My recent story on Port Angeles girls soccer head coach Scott Moseley had all the information required to salute the impact Moseley had in his 13 years in charge of the Roughrider program.
Win-loss, league titles, state berths and victories were all represented.
But the piece lacked some emotional oomph. It didn’t really dive down into the why behind the success of Port Angeles’ Moseley era.
All-time leading scorer Millie Long did touch upon Moseley’s calming presence and the encouragement he provided to all his players to learn the game and better themselves.
Moseley and staff made sure the game was accessible to all, worthwhile and, most importantly, engaging and fun for his players.
Longtime assistant coach Jeri Boe, also the parent of Maddie Boe, a former Roughrider soccer player under Moseley, mentioned how rewarding it was to be a part of the team and some of the lengths Moseley went to in order to provide a positive experience.
“His positive professional attitude was always an encouragement to the athletes,” Boe said. “He gave a lot of his personal time, watching film and putting together end-of-year videos of the season and even purchasing pizza for the girls when a header goal was completed in a game. Or, when making it into postseason, he would purchase district T-shirts.
“I don’t think his players or parents knew the level of his own personal commitment he provided to the program.”
Moseley also has a sly sense of humor and began an annual Halloween costume contest practice that would go a long way toward providing some laughs and cutting any tension just before the season’s final stretch to the postseason.
“Most of all Scott made it all fun,” Boe said. “There has never been a time that I have felt that coaching the girls wasn’t fun. He always found the fun in everything that we did.”
Boe mentioned the program’s rise into a perennial postseason squad with a state appearance now becoming the goal each fall.
“I think Scott found the balance between winning and ensuring that all of us had a rewarding experience,” Boe said. “For the student-athletes, I think that is an important lesson. I believe that many of them would say that their experience with PAHS girls soccer and with Mr. Moseley was a rewarding experience along with the wins.”
Victory can be a fleeting feeling, but being uplifted, empowered and supported as an athlete? Those takeaways can last lifetimes.
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-406-0674 or mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
