Prep Girls Soccer: Jaffe named Poway High’s varsity coach
Aaron Jaffe was never a soccer star. In fact, he didn’t even play the sport in high school or college. But when his passion for soccer rekindled while watching the World Cup in 2006, there was no stopping his will to become a coach.
Jaffe, a 2003 graduate of Mt. Carmel High, was named the Poway High varsity girls soccer coach last week. He replaces Jen Lalor, who stepped down after 11 seasons to spend more time with her two children and do other things in the soccer realm.
“On paper, there are probably coaches out there with far more experience than I have,” said Jaffe, who teaches photography at Mt. Carmel and is a coach with the San Diego Soccer Club. “But I have really pushed myself the last five or six years. I lived on the field to make myself a better coach.”
It will be Jaffe’s first run as head coach at the high school level. He spent last season as the head junior varsity boys coach at Mt. Carmel. Before that, he engulfed himself around the game, learning from some of the top coaches in the San Diego area.
“He reminds me of (former San Diego Padres coach and current San Francisco Giants coach) Bruce Bochy,” said Poway varsity boys soccer coach Eugene Morris, who Jaffe assisted as a volunteer two years ago. “He was never a good player, but he knows the game. Aaron didn’t play soccer. He learned everything as a non-player. He studied the game and volunteered a lot of hours. That right there shows you his drive.”
Jaffe recently turned 29. He went to UNLV out of high school before leaving and eventually attending Miramar College. He played football for one year for Mesa College and then injured his back lifting weights in 2005. That led to back surgery and a lot of time on the couch watching the 2006 World Cup.
“That kind of rekindled my interest in soccer,” he said.
Jaffe, who graduated from Cal State San Marcos in the fall of 2012, sent random emails to college coaches in the area and to his surprise many of them agreed to let him watch practice sessions and even give him pointers about teaching soccer.
Jaffe attended any clinics he could and had stints coaching at Mira Mesa High and Del Norte High. He even managed to get around the USD men’s soccer program, the LA Galaxy II and the San Diego SeaLions (professional women’s team) as a videographer. He would often shag balls and roam the field to learn from SeaLions’ coach and former Titans’ coach Lalor.
“There have been a lot of people that have taken a chance on me,” Jaffe said. “I am just so thankful for that.
“I told Jen (the other night) that I have the biggest little shoes to fill,” he added.
Jaffe is just the fourth head coach in the history of the girls soccer program at Poway.
“Poway is a great program filled with great people and great coaches,” he said. “Honestly, this is a dream come true for me. I am still in shock over it.”
The Titans went 12-8-2 last year, falling to Rancho Bernardo 1-0 in the San Diego Section Division I quarterfinals. Poway returns a strong group, including its top goal scorer.
“I am really excited for Aaron,” Morris said. “The Poway girls are going to be good. They have a lot of young, great players coming back and Aaron is a great coach. He knows the game very well.”