Girls soccer coach ends wildly successful 9-year run with another title

“Incredible.”

That is the word head girls varsity soccer coach and chemistry teacher Ms. Jennifer Parsons used to sum up her past nine years at George Mason High School.

It is Sunday afternoon and, among the hushed chatter, snoring, and furious studying, Parsons is attempting to find a comfortable position on a very bumpy bus seat. Parsons and her 17 “daughters,” are riding home from Radford, Va. after capturing their eighth consecutive state soccer championship.

Although a joyous ride, it is also a somber one as Parsons knows that this is the last of many bus rides with her players.

Two hundred seventy nine games, 77 players, nine years, and eight consecutive state championships later, Parsons is departing the GM community and leaving a legacy behind. Although Parsons is leaving, she hopes that the traditions that have been established during her time will be carried on by upperclassmen.

“I hope that with such a large senior class presence in the next year that they carry on the traditions that are important and have been carried out all the years that I have been at GM,” said Parsons.

Back in 2006, fresh out of Virginia Commonwealth University, Parsons was interested in teaching and even more interested in coaching soccer at the high school level. She found exactly what she desired when George Mason High School her as a chemistry teacher and head varsity soccer coach.

“My initial reaction [to Parsons leaving] was shock that I wasn’t going to have my coach [and] one of my favorite teachers not at GM anymore,” said Kate Mills, junior midfielder. “She was such an important part of my high school career and for a time I was scared to think about starting my senior year without her.”

The best way to capture Parsons’ coaching career at GM would simply be domination. Under her guidance, the GMHS girls varsity soccer team has recorded 183?victories in its overall 212?games; only 25?losses, and four?ties. In addition to the eight state championships, Parsons has led her teams to multiple district, region, and conference championships. The secret to Parsons winning streak is her priority to make her players happy and looking toward goals beyond soccer.

“Obviously we have been successful, but the team bonding activities, the happiness of the team, and trying to find equal balance between fun and soccer is important to me,” said Parsons. “There is so much more to the game than winning and being successful.”

However, beyond the piles of wins that Parsons has stacked up, the positive impact that she has left on her players will forever go beyond most victories. Parsons highlights the saying “winning isn’t everything” and she is known for her positive influence and support in pushing each one of her players to be the best that they can be on and off the field.

“Coach P taught me to never give up, and even when we are beating teams by a lot she always pushes me to work harder and improve as a player,” Mills said.

“Coach P showed me the value of kindness and helping others, and most importantly she taught be how to be a leader to my teammates and peers in the classroom and on the field,” said Katie Cheney, senior goalie.

And whether you have been coached by Parsons for all five years of high school or only one year, it isn’t uncommon to find that her impact on players is just as much, if not more.

“Even though I only had Coach P for one year, she has made a huge impact on me on and off the field,” said Victoria Rund, freshman midfielder. “She has taught me how to be humble and sportsmanlike and to never give up.”

Sharing a word of encouragement or simply being a supportive adult in a teen’s life can really be significant, and go a long way in their future.

“Coach P was a support system that I had all four years of high school,” said Claire Trevisan, a 2014 alumnus and former player for Parsons. “Being in college now, I appreciate even more how involved she was in my life and everyone else’s lives.”

Off the soccer field, Parsons plays a significant role in GM’s science department and teaches Chemistry I to sophomores and Chemistry II (Forensics) to juniors/seniors. Definitely not easy subjects to teach and many students struggle with the material. However, it is the way that Parsons reacts to the struggles that makes students appreciate her.

“[Parsons] really helped me understand material and keep me on task,” junior Anthony Mascarenhas said. “She always has creative ways to implement the material.”

After nine incredible years, Parsons will be taking on a new adventure: marriage. Although she is not completely set on her future professionally, we know that Parsons will take her positive influence anywhere she goes.

“Coach P is truly going to be missed at GM, but wherever she goes I know that she is going to make such an impact in other people’s lives like she did at GM,” said Mills.