Milton girls' soccer is a program full of tradition, strength and, most importantly, dedicated players and coaches. One of the finest prep school programs in New England, the girls’ 1st team has won three ISL championships, was the New England Champion in 1997 and runner-up in 2006. Great senior leadership was a key this past fall, but with 7 of 11 starters from the NEPSAC Championship game coming back and 30 of 39 goals scored by returning players, Milton is poised for another strong season in 2007.

Peter Kahn, in his fifth year as a member of the Milton Academy math department, has completed his second year as the girls’ head coach (he spent the previous 3 years working with the boys’ soccer program). Prior to joining Milton, Coach Kahn was the girls’ head coach at Blair Academy in Blairstown, NJ. He also had a successful career as a player at Johns Hopkins University, including four selections to the NSCAA Division III Regional All-American Team and a trip to the National Championship game in 1994. Coach Kahn considers himself lucky, “I was able to join a program with a tremendous winning tradition that I hope to build on in the years ahead.” Recent graduates are playing at Yale, Clemson, Georgetown, and Emory among others.

One aspect of the Milton soccer program that sets it apart is the tremendous strength and conditioning program that is part of the in-season schedule. The School is fortunate to have a resident expert on the faculty, Steve Darling, who works with the girls during the season (and offers an after-school program in the off-season for those not playing another sport). The strength and conditioning program helps improve core strength, speed and flexibility with the goal of reducing injuries and improving performance. The girls find these twice-a-week workouts challenging, but the results (fewer injuries and quicker recovery time) have been apparent.

One of the things that makes this girls’ soccer program fun, are the traditions that are passed down every year:

• dressing up the practice before game day in the opponents’ colors
  
• dressing alike on game day
  
• team dinners at players' houses or a local restaurant
  
• Saturday morning team breakfast in Forbes Dining Hall with homemade banana bread made by a selected senior
  
• At the final family dinner, seniors pass down items handed down to them from previous players, as well as items of their own

Whether a player is competing on the 3rd team or on the varsity team, the expectation is that they will play with pride and determination and will represent Milton to the fullest. The coaching staff supports this effort by fostering not only technical and tactical play, but also the camaraderie that is essential to a positive experience in any athletic endeavor.

For more information about the athletic program at Milton Academy, please contact the director of athletics at (617) 898-2259.

Girls' Soccer Motto
“Now this is the law of the jungle-
As old and as true as the sky;
And the wolf that shall keep it may prosper,
But the wolf that shall break it must die.
As the creeper that girdles the tree trunk,
The law runneth forward and back-
For the strength of the pack is the wolf,
And the strength of the wolf is the pack.”

-Rudyard Kippling