It’s a homecoming for new Washington-Liberty girls soccer coach | ARLnow.com

Mike Woods is coming home, where there is so much longstanding family history.

The 1986 graduate of Washington-Liberty High School (then named Washington-Lee) recently was named the new head girls varsity soccer coach for the upcoming spring season.

Woods played for the boys varsity soccer team when he attended W-L. His father also attended the school, his mother worked there for many years, and his sister was on the girls gymnastics team for head coach Joe D’Emidio, who still coaches that unit.

Also, back in 1992, Woods helped out a bit coaching the W-L girls soccer team.

“I’m excited and pumped up to be going back. It’s a different and great new challenge and is really special,” Woods told ARLnow. “I still have my Washington-Lee soccer jersey [No. 6] from when I played. I’ve always been a big promoter of high-school soccer.”

Since graduating for W-L, Woods has remained heavily involved in the sport, as he has continued to live in Arlington. He played on the club team at the University of Virginia during his time at the school, then in adult leagues afterward. He’s had four sons who have played high-school soccer in Arlington for the Yorktown Patriots.

“I rooted for my sons and Yorktown teams, now I will be coaching against Yorktown,” said Woods, who as a youth swam for the Arlington Forest Tigers summertime team of the Northern Virginia Swimming League.

Woods also has been a longtime coach of Arlington youth soccer for girls and boys teams, on many levels and of all ages. For some 25 years, he coached many of the players who went on to play on the girls and boys high-school teams in Arlington.

Woods, 56, estimates he’s coached 60% of the players who will be members of this spring’s Washington-Liberty girls squad.

Some parents of those players encouraged him to apply for the W-L job.

I’m hooked on soccer and love it,” Woods said. “It’s my hobby. I enjoy seeing players develop.”

The new coach takes over a team that will be the defending Liberty District tournament champion, with a number of top players returning from that squad. He said his style of play will be a ball-possession game on offense.

The spring season begins for Woods and Washington-Liberty on Thursday, March 20 with a home game against the Annandale Atoms in non-district action.