Johnson relishes head coaching opportunity
SLIPPERY ROCK — While a standout women’s soccer player at Slippery Rock University, Maddie Johnson always figured she’d find a way to stay in the game after her playing days were through.
“Soccer has been too much a part of my life to just disappear,” the 2020 SRU graduate said.
But she didn’t realize she’d be back in the game also quickly — especially just across the street from where she enjoyed a well-decorated collegiate career.
Johnson was recently named Slippery Rock High School’s head girls soccer coach. She replaces Sarah Vermilya, who resigned the position during the last school year. The Rockets were 8-8-1 overall last season, 7-1 in conference play.
A first team All-Ohio player at North Olmsted High School, Johnson became a three-time All-PSAC performer as a defensive back at SRU. She was a two-time All-Atlantic Region selection and was named PSAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2019, her senior campaign.
“I went back home to the Cleveland area and coached a youth soccer program (pre-kindergarten through third grade) for a couple of years, then was a volunteer assistant coach at North Olmsted for a year,” Johnson said. “I enjoyed coaching and wanted to stay with it.”
She moved to Zelienople in the past year, taking a job in education in that area. She learned of the Slippery Rock opening through Jessica Giegucz, SRU’s head women’s soccer coach.
“Jessica reached out to me in mid-June, asking if I’d have interest in an assistant soccer coaching position at Slippery Rock High School,” Johnson said. “They had a potential candidate for head coach, but needed an assistant. I was definitely interested.
“That potential (head coaching) candidate decided not to take the job, so I was suddenly offered the head c0aching position. I thought it over and decided to take it.”
Johnson, 25, will be a head coach for the first time.
“She’s young, energetic .... Maddie reminds me a lot of Steph Croll, our girls basketball coach,” Slippery Rock athletic director Bri Simons said. “We’re going to miss Sarah, she was one of the coaches who adapted to my system and made it easy for me to settle in as athletic director.
“We’re excited to have her. We had a few applicants for the job, but none of them worked out. “Maddie came highly recommended by the Slippery Rock University coach. She’s anxious to begin her head coaching career.”
While she stood out defensively at SRU, Johnson played forward in high school until her senior year, when she switched to center back. She also scored the game-winning goal against East Stroudsburg in the 2019 PSAC semifinals.
“I feel like I know both sides of the field, offense and defense, pretty well,” Johnson said. “I want us to be a complete team.”
She emphasized wanting her players to set their own goals, set team goals, and work together to achieve them. She then wants to set up training to help the girls get where they want to be.
Johnson said she believes she is already where she wants to be.
“If all goes well, with my work and everything, I’d like to keep coaching here for a long time,” she said.
While Johnson will be battling inexperience as a head coach, she won’t have to look far for help, if needed. Vermilya is still a teacher at Slippery Rock and Melanie Cole — SR’s head varsity coach before Vermilya — was recently hired as junior high coach.
“Sarah said she will be happy to help out as a mentor or to offer guidance,” Simons said. “Maddie has an instant support system here if she needs it. She is very soccer-oriented and I’m confident the girls will connect with her. She has that type of personality.”
