The Owensboro girls’ soccer team is getting a seasoned veteran at the helm, as the athletic department announced Michael Lovett as the next head coach. Lovett will replace Casey Cundiff, who resigned at the end of last season after five years of leading the team.
Among a group of four candidates, Lovett’s resume, knowledge and personality won him the position, according to OHS Athletic Director Todd Harper.
Lovett, after several years of coaching in the college ranks, decided it was time to pick a place and stay for the long haul.
“I’m to the point in my career I want to plant my feet somewhere,” he said. “We’ve been in Owensboro for going on six years. We love Owensboro, but nothing has really kept us here. Now we have something to do that.”
Lovett’s pedigree includes stops as an assistant coach at Murray State University, Virginia Tech, IUPUI, and the University of Southern Indiana, with head coaching positions at Ball State University and Brescia University. He also played collegiately at the University of South Alabama and professionally with the Mobile Revelers in the United Soccer League.
Now he’s looking to grow a Lady Devils’ squad and eventually try to compete for region titles, but he knows it will take time. Addressing players who were at the announcement, Lovett told them it’s going to take teamwork.
“Individually, anyone can do anything,” he said. “But it takes a team to climb a mountain. We’re going to have to be a team and a family to climb any mountain we come up against.”
Lovett currently serves as a special education instructional assistant at Owensboro High School. His son played soccer, and his daughter is in 7th grade. Harper said the department was pleased with the chance to hire Lovett after getting to know him.
“We know that he’s here,” Harper said. “That’s a big part of it. We want somebody that’s going to be here for a while. He’s a good fit within our school, so we’re hoping that will translate to relationships with those soccer girls.”
Lovett emphasized his desire to stay, saying he’s already got a five-year vision to return the team to prominence. He said he’ll draw from his years of experience, and he wants to leave a lasting mark at OHS.
“I’ve moved up the college ladder and that was fun, but I’m well older now and I want to be somewhere and establish myself and really cement a legacy,” Lovett said. “I have the opportunity to do that now.”
