Hillary Johnson and staff had been preparing for another season with the Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds girls soccer team.
Johnson completed her fifth season at NewCath this past fall and the team just held a youth camp. But then the same position opened up at Simon Kenton when seven-year Head Coach Rob Zoeller took the job for the Elizabethtown Panthers girls program, where he had coached previously.
Simon Kenton named the 34-year-old Johnson the new head coach Monday.
“She knocked it out of the park,” Simon Kenton Director of Athletics Troy Roberts said of Johnson’s interview. “We feel like we have a great, great candidate. She gave a great interview. She’s just polished. She did a great job.”
Simon Kenton had a strong run under Zoeller going 111-46-5 with five 8th Region championships and seven 32nd District Tournament crowns. The Lady Pioneers drove to the state semifinals in 2016 losing 1-0 (4-3) on kicks from the mark to eventual state champion West Jessamine.
“I’ve been playing against Simon Kenton from my playing days then coaching against Simon Kenton,” Johnson said. “To see the improvement and the success that Simon Kenton has had over the years has been fantastic. That is what made me the most excited about coming to this program. When we were at NCC, it was always a good game. But it was a tough game. There was a sense of uncertainty. We had to play our best so I’m excited to take over such talent.”
The Lady Pioneers lost the other four trips to state power Louisville Sacred Heart. Simon Kenton lost to the Valkyries in the first round in 2015 and 2018 and in the quarterfinals in 2017 and 2020. The 2020 loss came 2-1 on kicks from the mark.
“We built Simon Kenton into a region and state powerhouse,” Zoeller said on Facebook. “We also had tons of Academic All-State players along with helping a number of girls find opportunities to play in college. I am thankful to all of the girls that fought hard for Pioneer Nation and took pride in wearing the Blue and White. I am looking forward to my next opportunity and challenge. Thank you for our fantastic athletic directors and parents that have helped make this a special place. The bar is set very high. Continue to strive for greatness.”
NewCath finished 50-48-4 in Johnson’s three seasons as head coach. NewCath won four All A 9th Region championships and finished as All A State runner-up in 2020 losing 3-2 to Bardstown Bethlehem on kicks from the mark in the title game in Frankfort.
The best season in Johnson’s tenure came in 2017 when NewCath finished 13-5-2. Like the rest of the 9th Region, NewCath struggled against the two teams that have won every region tournament crown since the current format came about in 2012, Notre Dame and Highlands. NewCath lost all 10 meetings to the Bluebirds in those five years and lost to the Pandas in the 9th Region tournament all five seasons including four times in the first round.
“Coach Johnson continued to build upon our already excellent girls’ soccer program,” said Jeff Schulkens, NewCath director of athletics. “We are grateful for her hard work and dedication over the past five years. She genuinely cares about the girls and their growth as soccer players and more importantly as young women. We wish her the best of luck in her future coaching endeavors.”
Prior to taking the job at NewCath in 2017, Johnson served as an assistant at Notre Dame for eight years helping the Pandas to state championships in 2011 and 2013 and two state runner-up finishes in 2009 and 2012 under former head coach Sara Raaker-McSorley.
The 2005 Notre Dame alum guided the Pandas to the program’s first of four state championships as a senior in 2004.
“(McSorely) is why I got into coaching,” Johnson said. “After I graduated from Morehead State, she asked if I could come back and be an extra set of eyes in tryouts. I said, ‘Sure. Why not?’ It was after that she asked if I could stay and join her staff at Notre Dame. If I saw something on the field, I was able to tell the players. That’s what every good head coach does. They put their trust and faith in their assistants. I tell all my players and my parents I expect them to treat all my assistants with the same respect and authority they treat me. I felt her support all the time. Her state titles led to that.”
Johnson took her talents to Morehead State as a midfielder and defender. The Eagles won the Ohio Valley Conference Championship her senior year in 2008 earning a spot in the NCAA Division I Tournament. Johnson served as a team captain her senior year.
Johnson graduated from Morehead State in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing. Johnson worked at F+W Media for four years before going back to receive her master of art in teaching degree from Thomas More University. Johnson is entering her second year as a social studies teacher at Turkeyfoot Middle School in Edgewood.
Simon Kenton graduated four seniors from this past season that saw Simon Kenton finish 9-10-3 including the three leading point-scorers in forwards Ellie Dreas, Nina Derks and forward/defender Shyanne Iles.
Former coach Zoeller’s daughter Emma will also move to Elizabethtown for her senior year.
Senior defender/midfielder Sophie Decker is the leading returning point-scorer with 12 assists and four goals for 20 points. Junior defender/forward Campbell Ruble had six goals and five assists for 17 points. Another key returning player is senior defender/midfielder Katey Gadzala. Johnson credited the players for keeping the workouts going in between coaches.
“It’s definitely been a little bit stressful at times because obviously, there were no coaches. But a few of the seniors have put together practices,” Gadzala said. “We just used Rob’s old schedule. We just made sure everyone was working hard. That’s pretty much it. We want it to be fun. But we also want to stay sharp in the transition.”
Simon Kenton’s two goalkeepers from last year also return. Senior Olivia York had seven shutouts and junior Karah Thomas saw action in four games.
One parent asked Johnson about her approach to mental health with a number of recent events concerning student-athletes across the country. Johnson said she’s seen the approaches toward mental health change over her 15 years coaching and eight years teaching.
“I’m here for the girls first. Academics come first,” Johnson said. “Soccer is an extracurricular that comes second. If they’re struggling in the classroom, we’ll work with them to get back up to par. I don’t want soccer to be an added stress. It should be fun. It should be a relief from life and school. We as a coaching crew put a lot of emphasis on that. I personally feel players have been comfortable coming to me in the past. I don’t need to know specifics. I know we all have our off days. I prefer the players come say, ‘Coach Hillary. I’ve had a rough day. That’s why I’m not at the top of my game.’ It could be socially or academically, it was a rough day. I encourage that.”
Johnson has seen a number of successful teams win with ball-possession soccer. One goal is to make opponents defend them. Johnson noted the turf field gives Simon Kenton some advantages there.
“That changes with personnel,” Johnson said. “That’s what we focus on in our training – making the right runs and seeing those runs ahead of time. The direct game isn’t my favorite. But I know sometimes when you have that player that is most successful with the direct game then we’re going to utilize it. Building from the back to the front is where we focus our game.”
Johnson did not take long to start assembling a staff. She brought her three assistants from NewCath to Simon Kenton in sister and former Coastal Carolina University player Molly Johnson, as well as Scott Augsback and Chris Schroeder.
Johnson said she may add another assistant because Simon Kenton has a freshman team and NewCath does not.
“I think one of the hardest things to do as a head coach is find a great coaching staff,” Hillary Johnson said. “When I spoke to Troy (Roberts) and after I accepted the job, I talked about wanting to bring all my assistants with me. All three were on board and very excited as well. I personally think I’ve found the three best assistants in the state of Kentucky.”
Simon Kenton opens the season Aug. 8 against the defending state runner-up South Oldham Lady Dragons on the road at 7:30 p.m. The Lady Pioneers play in the Smoky Mountain Classic in Gatlinburg (Tennessee) and in the annual Lexington Catholic Challenge Cup.
“I look forward to trips like that to see how my players do going in blind not knowing anything about anyone on the other team,” Hillary Johnson said. “We might be able to tell them who has the most goals – something like that. Sometimes I think when I prepare my team with this elaborate game plan, they just get too in their heads. So when we go down to a place like Gatlinburg where we know nothing about the teams, I feel they can play a bit more free and I’m just watching them play true soccer. I’m excited for Gatlinburg for that reason.”
Schulkens admitted the hiring puts NewCath in a crunch to fill the spot weeks before the dead period. But he said the hope is to have someone in place before then.