players who have been in the program for many years and who worked with me last year know my expectations and I look for them to lead the new players by example. I expect them to show the
dedication that it will take to lead us to our goals this season and they have responded.
