It’s Larry Simpson to the rescue for the University of Maine at Fort Kent women’s soccer program.
The retired firefighter from Owensboro, Kentucky, has been hired as the interim women’s soccer coach for the rest of the 2017 season.
Simpson replaces Lucas Levesque, who is leaving UMFK to take a post as the director of coaching for the Arsenal Soccer Club in Rome, Georgia. Levesque led UMFK to six United States Collegiate Athletic Association national championships in the past seven years, including four consecutive.
Simpson, who began his duties on Friday, is a personal trainer. His most recent coaching stint was at Kentucky Wesleyan College where he held the position as head women’s soccer coach for six seasons.
Simpson also coached at Brescia University with Bengals athletics director and men’s soccer head coach Bill Ashby. He was an assistant for both the men’s and women’s teams. He also serves as the Youth Soccer Coach for the Owensboro United Soccer Club.
“He will be a great addition to the UMFK coaching staff,” said Ashby in a release. “Coach Levesque’s departure is substantial but we couldn’t have found a better coach to step in and guide the women’s team for the remainder of the season.
“I have known Larry for many years and have worked alongside him before. I am confident that he will help our women continue their strong winning tradition. Coach Simpson is the right man at the right time for UMFK athletics and its women’s soccer team.”
Simpson holds multiple coaching licenses from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. He has served as an Olympic Development Program coach in Kentucky, as an assistant men’s basketball coach at Brescia and as the associate girls soccer coach at Owensboro High School.