(by Don Meador)
The up-and-coming Allen County-Scottsville Lady Patriot soccer team is under new leadership. Hailey Brewster was introduced on Friday, March 6, as the third coach in the six-year history of the program.
“I’m really excited to get started,” Brewster told team members in attendance for her introduction. .
Brewster grew up on the pitch, playing soccer from an early age on club and travel teams. She further developed her own skills in middle and high school. The 24-year-old played varsity soccer at Station Camp High School in Gallatin. Still loving the game, Brewster developed a desire to step into coaching. After her family moved to Allen County, Brewster opted to apply when the girls’ job opened with the departure late last year of Coach Clay Dobbs.
“I loved playing high school soccer and the impact my coaches had on me,” Brewster said. “I want to leave that kind of impact on the girls I will get to coach. You learn a lot of life skills in high school playing sports which teaches hard work, time management, and things like that. It helped me in the long run when I went to college and as an adult now. I have always loved the game and knew I wanted to pursue coaching eventually.”
Brewster noted that she researched the AC-S program as well as having several conversations with AC-S athletic directors Brad Hood and Cameron Cook. She liked what she saw with the young program.
“I want us to win as many games as we can,” Brewster pointed out. “I believe we can win games in the district and maybe get to the region. I want us to improve as the season goes on and help the girls build team chemistry. That is a key in going forward.”
The new coach inherits a program on the rise. Ashley Murphy oversaw the start of the junior varsity and varsity program in the falls of 2021 and 2022. Dobbs stepped in for the 2023, 2024, and 2025 seasons---guiding his teams to an overall record of 30-29-1 over the past three years. With the goal of continued success, Brewster will get on the field this week to start conditioning with her team.
“I want to do ball work, first touch work, and team formation work when we are on the field,” Brewster explained. “We will do a lot of running and conditioning and hopefully we can get in the weight room. I want the players to be fit for the season so that with five minutes left in a match they are happy they did those extra sprints in conditioning.”
Dobbs stepped away to pursue a call to youth ministry in November but leaves a solid core of players expected to return. The 2025 roster included rising senior Autumn Keith and juniors-to-be Dani Miller, Lily Sanchez, Hailey Pigue, Autumn Rimington, Erica Lopez, Gracie Whitlow, Nikeisha Payne, and Everleigh Moran. Sophomores in the fall are expected to be Marissa Meador, Makayla Shelton, and Lily Vick as well as freshman Presley Walker.
Brewster adds that she will be meeting with eighth grade girls soon to gauge interest from additional incoming freshmen in the fall. Any current high school student or eighth grader wishing to condition with the Lady Patriot team can contact coach Brewster through the high school. Official team tryouts will be in the summer. Students must have a current KHSAA physical form on file. Per KHSAA guidelines, since soccer is considered a contact sport, only high school students are permitted to play on the high school team.