Women Coaches

Girls Unite hires exclusively women head coaches for its girls teams. We are currently seeking enthusiastic new and experienced coaches that want to help young girls build soccer skills, confidence and community. Apply to coach today!

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.

Adjoa Matthews is originally from Chicago, IL and recently arrived in San Francisco to attend courses at the Academy of Art University in pursuit of a Masters in Advertising & Branded Media Technology. Adjoja received a BA in Advertising from North Park University in Chicago, IL. In the world of sports, she has played organized soccer and basketball for over 10 years. She is eager to share her skills and experience with our players. Her favorite color is orange. 🙂

Emi has been playing soccer since she was 5 years old.  She got her BFA in Fashion Merchandising at the Academy of Art University, where she played Division 2 Soccer on the university’s first team.  She has played multiple positions including, sweeper, stopper, left wing, and striker. In addition to coaching soccer, Emi is a Visual Manager.

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.

Jocelyne Umanzor was born and raised in San Francisco. She currently attends Skyline College and is majoring in Natural Science. She believes in holistic care and wants to spread the knowledge of natural healing. She played soccer as a child and then took a break, but was always drawn back to it by watching tournaments and cups. Jocelyne returned to the game in her junior year of high school in a unique opportunity to be the very first juniors to ever be on the girls soccer team as the school just began offering sports that year. Her senior year she took on a leadership role and held practice for the girls before the season started. She became team manager for the boys soccer team and even after high school she would round up friends to play pick-up games. Recently, Jocelyne has played a bit in college and recreationally and is now excited to be a part of the Girls Unite mission.

Kari Kussmann is an avid athlete and has coached soccer teams of all ages since 2009. She played soccer at Occidental College and, since graduating, has played with various teams in San Francisco and Oakland. Kari also works as a Spanish teacher in San Francisco, and she has traveled and lived in eight Latin American countries. When she is not teaching, coaching, or planning her next travel adventure, Kari likes to stay active by running and biking in Golden Gate Park and attending concerts. As a coach, player, and student, Kari learned the importance of community-building, especially among women. Her intention is to promote a positive sense of community among her players, and hopes to be a role model for her players to foster a strong work ethic and a passion for soccer.

Maggie Mata-Morales is a Bay Area native. Maggie has been playing soccer for 30 years and has been coaching for 15 years, working with youth ages 3 through 18. Maggie played Club Soccer with the Millbrae Hornets. She also played Varisty Soccer for Cañada College. Maggie is a mom of two daughters and is very passionate about creating competitive yet positive soccer experiences.

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.

Maury Argento loves soccer! She has been playing since she was 9 years old and has never grow tired of it. She love the game itself but also love the camaraderie and teamwork it creates and how the game requires you to think quickly on your feet. Maury thinks playing soccer is a great way to mold a child into a well rounded person. After starting fairly young she started playing right away on select teams right up until high school. It was a great time but also very hard; young girls can be really hard on each other! In college she was recruited for track so only played pick up soccer and practiced a little with the club team. After college she joined the Army to pay off her scholarships. Since 2006 when Maury moved back to the states she has been playing and managing adult recreational teams. She also loves coaching youth and watching them learn and grow. Professionally, she have been a technical trainer for over 10 years so she is training constantly and loves it. Maury is also a Sports Massage Therapist so she has a great understanding of exercise impact on the body.

Melissa Castillo was born and raised in San Francisco and played on teams called the Trolley Roses & Brazilian Orchids in the Viking’s league. With the help of her coach of 10 years, Melissa fell in love with soccer at the tender age of 5 years old. She grew up in San Francisco playing soccer competitively and then went to New England to continue her soccer education. At SFSU, Melissa immersed herself in Child Adolescent Family Studies while teaching soccer to girls at Jamestown Community Center. Throughout her family service career she has taught soccer for women, teenagers, elementary school children, and toddlers. She is excited to be a part of an organization that checks all of her values and skills as a coach and girl advocate.  She is passionate about ameliorating SF underserved communities & conditions with one soccer ball at a time. When she’s not teaching or coaching, you can catch her running and playing with her 2 year old Noa and 7 year old Kai Mateo.

Nicole Gomez has been playing soccer for over 15 years. She played competitive high school and college ball. She also had a great opportunity to play for the state Olympic Development Program (ODP) team. Nicole played for City College of San Francisco (CCSF) last fall in 2017. Now she is focusing on helping other girls grow and learn about life with just a ball at their feet. Nicole is in her fourth year at San Francisco State University (SFSU) and is majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing, as well as Health Education.

Sandra Marquez is a San Francisco native who gained her passion for soccer when she used to watch her older brother play. She fell in love with it even more when she actually started playing in kindergarten. Soccer has been one of the most important parts of her life and continues to be. Sandra began as an Assistant Coach with Girls Unite in 2016 and has learned a lot along the way. She has advanced to Head Coach and is looking to make a positive impact on our soccer players by creating a positive, competitive, experimental, safe, and fun environment. Sandra is also an intern at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory in the Athletic Performance program. She is excited to be finishing her last year of undergrad schooling at University of San Francisco as a Kinesiology Major and Health Studies Minor.

Sara R. has been playing soccer ever since she could walk. She has a passion for the sport and plays almost every day. She is a huge fan of watching the English Premier league, and watches some La Liga (Spain) too. In 2017 and 2018 she was part of the Drew high school varsity girls soccer team. In 2017 they won both BCL and NCS. In 2018 they got second place in both leagues. Sara wants to help give younger girls a safe, competitive, and fun environment to learn and grow as not only soccer players, but also people of a greater community!

Shalom Kimble is a high-level youth developer with over 20 years experience working with youth from age 3 – 18, including youth with special needs. Shalom played Varsity Soccer at San Francisco State University (SFSU) where she earned a B.A. in Psychology and Criminal Justice.

Vanessa Touset was a Puerto Rican National player and is now a Girls Unite Head Coach as well as a counselor and therapist, having earned her M.A., Counseling at Saint Mary’s in 2015. Vanessa’s soccer experience started at the age of three when she saw the boys playing soccer inside the Daly City recreation center – she told her mom,  “I want to do that.” So, she did– for the next 35 years! She’s played various positions from forward to attacking midfielder to then developing into an outside defender. She’s played for the following teams over her career: University of Minnesota 1995-1999, North Bay Wave 2010-2011, and Puerto Rican National Team 2010-2011. Vanessa says there are two contenders for her greatest moment as a player: “Winning the Big Ten or coming back to soccer after a severe injury at the age of 34 to play internationally for my father’s country of Puerto Rico and ending my career playing against the Mexican Women’s National team in Mexico.”