When Miguel Gutierrez was recently hired as the new assistant coach for the Hartnell College women’s soccer team, it was assumed that he would step down from his position as the Sobrato girls coach. Not so fast.
The 26-year-old Gilroy resident is going to do triple duty—he’s also a coach for club program Orchard Valley—because the community college season is in the fall and the high school season is in the winter sports season.
“I am excited and fortunate with the opportunity because Hartnell is one of the top women’s soccer programs in community college,” he said. “I will definitely grow as a coach and that keeps me excited because the facility at Hartnell is top-notch and I’m planning to get my feet wet and learn all that I can.”
Gutierrez counts himself as a student of the game and is always looking for opportunities to further his coaching acumen. He has a goal to one day coach a Division I program, but he also has a solid backup plan just in case the former doesn’t come to fruition.
“I would like to work as a professor at a college or as a sports psychologist in a clinical setting,” said Gutierrez, who just started his doctorate program in sports performance and sports psychology. “Working in that field and with high-caliber and youth athletes.”
Gutierrez connected with Ivan Guerrero two years ago when the Hartnell coach dropped by to watch a Sobrato practice during their Central Coast Section playoff run. The two kept in touch and when a position opened up for Gutierrez this past off-season, he was chomping at the bit to join the Hartnell program.
“(From our first meeting) he mentioned how he liked what he saw from my team and stated he needed someone like myself in his program,” Gutierrez said. “There was no job opportunity at the time, but he said he would like to have me on board and to stay in touch.”
Gutierrez started his first official day as an assistant coach on July 19. Once the community college season ends in November, Gutierrez will go straight into the high school season as he will enter his third season as the Sobrato girls coach.
Emanuel Lee can be reached at el**@we*****.com
