Devon Holstad
Summer Writer

According to new Forest Lake High School head girls soccer coach Hanz Lehrke, the program’s best days are in front of them. And with Lehrke’s experience and broad vision, that outlook is not hard to believe.

Spending the past three years as head coach of the St. Bernards/St. Agnes girls team, after stints as assistant coach with the College of St. Catherine and head coach of both the boys and girls River Falls (WI) teams, as well as coaching for the St. Paul Blackhawks soccer club, Lehrke will bring an experienced yet fresh perspective to Forest Lake soccer.

“I wanted to coach Forest Lake because I enjoy the challenge of improving a relatively new and growing program,” he said.

“I was struck by the level of commitment the school, summer program, parents and players have towards improving their program and felt my experience would be a good fit.”

Lehrke’s overall goal for the team is simple: “Win.” But he also realizes that there is more to being a coach than simply creating better players.

“I would like to continue to raise the level of commitment by all involved and create an environment where the girls not only improve their soccer skills but are also well rounded to allow them to succeed in life beyond high school.”

To do that, “we will be striving to create a positive and very competitive atmosphere at practice, which will then carry over to the matches,” Lehrke said. “We want to take this program to the next level both on and off the field.”

To adjust to his new team (and to allow them to adjust to him) Lehrke is committed to an open and approachable style.

“I ask a lot of questions,” he said. “I don’t just make changes without first looking to see what the ground truth is. I listen a lot. A number of people have their ideas on how things should go, what needs to be done etc., and I listen to them, but will make my own decisions based on all the facts as I see them. I also have an open door policy for parents and players.”

Because it is still early to predict how the team will fare when the season comes around, Lehrke doesn’t dare venture a guess at what his team’s success will be. He does admit, however, “I would like to believe we will win some conference matches and be competitive in all of them.”

Based on the results of recent seasons, Lehrke certainly has a tough job ahead of him. But with his experience and the drive of everyone involved in the program, success should find its way to Forest Lake soccer.

“I am excited to be working with the Rangers,” Lehrke said. “My assistant coaches and I look forward to a fun and exciting season as we strive to improve on the hard work past coaches and players have done to get the program where it is now.”

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