Dumbbells slam against the ground as athletes of the East Girls Soccer team train in the weight room at 4 p.m. after school. Arm curls, deadlifts, push-ups, and box jumps are all precisely executed in a room full of athletes doing conditioning. Their trainer carefully instructs them on proper form while listening to upbeat music to get them energized for practice. After 45 minutes of diligent work, the players retire to the Lakota East Stadium for the second part of their workout of drills and practicing plays. Joining them is their trainer, because not only is Emily Miller a longtime strength and conditioning coach at East, she is also the new head coach for East Girls Varsity Soccer.

Although Miller’s position as Varsity Head Coach is fresh this season, her involvement with the East Girls Soccer program is not new. Miller was the varsity assistant coach for nine years before this season.

“Emily was a part of our coaching staff last year, so not as much has changed [for us],” East senior and middle attacker, Jessa Busch, told Spark.

Alongside coaching, Miller worked for over 14 years in the weight room with several sports teams at East. Her knowledge in the weight room and on the field has opened the doors to where she is now, building a redesigned program of strong, young women to thrive on and off the field.

“My goals are for the girls to grow and develop as players who can withstand adversity on the field and excel so that they may be strong and contributing members of society as they graduate and move on,” Miller told Spark.

Miller’s coaching philosophy and motto for the team this season is ‘train carefully, play carefree.’ One of the most crucial ways this is applied is in a new practice regime called Master Coaching, where both junior varsity and varsity teams practice together.

“We as a staff are striving to take practice to a new level so that the girls can just play the game when it’s game time,” said Miller.

Master Coaching is based on the principles of hard work and the struggle for greatness, using teamwork as an anchor to learn these skills.

“[This work] leads to a simple moment on the field of not needing to think,” said Miller. “We believe that sports [are] like school; practice is the homework and the class work, [and] games are the test.”

Similar to how teachers do not take tests for students, the outcome on the field will be whatever it is because of the players, not the coaches. Individual confidence in each of the girls establishes trust between the players and is what allows them to be successful as a team.

“They are resilient, do not know how to quit, always push the limits, and are perfectionists,” said Miller. T

he girls notice this shift in responsibility and agree that it pushes them as a program to have a productive season.

“[Emily] has made the East soccer program feel more like a family,” Sophia Ford, East senior and goalkeeper, told Spark. “So the pre-season and first game were fun with tons of support.”

The team excels at pushing their limits and being resilient on the field, but Miller notes how the girls still have ways to improve.

“We struggle with [putting the ball in the net.] They are perfectionists, and therefore don’t always take the slim chance to shoot or finish the ball,” said Miller. “But when that light switch comes on for them, the light shines bright.”

Miller’s ultimate hope is that this structure will bring East another Greater Miami Conference (GMC) title.

The East Girls Soccer team has won five total GMC championships throughout the program. The first being in 2000, followed closely by two more championships in 2003 and 2005, and most recently in 2021 and 2022.

The varsity captains, Jessa Bush, Sophia Ford, Randi Morgan, and Haylie Yeazell, were freshmen and sophomores the last times the team won a GMC championship and were just exposed to the work ethic of the team.

Over the years, they have learned valuable lessons as a team through hard-earned wins and well-taken losses, all under the guidance of their coaches.

“Emily is always looking for input from her athletes,” Yeazell, a senior and forward on the team, told Spark. “She will allow us to suggest plays or set pieces that we think would work and implement them.”

Miller’s openness, established communication, and respect with her players are some of the other key reasons for the energy shift.

“The energy and intensity has increased for sure,” said Bush. “Throughout the summer and into the season Emily [did] an amazing job supporting the team on and off the field and puts all her time and effort into this team.”

Miller has been exposed to soccer for the majority of her life and began to play the at the age of three. She continued her career through high school at East playing varsity soccer in the 2002-05 seasons, helping East win two of their GMC titles.

Concurrently, Miller played for the Cincinnati United Premier (CUP) soccer club when it was first incepted, and since then the Cincinnati Girls Club soccer league has won three National Championships and three Girls Academy Champion Cups.

Miller kept herself immersed in soccer, also having played for the Olympic Development Program (ODP) State team, the ODP Regional team, and was a Youth National Team Pool Player; all organizations that foster knowledge and top-notch development for athletes.

Since then, Miller has been coaching soccer for multiple teams, beginning in 2006 when she graduated from East, then six years for Centerville United Soccer Association (CUSA) in Dayton and three years with Cincinnati United (CU). She has worked with teams from the U8-U13 age groups with CUSA, and a U8 and U9 team from CU at different points in time. She moved up the age ranks with her players on her U9 team back in 2009 until they were in the U13 age group. Miller had multiple teams each season with some of the age ranges overlapping, but younger kids were her specialty with club soccer.

Then, Miller attended the University ofDayton, where she furthered her soccer career by playing for the Varsity Soccer team for three seasons until medical retirement and achieving a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science.

“[Miller’s] knowledge and background of the game plays a role [in] her coaching abilities and truly benefits the team in many ways,” said Bush.

Whether or not a GMC title is in the future for this team, Miller emphasizes that the girls won lasting friendships and lessons that will leave an impact immeasurable by a championship.

“This season will be whatever it is because these girls have worked for it and made it something wonderful,” said Miller. “THEY are the program.