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Building off Duke’s Foundation, Lipsher and Moros Reach Highest Level of Coaching
2/12/2021 4:07:00 PM | Women's Soccer
By Lily Hiser, Duke Communications Student Assistant
After finishing their collegiate or professional soccer careers, several former Duke women's soccer players opt to continue their soccer experiences by moving into the coaching world. Two such alumna, Alli Lipsher and Rebecca Moros, have recently accepted coaching positions in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Lipsher will be joining the Kansas City FC staff as the goalkeeper coach, while Moros serves as the assistant coach for the Sky Blue FC. Throughout their careers, Lipsher and Moros have built off their foundations at Duke for success, and now as they move into professional coaching, are able to reflect on the influences of their coaches throughout the years.
During her time at Duke, Lipsher made her mark as an excellent goalkeeper, notching a career total of 33 shutouts, which ranks second on Duke's career charts and fourth on the ACC's. She then played professionally for several clubs overseas and stateside, including the Boston Breakers, Atlanta Beat, and WNY Flash. After finishing her professional career, Lipsher made the switch to coaching by accepting a role at the University of Arizona, where she worked with the goalkeepers. When she made the move to the sidelines, Lipsher realized the challenges that come when switching her focus to the game as a whole as opposed to only the action in front of her.
"When you go directly into [coaching from playing], you really get that sharp contrast between what it's like for your attention to be focused on what's going to happen on the field and then what's going to happen on the field but from the sidelines," remembered Lipsher. "It's a very, very different reality and it's a really good learning experience. You're sort of thrown to the fire having to think of the game in a much more 360 degree way, a much more 3000 foot view way."
Following her stint at Arizona, Lipsher moved to East Carolina University, then to Trinity College, and finally to University of Minnesota. As the Kansas City NWSL team embarks on its inaugural season, Lipsher will be on the sidelines in her first professional coaching role.
In her time as a skilled midfielder at Duke, Moros also made a mark on Duke's career charts, ranking tied fifth for assists. Following her Duke career, Moros was selected 36th overall in the 2009 Women's Professional Soccer Draft by the Washington Freedom. Moros' long career in professional soccer saw her playing for a number of clubs across the United States, including the Portland Thorns and Houston Dash, and in the Nadeshiko League in Japan. After such a wealth of experiences, Moros felt that she was prepared to begin her journey as a coach.
"I played a long time. I went through a lot of different things playing. I experienced leagues folding, I experienced multiple teams being bought by different owners and moving, I experienced being traded twice. I had to go overseas to Japan and play for two years which turned out to be the best thing I ever did, which I never would have done if a league didn't fold," explained Moros. "I've played for coaches that taught me so much, I've played for coaches that I didn't mesh with, I've played with so many different players, against so many different players. I just feel like there was a comfort in the amount of things I've been through that I could never say I didn't do enough. I felt very good about my career and I felt I was ready for a new challenge, particularly in soccer."
After concluding her professional career, Moros moved directly into a professional coaching role with Sky Blue FC.
"When the opportunity came up to move on from playing and go straight into this coaching role, it just seemed a little bit too good to pass up," remarked Moros. "I've always been very academic about soccer, studying the game very seriously, obsessively, thoroughly, so I feel like I was just prepared for it, and because of that it was an easy move, and then obviously Sky Blue is a big part of making that a seamless transition for me. I could have had plenty of different experiences, so they certainly get a lot of credit for assisting me and supporting me and believing in me to make that move."
When reflecting on their own coaching styles, both Lipsher and Moros recognize the impact that Duke has had in shaping them as coaches. For Lipsher, her experience with Nathan Kipp, her goalkeeper coach at Duke, had not only a profound impact on her game, but also influences her own coaching style.
"In the moment, he was a great coach, he made me a better player," stated Lipsher. "Now looking back at it, I valued so much of who he was for me and how much he allowed me to grow as a player, that, regardless of how I go about it with the technical and tactical aspects of things, that's the kind of impact that I'm always looking to have on the players that I'm in contact with."
For Moros, Duke's impact on her coaching style is seen more in how Duke allowed her to mature as a person. When confronted with the challenges of playing collegiate soccer against incredibly talented ACC teams, Moros learned a lot of difficult lessons on time management, commitment, and her career goals, all of which shaped her identity as a player and now a coach.
"I had to try to figure out where I wanted to go as a player and how I wanted to define myself," described Moros. "I really didn't do that until I became a professional player and until figuring out how much the Japanese style fit me…I think Duke pushed me a lot and helped me be prepared for that sort of exposure, setting a foundation technically and tactically and then competitively, playing against these other extremely fierce competitors from other programs that all had the same ambitions I had."
Moros cites her experiences playing in Japan as the largest influence on her coaching style. She was first exposed to the Japanese style through her teammate Homare Sawa on the Washington Freedom and later spent an offseason training with Sawa and her team in Tokyo. When Moros had the opportunity to play in Japan, she jumped at the chance to continue learning from the Japanese style of playing.
"My coach was outrageous. I've never seen anyone run film sessions like that, the way he plugged tactical objectives into the training was just so realistic, and I couldn't believe how quickly I could learn in that environment, and I was just so mentally challenged," explained Moros. "I had not been intellectually stimulated in the game in that capacity in a long time. That is by far the best of my coaching, and the thing that I think makes me unique and allows me to have this seamless transition and have an impact and help players grow quickly because I can bring something different than what they've been exposed to in other environments."
For both Lipsher and Moros, another lasting impact that Duke's women soccer has had on their careers was the sense of community they experienced while part of the program, and much of that can be contributed to Head Coach Robbie Church.
"Robbie [Church] is an amazing leader, he's so skilled and he uses his staff in very, very impressive ways," remarked Moros. "Reflecting on Robbie's managerial style and the coaching staff at Duke, it was just such a very good, supportive, healthy, holistic, development-oriented, very passionate, and a great place to grow."
"His reputation, his knowledge, his ability to recruit players, obviously that's something he's very strong at, are definitely things that I've keyed in to just in terms of how you build a team and how you build a culture," stated Lipsher. "Tuning in to those lessons that he's been able to provide has been great."
Both Lipsher and Moros are excited for the coming season and all the possibilities it holds. After having so many coaches impact their own journeys, both are excited to have an impact on the professional careers of their players.
"I'm looking forward to training that level of player, to watching that level of game consistently," explained Lipsher. "It's been a goal of mine to get back to the professional level, [and] only within the last few years I've really felt confident like I'm ready to jump back in and do it, and then even once you feel confident, it's a process to even get your foot in the door. It's been a goal of mine, it's a goal realized, and I'm just really excited to make an impact at this level."
Now coaches at the same level, Lipsher also looks forward to facing her fellow Duke alum Moros on the sidelines in games to come.
"I'm excited to coach in the same league as her," remarked Lipsher. "We've had conversations through different teams and different tournaments and all of that, and just as I was navigating [a professional coaching role], she's been an incredible resource talking about the level and everything."
After gaining a strong foundation at Duke, both Lipsher and Moros have made it to the highest level of coaching for women's soccer. Duke women's soccer fans should look forward to the NWSL season, where they can witness both can flex their skills as coaches and help their teams to success.
#GoDuke
After finishing their collegiate or professional soccer careers, several former Duke women's soccer players opt to continue their soccer experiences by moving into the coaching world. Two such alumna, Alli Lipsher and Rebecca Moros, have recently accepted coaching positions in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Lipsher will be joining the Kansas City FC staff as the goalkeeper coach, while Moros serves as the assistant coach for the Sky Blue FC. Throughout their careers, Lipsher and Moros have built off their foundations at Duke for success, and now as they move into professional coaching, are able to reflect on the influences of their coaches throughout the years.
During her time at Duke, Lipsher made her mark as an excellent goalkeeper, notching a career total of 33 shutouts, which ranks second on Duke's career charts and fourth on the ACC's. She then played professionally for several clubs overseas and stateside, including the Boston Breakers, Atlanta Beat, and WNY Flash. After finishing her professional career, Lipsher made the switch to coaching by accepting a role at the University of Arizona, where she worked with the goalkeepers. When she made the move to the sidelines, Lipsher realized the challenges that come when switching her focus to the game as a whole as opposed to only the action in front of her.
"When you go directly into [coaching from playing], you really get that sharp contrast between what it's like for your attention to be focused on what's going to happen on the field and then what's going to happen on the field but from the sidelines," remembered Lipsher. "It's a very, very different reality and it's a really good learning experience. You're sort of thrown to the fire having to think of the game in a much more 360 degree way, a much more 3000 foot view way."
Following her stint at Arizona, Lipsher moved to East Carolina University, then to Trinity College, and finally to University of Minnesota. As the Kansas City NWSL team embarks on its inaugural season, Lipsher will be on the sidelines in her first professional coaching role.
In her time as a skilled midfielder at Duke, Moros also made a mark on Duke's career charts, ranking tied fifth for assists. Following her Duke career, Moros was selected 36th overall in the 2009 Women's Professional Soccer Draft by the Washington Freedom. Moros' long career in professional soccer saw her playing for a number of clubs across the United States, including the Portland Thorns and Houston Dash, and in the Nadeshiko League in Japan. After such a wealth of experiences, Moros felt that she was prepared to begin her journey as a coach.
"I played a long time. I went through a lot of different things playing. I experienced leagues folding, I experienced multiple teams being bought by different owners and moving, I experienced being traded twice. I had to go overseas to Japan and play for two years which turned out to be the best thing I ever did, which I never would have done if a league didn't fold," explained Moros. "I've played for coaches that taught me so much, I've played for coaches that I didn't mesh with, I've played with so many different players, against so many different players. I just feel like there was a comfort in the amount of things I've been through that I could never say I didn't do enough. I felt very good about my career and I felt I was ready for a new challenge, particularly in soccer."
After concluding her professional career, Moros moved directly into a professional coaching role with Sky Blue FC.
"When the opportunity came up to move on from playing and go straight into this coaching role, it just seemed a little bit too good to pass up," remarked Moros. "I've always been very academic about soccer, studying the game very seriously, obsessively, thoroughly, so I feel like I was just prepared for it, and because of that it was an easy move, and then obviously Sky Blue is a big part of making that a seamless transition for me. I could have had plenty of different experiences, so they certainly get a lot of credit for assisting me and supporting me and believing in me to make that move."
When reflecting on their own coaching styles, both Lipsher and Moros recognize the impact that Duke has had in shaping them as coaches. For Lipsher, her experience with Nathan Kipp, her goalkeeper coach at Duke, had not only a profound impact on her game, but also influences her own coaching style.
"In the moment, he was a great coach, he made me a better player," stated Lipsher. "Now looking back at it, I valued so much of who he was for me and how much he allowed me to grow as a player, that, regardless of how I go about it with the technical and tactical aspects of things, that's the kind of impact that I'm always looking to have on the players that I'm in contact with."
For Moros, Duke's impact on her coaching style is seen more in how Duke allowed her to mature as a person. When confronted with the challenges of playing collegiate soccer against incredibly talented ACC teams, Moros learned a lot of difficult lessons on time management, commitment, and her career goals, all of which shaped her identity as a player and now a coach.
"I had to try to figure out where I wanted to go as a player and how I wanted to define myself," described Moros. "I really didn't do that until I became a professional player and until figuring out how much the Japanese style fit me…I think Duke pushed me a lot and helped me be prepared for that sort of exposure, setting a foundation technically and tactically and then competitively, playing against these other extremely fierce competitors from other programs that all had the same ambitions I had."
Moros cites her experiences playing in Japan as the largest influence on her coaching style. She was first exposed to the Japanese style through her teammate Homare Sawa on the Washington Freedom and later spent an offseason training with Sawa and her team in Tokyo. When Moros had the opportunity to play in Japan, she jumped at the chance to continue learning from the Japanese style of playing.
"My coach was outrageous. I've never seen anyone run film sessions like that, the way he plugged tactical objectives into the training was just so realistic, and I couldn't believe how quickly I could learn in that environment, and I was just so mentally challenged," explained Moros. "I had not been intellectually stimulated in the game in that capacity in a long time. That is by far the best of my coaching, and the thing that I think makes me unique and allows me to have this seamless transition and have an impact and help players grow quickly because I can bring something different than what they've been exposed to in other environments."
For both Lipsher and Moros, another lasting impact that Duke's women soccer has had on their careers was the sense of community they experienced while part of the program, and much of that can be contributed to Head Coach Robbie Church.
"Robbie [Church] is an amazing leader, he's so skilled and he uses his staff in very, very impressive ways," remarked Moros. "Reflecting on Robbie's managerial style and the coaching staff at Duke, it was just such a very good, supportive, healthy, holistic, development-oriented, very passionate, and a great place to grow."
"His reputation, his knowledge, his ability to recruit players, obviously that's something he's very strong at, are definitely things that I've keyed in to just in terms of how you build a team and how you build a culture," stated Lipsher. "Tuning in to those lessons that he's been able to provide has been great."
Both Lipsher and Moros are excited for the coming season and all the possibilities it holds. After having so many coaches impact their own journeys, both are excited to have an impact on the professional careers of their players.
"I'm looking forward to training that level of player, to watching that level of game consistently," explained Lipsher. "It's been a goal of mine to get back to the professional level, [and] only within the last few years I've really felt confident like I'm ready to jump back in and do it, and then even once you feel confident, it's a process to even get your foot in the door. It's been a goal of mine, it's a goal realized, and I'm just really excited to make an impact at this level."
Now coaches at the same level, Lipsher also looks forward to facing her fellow Duke alum Moros on the sidelines in games to come.
"I'm excited to coach in the same league as her," remarked Lipsher. "We've had conversations through different teams and different tournaments and all of that, and just as I was navigating [a professional coaching role], she's been an incredible resource talking about the level and everything."
After gaining a strong foundation at Duke, both Lipsher and Moros have made it to the highest level of coaching for women's soccer. Duke women's soccer fans should look forward to the NWSL season, where they can witness both can flex their skills as coaches and help their teams to success.
#GoDuke
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