Coach Allie Coyle became the first woman to coach a Maryland boys’ soccer team to a State Championship when Blair defeated Richard Montgomery 1-0 last month (see video below). On Monday, ESPN W highlighted Coyle’s accomplishment in a social media post that has received over 46k likes in 18 hours.
Coach Coyle started coaching the Blair HS girls JV soccer team in 2017. Then, she moved over to the boys’ program because she knew she eventually wanted a varsity coaching job and the girls program has Bobby Gibb at the head– who has been coaching at Blair for 30 years and has no plans of going anywhere. “Gibb has done an incredible job building that program!” Coyle told us. “Our boys’ program had experienced a lot of turn over, so I made the switch. In 2019, I took over as the head coach of the boys’ JV soccer team. And finally in 2022, I became the head coach of our boys’ varsity team.”
Growing up she played 12 years of club soccer and attended River Hill High School in Howard County, where she also played. Coach Coyle recently earned her national coaching C-license from US Club Soccer to grow as a coach.
Coach Coyle told us, “This team is truly embodying the meaning of family. It was not smooth sailing all season. We had ups and a fair number of downs. It felt like obstacles were constantly in our way, but as a team, we learned from each setback. It was a team effort to get back up and to come out stronger. All of your blood, sweat, and tears paid off. Congratulations! I am honored and so proud of each of you!” In its social media post, ESPN W wrote the following:
When Allie Coyle became the head coach of the Montgomery Blair high school boys’ soccer team in 2022, the team hadn’t won a state title since 1975. A former soccer player herself, Coyle coached the girls’ junior varsity team and taught science at Blair. After one season, she moved over to the boys’ side as an assistant.
Despite her time with the program, people said Coyle was too young. One opposing coach would only refer to her as “lady” during a match. Coyle’s team responded with a win and a one-word Instagram caption: “Lady.”
Coyle’s team defeated seven-time state champion head coach Dave Greene to win the state title. After the game, Greene told Coyle: “You outcoached me.” In the postgame press conference, Coyle tried to put into words what this win means for women. Her player, Owen Boots, helped her, saying: “It’s a step in the right direction.”
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