Sipe named Lancaster Bible College women's soccer head coach
The Lancaster Bible College Athletic Department is pleased to announce the hiring of Leah Sipe as Women's Soccer Head Coach. Sipe will take over for Ken Craul who stepped down following the 2014 season. Sipe will lead the Chargers through spring practice and assume her full-time duties beginning this summer. In addition to leading the women's soccer program, Sipe will also help coordinate all of the sports camps held at Lancaster Bible College as well as take on some game management duties.
Sipe comes to Lancaster Bible from NCAA Division I Bucknell where she has been assistant coach for the past three seasons. Sipe's main job at Bucknell this past season was recruiting and she also helped with practices and game planning as the Bison went 10-9-2 overall and 4-4-1 in Patriot League play.
Prior to coaching at Bucknell, Sipe was a four-year standout student-athlete for powerhouse Messiah as she helped the Falcons to three NCAA Division III National Championships during her tenure and scored 21 goals and assisted on 14 others during her 84 career games. Over her collegiate career (2008-11), Messiah was an incredible 96-1-4.
While Sipe isn't promising records like that during her first season as a head coach, she does hope to have an immediate impact on the lives of those who will come through the Lancaster Bible women's soccer program.
"I want to take my vision of what a program looks like and apply what I have learned and develop individuals for success on and off the field as well as their lives after soccer," Sipe said. "My life has been greatly impacted by my college coach, Coach Scott Frey, and I want to be able to be that person for the ladies that come through this program.
Sipe credits Frey as being one of the individuals who has had the biggest impact on her life and her hope is that she is that guiding force for current and future soccer players at Lancaster Bible.
"I can pick up the phone and talk to him about anything and I get his honest opinion," Sipe said. His impact on my life is unspeakable and that is something I will provide for student-athletes in the women's soccer program at Lancaster Bible."
Sipe, an Ephrata High School graduate, is excited to be back in Lancaster County and begin her head coaching career 15 minutes from where she grew up.
"It's exciting to be home and share this great opportunity with my friends and family," Sipe said. "I am comfortable here and I think that will be very beneficial as I get started on this unbelivable opportunity."
Lancaster Bible Director of Athletics Pete Beers is excited for Sipe to continue to grow the women's soccer program and believes she has the tools to not only lead the program to new heights, but each one of the ladies on the team as well.
"It's an exciting day for our school," Beers said. "The fact that our administration believes in what we are trying to accomplish here in athletics and supports the mission financially is good for the overall program. Bringing in Leah to coach our team is another significant person who can help mold and shape our young ladies into the people of God that they were intended to be. We look forward to seeing the women's soccer program continue to grow and then thrive under her leadership."
With less than a month to conduct spring practice and the regular season just five months away, Sipe has some short-term goals she would like to accomplish very quickly.
"I really just want to get to know the girls on-and-off the field and have them get to know me," Sipe said. "I want to see each individual's fitness level as well as their skill and then try to gage how those individuals fit together and come up with a plan for summer workouts and preseason workouts in August. Spring soccer will be a time for the girls to get to know me as a coach and as a person."
Sipe also has long-term goals for the program, including making sure the team has ownership of the team.
"We want to build on the program's success of the past few seasons and make sure we realize our potential," Sipe said. "I want the ladies to set goals and work hard to achieve them."
No matter what the team goals end up being, Sipe said there will be specific trademarks of the women's soccer team that everyone will get behind.
"I think it is important to combine sports with your faith," Sipe said. "I want the team to compete in the sport they love, with the people they love, for the God they love. We will play hard every day and keep a Christian mindset in all that we do."
Sipe also said the team will know how to manage the long grind of a soccer season by working together to solve problems on-and-off the field and credits the team already with being able to conduct their own offseason workouts despite not having a coach.
"I think this team has already developed some resiliency as they have had to get through most of the offseason without a coach," Sipe said. "They've already had some ups and downs and I love the passion of some of the players I've already met. We will continue to control the controllables and work hard with the time we have left during spring practice."
Sipe and the Chargers will begin spring practice next week.
