Since 2015, Girls Unite has been creating a positive and rigorous environment to help shape young girls on and off the pitch. We see each of our players through a holistic lens and value their ability to learn and grow. We aim to build soccer skills, character, and community.
Are you ready?
Change Lives
We are currently seeking enthusiastic new and experienced coaches that can mentor young girls build soccer skills, confidence and community
Our Story
Our Founder
Lindsay Kauffman has been coaching girls (ages 5 thru 18) in the Bay Area for 15 years. She is committed to helping girls fall in love with the game of soccer; encouraging them to be strong, healthy and confident. She was the assistant coach for the Gold Medal winning of the 2013 USA Maccabi Women’s Team and was awarded the San Francisco Unified School District Women’s Soccer Coach of the Year in 2014.
Meet Our Coaches
Our women coaches serve as strong role models for our players. Positive modeling is also exemplified in our Junior Coaches program which enables us to develop the next generation of women coaches starting with high school
Lindsay Kauffman has been coaching girls (ages 5 thru 18) in the Bay Area for over 15 years. She was the assistant coach for the Gold Medal winning of the 2013 USA Maccabi Women’s Team, and has been head coach for Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep HS, Lowell HS, Bay HS, and Vikings Club. In 2014, Lindsay was awarded the San Francisco Unified School District Women’s Soccer Coach of the Year in 2014. She is committed to helping girls fall in love with the game of soccer; encouraging them to be strong, healthy and confident. Lindsay studied elementary school education as well as cultural and social anthropology focusing her work and research on women’s and girls empowerment and human rights.
Val Henderson is a Bay Area native and long time sport and soccer lover. She is passionate about empowering players and coaches of all ages through sport. Val has served as an ambassador to the US State Department in Chile, Paraguay, Singapore, and Mexico, uniting communities through soccer, and teaching and empowering coaches and players. Val was an All-American, Academic-All American, and captain for the UCLA women's soccer program. She competed in the 2004 U20 Women's World Cup in Russia and played professional soccer for the LA Sol, Philadelphia Independence, and KIF Örebro in Sweden. Val has a degree in English and Spanish from UCLA as well as a teaching credential from CSUEB. Val has coached players of all ages and levels from U8 to college and post-collegiate. Val holds her USSF 'B' License and serves as an assistant coach with the US Youth National Teams.
Shalom Kimble holds a National E coaching license. She is a head coach and the keeper trainer Girls Unite. Shalom played Varsity Soccer at San Francisco State University where she earned a B.A. in Psychology and Criminal Justice. She has 25 years of experience working with youth ages 3-18.
Coach Erin grew up playing competitive soccer in Pleasanton, CA and has continued to play soccer for the past 20 years in San Francisco. She has been coaching girls competitive soccer for the past six years. She is a D licensed coach and holds two special topics diplomas for Speed of Play and Maximizing Player Performance using Technology and Science. She has three children and her two daughters play on competitive Girls Unite teams.
Angelique Gosse has been playing soccer for the majority of her life. She grew up playing club soccer in the East Bay, then heading North to play in college for the Humboldt State Women’s Soccer team, continuing her soccer career post-college briefly playing for the WPSL and now plays recreationally in San Francisco. Angelique has her degree in Business with a minor in Economics and when she’s not coaching or playing soccer, she works as a full-time data analyst.
Marieke Blazeski is a San Francisco native. She has been playing soccer for 25 years and has been coaching for 15 (ages 3 thru 18) with a F, E, and E/D coaching license. In addition to coaching for Girls Unie, she is also currently the Head Coach for the boys soccer team at Galileo High School (4+ years). Growing up in San Francisco she played recreational soccer in the Vikings and PAL league, club soccer with the San Francisco Vikings, semi professionally with the San Francisco Night Hawks, and 4 years in college at San Francisco State University. She has experience personal training (soccer and fitness) and studied Creative Writing with a bachelors in English. She is very passionate about soccer, teaching, and competition.
Coach Stefani is originally from the midwest and has been playing soccer for over twenty five years. She played goalkeeper at the University of Wisconsin (go Badgers!) from 2003-2006. She was voted team captain her senior year and helped lead the Badgers to two NCAA tournament appearances. Stefani holds a USSF “D” Coaching license and was a goalkeeper coach in the Chicago area from 2008-2011. Stefani has lived in the Bay Area for nearly ten years now and is looking forward to coaching for Girls Unite. By day, Stefani works to help make buildings more energy efficient. Stefani continues to play soccer recreationally in the Golden Gate Women's Soccer League . Stefani has recently also transitioned her skills to flag football and is playing on the Bay Area Fire, competing this summer in the inaugural WFFN national women’s flag football league. Fun fact: Stefani has been to four soccer World Cups: two men’s- USA (1994) and Germany (2006), and two women’s- Canada (2015) and France (2019).
Coach Lauren Bresnahan lived in many places when she was a kid with her dad an officer in the Army. Her family moved to Ft. Lauderdale, FL when Lauren was 10. It was in Florida that she fell in love with the game of soccer. She played competitively through high school and into college winning two Patriot League championships with the U.S. Naval Academy. Her competitive soccer career ended when she transferred to the University of Florida where she earned a B.S. in Environmental Engineering. Coach Lauren still enjoys playing soccer recreationally and enjoys playing flag football and any sport, really! Coach Lauren is a licensed foster parent and has always loved working with children. She is excited to share her love for the beautiful game with the younger generation.
Coach Alex has been playing soccer nearly her whole life. She grew up playing competitive soccer in the Bay Area and currently plays for SF Nighthawks a WPSL team. Coach Alex is studying to get her AA in psychology at Cañada College, where she also played soccer for two years. Coach Alex began coaching soccer at her high school upon graduating.
In her second season of coaching with Girls Unite, soccer for Coach Delmy has always been a family passion. Her dad was her first coach, and imparted the playing passion and discipline that would stay with her throughout her playing career. Coach Delmy played at Skyline College representing Bay Area home grown skill, and still attend Earthquakes games as often as possible! She loves teaching soccer team play with a defensive emphasis, building the foundation from the back, and how to move forward as a unit. She can't wait to work with her players this upcoming season and help her teams grow and learn together.
Danielle Leone has been playing soccer recreationally for 30 years and coaching kids for five. Before that, she was a nanny for fifteen years, and she's always been a writer and a touring musician. She has three books of fiction and six albums of songs, and also works with kids on writing and music.
As an avid fan of the modern Women’s Soccer game, Coach Marina can’t wait to share strategy and methodical approach with her teams. She partially takes her inspiration from experience, as well as her favorite professional team - the Orlando Pride, and brings big ideas and passion to the Girls Unite coaching staff. Her favorite experiences as a soccer player includes embracing responsibility and meeting high expectations from teammates. Coach Marina also believes that putting young players in a position to succeed and share their voice develops leadership skills that last their entire lives. She can’t wait to meet and start working with her teams this upcoming season!
Coach Elise grew up playing competitive soccer in Oregon. She played Division I soccer at San Diego State as a goalkeeper for two years before transferring to Oregon State University to earn her B.S. in Environmental Engineering. Coach Elise is new to the Bay Area and new to coaching, but she is excited and ready to share her love and knowledge of the game with players.
Team friendship and a sense of camaraderie has kept Coach Brianna involved in soccer from the time she could walk through high school varsity in El Paso. Coach Brianna focuses on building unity within the team, finding common ground, and emphasizes fun through her coaching style. The highlight of any season for her is getting to know the players and helping them find their individual style on and off the field! As a software engineer, Coach Brianna approaches every problem with discipline, and loves finding solutions through careful analysis. However, Coach Brianna believes firmly the most important aspect of any season is the bond one creates with their teammates and she can't wait to share that with her players.
Coach Hayley has spent majority of her life on the soccer field. From the young age of 4, she fell in love with the game and continued playing through her adult life. From competitive travel teams, to junior college collegiate teams, Coach Hayley always worked to juggle being a student-athlete. Coach Hayley now enjoys her time with her dogs, family, and friends.
Cassady was born and raised in the Mission District of San Francisco, and was devoted to soccer, ballet, and violin through her childhood. She went to Indiana University, where she studied Geology and competed in varsity rowing, continuing on to graduate with a MS in Geology from San Diego State University. She has been involved with youth and community development since 2014. She is the Executive Director of CASEProject, which works with underserved communities and has run youth sports and education camps in El Salvador, American Samoa, and the Bay Area. She was drawn to coaching with Girls Unite to help youth, especially girls and young women, find their power and fully embrace their physical, mental, and emotional strength. In addition, Cassady works with the Mission Youth Soccer League and sits on its Board of Directors.
Coming soon...
In brief, Coach Felina is a lifetime soccer player (~30 years) and has played competitive college and semi-professional soccer. She has a degree in child and adolescent development, and works with special need children in San Mateo schools. She also has a lot of coaching experience including youth and competitive high school soccer.
In brief, Coach Felina is a lifetime soccer player (~30 years) and has played competitive college and semi-professional soccer. She has a degree in child and adolescent development, and works with special need children in San Mateo schools. She also has a lot of coaching experience including youth and competitive high school soccer.
Kayla Dzurek started playing recreational soccer when she was seven years old, and played competitively throughout high school. She coached preschool sports for three years, and recently graduated with a B.A. in Sociology from the University of San Francisco. Kayla is currently an administrator and head coach for Girls Unite.
Veronica Marin is a Maryland native who has lived in the Bay Area for seven years. Veronica grew up with a family that is passionate about soccer. She played on and off throughout her childhood and was an assistant coach while living in New Jersey. She will join Girls Unite as an assistant coach this fall. Veronica is excited to join the program and give back to our players in a fun and safe environment. Outside of the program, you can find Veronica working with the homeless community in SF. She loves running, hiking, camping, and the USWNT.
Zoey Surdis has been playing soccer since she was four years old. As a San Francisco native, Zoey grew up playing recreational soccer with the SF Vikings, played in middle school at San Francisco Day School, for a club team out of San Francisco, and for four years on Lick-Wilmerding High School’s varsity team. After graduating from high school, Zoey attended the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. where she majored in Sociology and Philosophy and minored in History. Zoey then attended the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, where she graduated in May of 2018. Zoey became a coach to continue her involvement in the soccer community in San Francisco, and after having so many influential and amazing coaches, to pay it forward to teach and have a positive impact on the development of young soccer players.
Coach Mariana is a creative graphic designer by day and a soccer aficionado by night. She brings insight and new perspective to her practices, and loves finding fresh approaches to solve on-the-pitch problems! After playing soccer throughout high school and college, Coach Mariana decided to give back to the game after a short stint playing in Columbia for local teams. She loved the passion of the players in Columbia, and wanted to bring that level of fire to the women's game in San Francisco. She focuses on attacking play when coaching her teams, and finds inspiration from old school fave USWNT's Mia Hamm.
Karsyn Kapur is in her last year at San Francisco State University completing her Bachelor's degree in Psychology. She played soccer from an elementary age to a high school level, but ended her soccer career early-on because of a knee injury. Karsyn now loves to live vicariously through her players! She strives to create an accepting and empowering environment and is dedicated to her players' growth and development.
Samantha Lipkins is a new coach with Girls Unite. Samantha has been around soccer since a very young age. Beginning to play when she was four, she continued until entering high school due to an injury. Part of her soccer career was spent on a Girls Unite team! Samantha is currently a senior at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory. Samantha chose to become a coach in order to stay involved with the soccer community and to help young players. She hopes to teach not only soccer skills, but also, how to be a good teammate and leader while on the soccer field and off.
Are you Ready?
Change Lives
We are currently seeking enthusiastic new and experienced coaches that can mentor young girls build soccer skills, confidence and community
Apply to CoachJunior Coaches Program
Calling All Youth Mentors
Our Junior Coaches program exemplifies youth leadership and professional modeling. The program is open to experienced high school soccer players. Junior Coaches are hired based on their capability, enthusiasm, level of responsibility, and availability. Selected Junior Coaches will assist the head coaches with player training, demonstrations and other fun assignments. Junior Coaches receive a stipend or can use their coaching hours toward community service.
Apply for Junior Coaches ProgramConsulting
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