By Jeff Odom
For the fourth time in as many years, the Steinbrenner High girls soccer team will have a new coach leading the charge.
Angela Gillisse resigned from the position on July 11 after just one season at the helm and said she has taken a position with a local nonprofit group.
Gillisse, a former Durant High and University of Tampa standout, who was also a physical education instructor at the school, took over the program in July 2012 and said she was “excited about the opportunities and where the program can go.” However, the Warriors failed to win their fourth consecutive Class 4A-District 8 title, falling to Wiregrass Ranch in the championship game, 2-1.
They made the playoffs as district runner-up, but lost to Lakeland George Jenkins in the region quarterfinal to end the season with a 14-6 overall record.
Gillisse’s resignation means even more turnover at the top for Steinbrenner, which won the 2011 Class 4A state title under former coach Teresa Patterson. Patterson, who was with the team for its first two seasons, compiled an overall record of 38-4-4 and stepped down after a 16-year coaching career to start a family.
At 24-years-old, Patterson became the head coach at Marshall University, and — at the time — was the youngest women’s soccer coach in Division I history. She also had assistant coaching positions at University of Alabama and Alabama-Birmingham and high school head coaching positions at Orlando Dr. Phillips, Largo and Gaither, before coming to Steinbrenner when the school opened in 2009.
Robert Woodard coached the team for one season in 2012, but he too resigned for unspecified reasons after a 16-4-2 campaign, which included a playoff win over Bartow.
Before coming to Steinbrenner, Woodard previously served as an assistant boys soccer coach at Jesuit and Bloomingdale in the mid-1990s.
The position is being advertised on the Hillsborough County School District’s website, but there is no timetable on when a decision will be made, according to school athletic director Eddie Henderson.
The Warriors return University of Tampa commit Miranda Gonzalez and East Carolina commit Danielle Eule, but will have to replace seven seniors lost to graduation this season, including the program’s all-time leading scorer Alexis Bredeau, midfielder Marley Opila and starting goalkeeper Stephanie Hirsch.
Steinbrenner also moves up into Class 5A-District 7 this season, which includes Alonso, Countryside, East Lake, Plant and Palm Harbor University.
