Timberlane Regional High School athletic department assigned Samantha Labate as the new head coach of the girls soccer team to replace Jeffrey Baumann after his 17 year coaching career. Labate will have big shoes to fill as Baumann led his Owls team to a state championship just two years ago and to another impressive playoff run last season.
Samantha Labate has been a part of the Timberlane Girls Soccer program for eight years. She served as JV coach for 6 years and assistant varsity coach for 2 years. Being right alongside Baumann their championship winning year.
While Labate did enjoy her time coaching under Baumann, she is very eager for her new journey being the head coach as she stated, “Working under Baumann was great. Both as the JV coach and the assistant Varsity coach we chatted and collaborated a lot. I learned a lot about coaching norms, strategies and processes.” She added, “I am most excited about everything! Coaching games is fun, watching film is fun, practicing is fun!” She is focused on the team finding their stride and determining what strategies work best with the group of girls.
Labate stated that she would describe herself as being a “direct” coach. She wants expectations to be clear and she strives for each player to get the most out of everything they do. Labate is very focused on creating the best environment possible for her players as she states, “I also like to get feedback from players about practice ideas, game plans, the group dynamic and more in order to make the best possible environment for player development.”
Former head coach, Jeffrey Baumann, has nothing but great things to say about the positional change. Baumann wrote, “Coach Labate has been a great addition to the program ever since she joined the staff. She’s very knowledgeable and builds a great rapport with her players,” he added, “No one has more passion for the game of soccer than Coach Labate.” While it was hard for him to make the decision to step down, he has full faith in Labate and the team. Although he might not be coaching anymore, Baumann still finds himself around the team. He wrote, “I’ve definitely been watching the team from afar. I still try to make as many games as possible to support the team. There’s no bigger fan of the team than me.”
Speaking of big fans, Amy Stewart is no stranger to Timberlane Athletics. She coached at the middle school for 4 years and was asked by Labate this year to step up as assistant high school coach. “It’s been really awesome, I just love being with the girls,” said Stewart. She added, “she [Samantha Labate] definitely knows the game very well.” Stewart is always a friendly face to be around and loves being around the team. “The best part is just being around the girls,” Stewart stated.
Senior Captain Bella Johnson also had positive things to say about Labate stepping up. The biggest thing she said about Labate was, “she’s very optimistic.” This optimism will help Timberlane grow further as a team, especially through their harder games. Knowing their coach has their back and believes in them will instill a positive environment to be in.
This is not Johnson’s first year with Labate, she had her for JV for 2 years, so she “had an idea of her coaching style.” Going through a coaching change can sometimes be difficult for players as they transition to new dynamics, strategies, and coaching styles, but having a leader like Johnson who already knows what Labate is all about will help keep the team together.
Everyone seems to be on the same page that while seeing Baumann move on from coaching was sad, Labate was the best person to fill his role. With her experience of playing the game as a child, club in college, and even still playing competitively now, Labate will continue to pass on her growing knowledge of the sport to her players for what will hopefully be a long coaching career.
