Former NHS athlete takes reins of girls’ soccer

Player. Assistant coach. Head coach.

Growing the soccer program at her alma mater is a goal for Abby (Townsend) Lamont, who is the new head coach for the Newton High School girls’ soccer team.

“I’ve always had the passion to coach, and I love working with kids,” Lamont said. “When my husband and I moved back to Newton in 2008, I applied for an assistant coaching position for the Newton girls’ soccer team.”

Lamont, a 2000 NHS graduate, played soccer for the Cardinals. She spent four years as an assistant coach for then-head coach Sackda Viravong.

“I had two children and decided to take some time away from coaching,” Lamont said. “Sackda moved over to coach the boys’ team here and the girls’ coaching position came open this season. I’m excited about this opportunity.”

Lamont was a multi-sport athlete for Newton High. She was a member of the NHS girls’ 4x400-meter relay team, which won the Iowa Class 3A state championship in 2000. Lamont was a member of the NCMP swim team. She also was a Pacesetter while at NHS.

“When I was in school here, we played soccer during the summer. My main sport was track and field in the spring,” Lamont said. “Now, we share athletes among spring sports. It is just part of the spring sports season, and all the Newton coaches work well together, so the kids can compete in sports they want to.”

Practices begin in two weeks, but Lamont has been preparing for her first season as head coach since last fall when it became official she would be the Cardinal coach.

Lamont said she’s excited going into the season. Her assistant coach is another former standout from Newton High — Mallory Sturtz.

“Mallory was in the first class of players I helped coach with Sackda,” Lamont said. “She’s really, really skilled in soccer.”

Lamont admits she’s more vocal as a coach than her mentor, Viravong. She said during her assistant coaching days with him, she was the one on the sidelines loudly coaching while Viravong “was taking notes and stats in his head. When he needed to tell the girls something, he would and they listened.”

Lamont, who began playing soccer at the age of 4, played mid-fielder during her playing days Newton, and Sturtz was a defender. Lamont said the two coaches should be able to cover all the fundamentals with the athletes.

Newton girls’ soccer has been a strong program over the years. The Cardinals finished 13-4 a year ago, ranked 13th in Class 2A. They were 4-2 in Little Hawkeye Conference play.

Newton should have seven returning players, who earned conference honors last year.

Lamont said the soccer season is just three short months and there is a lot to cover. She said the team will work on ball skills and all the fundamentals for the first two weeks of practices. They will work on passing. heading, trapping and working as partners on the field.

“Some of our players have never played soccer and some of the players haven’t touched a soccer ball since last year, so we start with the basics and build from there,” Lamont said. “Conditioning is a big factor in soccer. Our mid-fielders run an average of six miles in a game.”

Lamont said following high school she attended the University of Iowa, where she met her husband, Brenden. She coached middle school swimming for Iowa City High School’s girls swim team during her college days.

They moved to Clear Lake, and she coached the Mason City dance team for two years. The Lamonts also lived in St. Louis, Mo., but she didn’t coach during that time.

The Lamonts came to Newton in 2008. Brenden Lamont works for Edward Jones, while she is the NHS career center coordinator.

“I get to work with a lot of awesome students here. I help them find the best fit for them following high school,” Lamont said.

After four years as an assistant coach with Viravong, Lamont said she took two years off to be with the Lamonts’ two children, who are under the age of 5 now.

“I’m ready to get back into coaching. I’m looking forward to not just furthering these girls’ soccer skills, but also expand their life lessons. I want to help them grow as young women.”

But don’t kid yourself, Lamont is very competitive and wants the Cardinal girls’ soccer team to win on and off the field.

Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
641-792-3121 ext. 6535
or jsheets@newtondailynews.com