Girls’ Soccer

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, one New England Championship, and was New England runner-up in 2006.  Recent graduates are currently playing at Brown, University of Rochester, Claremont McKenna, Columbia, Amherst, Vasser, and Colby.

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.

Traditions that are passed down every year are important to the girls’ soccer program:

• 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.

“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 Kipling

1st Team/Varsity

Head Coach: Rachael Abernethy
Rachael Abernethy joined the English Department and the Girls’ Varsity Soccer team in 2021. Coach A served as an assistant for two seasons before becoming the Head Coach. She played soccer at Amherst College for four years. After graduating, she went on to teach and coach at Northfield Mount Hermon while pursuing a Master’s in Education through the University of Pennsylvania. Her graduate thesis analyzes the connections between teaching writing and coaching soccer. Coach A continues to love and learn from the game. She lives in a dormitory on the Milton campus with her husband, Luke, and puppy, Paint.

Assistant Coach: Emily Sedgwick
Coach Emily Sedgwick brings an unparalleled blend of passion, energy, and expertise to the Milton Academy Girls Varsity Soccer team. As the assistant varsity soccer coach, Emily is eager to inspire, motivate, and empower the next generation of student-athletes. As a distinguished alumna of Duquesne University, Emily’s journey embodies the very essence of a student-athlete who excels not only on the field but also in the classroom and life beyond. As a decorated Division One soccer captain, she graduated as the program’s most decorated female player. Emily’s relentless pursuit of excellence has been the cornerstone of her career, both academically and professionally. She resides in Milton, Massachusetts with her irresistible pup, Marley Bear.

Assistant Coach/Goalie Coach: Jamie LaRochelle
Jamie LaRochelle continues in his role as the goalkeeper coach. In addition to training the varsity keepers on a daily basis, Coach LaRochelle trains all of the keepers in the girls program twice a week. Coach LaRochelle teaches in the Science department, lives in campus housing and works in one of our dormitories, and coaches our swimming and diving team.

Captains: Clare Mone ’24 & Michelle Rubeiz ’24

2nd Team/Junior Varsity

Head Coach: Matt McDonald
Matt McDonald joined Milton in the fall of 2022 as a member of the Math Department, the Girls Soccer program, and the Boys Hockey program. Coach McDonald played soccer and hockey at Deerfield Academy before moving on to play hockey at Hamilton College. After graduating, he went on to teach math and coach both soccer and hockey at the New Canaan Country School and the Fay School.

Assistant Coach: David Criswell
David Criswell joined the Milton Academy girls’ program in 2023. Prior to joining Milton, Coach Dave coached the boys and girls programs for six years at the Dawson School in Lafayette, Colorado as well as several high schools in the greater Chicago area for two years. While coaching at the Dawson School, his teams made five State Championship appearances and won two State Championship titles. He received the 2A Colorado HS Activities Association Coach of the Year two times, the CO HS Soccer Coaches Association Coach of the Year, and the United Soccer Coaches CO Coach of the Year for Private & Parochial Schools. His coach education includes a USSF E License, United Soccer Coaches Diploma, and certificate from the TOVO Institute in Stiges, Spain. He played for McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. Coach Dave is a software company marketing manager and lives in Milton with Amy Criswell, Milton Academy’s Lower School Principal, and their dog, Gus.

3rd Team

Head Coach: Sara Rawan
Sara Rawan joins the Milton Academy girls soccer program for her first season. She previously coached the JV2 girls soccer team at Needham High School for the 2022 Fall season before making the switch to Milton Academy. Sara has been a head coach for club youth soccer for 6 years while living in CT for Soccer Pride. She also serves as a head co-coach to the girls Varsity rugby team at Needham High School in the spring season. Sara works as a full time physical therapist in Quincy, MA. Her coaching philosophy includes creating an overall great experience in a positive and fun environment that promotes self confidence and the development of the athletes skills.

Assistant Coach: Jeanna Cook
Jeanna Cook joined the Classics Department at Milton in 2022-2023 and teaches Latin and Greek in the Upper School and Middle School. She is thrilled to return to coaching and ISL athletics this fall. Jeanna served as the varsity assistant coach at St. Mark’s School for five seasons. Prior to that, she was the head coach of the JV Girls’ soccer team at St. Mark’s and most recently she coached a fierce JV squad for Moses Brown School in Providence, RI. Jeanna enjoys teaching fundamentals, developing game strategy and technique, and guiding a positive experience for athletes at all skill levels.

Assistant Coach: Emily Masten
This is Masten’s first year coaching. She played Varsity Soccer at Amherst College, overlapping with Coach Abernethy for three of those years. After graduating with a degree in Math and Computer Science in 2017, she began her career as a software engineer at Google. Masten currently lives in Dorchester with her partner, Mike, and two cats, Ada and Escher.

Girls’ Soccer Coordinator: Peter Kahn
Coach Kahn joined the math department at Milton in the fall of 2002 and worked with the boys’ program for three years before moving over to the girls’ side where he was the head coach of the Varsity Team for 18 seasons. Coach Kahn now coordinates within the girls program to create alignment among the different teams and support player development at all levels. Prior to his arrival at Milton, Coach Kahn was the girls’ head coach at Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey. He also had a successful career as a player at Johns Hopkins University, including three selections to the NSCAA Division III Regional All-American Team and a trip to the National Championship game in 1994. After many years in the dormitory, Coach Kahn now lives in campus housing with his wife Karin and their sons Davis ‘25 and Carter ‘29.