The Kingsway girls’ soccer program has been one of the better programs in the Tri-County Conference for years. Long-time coach, John Kodluk, laid down the foundation for a strong soccer culture at the school up until he passed away in 2016.
His assistant coach, Jayme Kent, took over the head coach reins and continued Kingsway’s winning ways within the conference. After Kent stepped down to take a teaching position in another school district, there were many questions about the future of the Kingsway soccer program.
In came Bill Alvaro.
Last year, Bill Alvaro, a University of Southwestern Louisiana graduate, came to Kingsway from Washington Township with a distinguished coaching resume. As the girls’ soccer coach for four years, he won an Olympic Conference American Division championship as well as a South Jersey Group 4 championship As the head baseball coach at Washington Township, he won 375 games, seven conference championships, two South Jersey Group 4 titles, and a state championship.
At Kingsway, he teaches special education in the high school and took over the baseball team during his first year. He did not expect the girls’ soccer position to open, but he was there to step in at a crucial time for the program. A good class of girls had graduated the previous year, and decisions that had to be made.
“My first year has been great thus far,” said Alvaro. “When I took over the position as girls soccer coach, I knew that we had a good number of inexperienced girls that would have to play crucial roles in our lineup.”
In his first year as the girls’ soccer coach, Alvaro has made an immediate impact. The team was able to navigate through a tough Tri-County Conference Royal Division schedule to win the division title outright. The team also qualified for the Coaches Cup and had the opportunity to play Eastern, the top ranked girls soccer team in the country.
The girls will head into the South Jersey Group 4 playoffs as a team capable of going deep.
As for his long-term goals, Alvaro is not one to settle for small goals. His resume speaks to the type of goal setter that he is.
“Our long-term goals for this program are to continually be in the hunt to win our division and to compete for the Coaches Cup and Group 4 every year,” said Alvaro. “This year was definitely a positive step in that direction.”
While Alvaro’s arrival in girls’ soccer at Kingsway may have been unexpected, it appears that the results of his efforts are not.
By Christian Lynch
