Fort Mill High hires two new soccer coaches

Both the boys’ and girls’ soccer programs at Fort Mill High will have two fresh faces on the team next spring after hiring new head coaches to lead the programs.

Kevin “Kev” Summers has been named new head coach for the girls’ program and Phillip McCarter will lead the boys.

Summers, who originates from England, just outside of London, serves as an assistant soccer coach at Johnson and Wales in Charlotte and has over 15-years’experience in coaching the sport he has been playing since he was 5-years-old. He replaces Danielle Center, who was serving as interim coach for the Jackets’ girls’ squad.

A fixture in the Charlotte area since 2008, when first arrived in the U.S., Summers played semi-pro soccer and now works with the Charlotte Soccer Academy. He has even coached some Fort Mill girls on his club teams, making the jump to the high school level a natural progression — and perhaps an easier one with his background.

“I have been successful at the club and college level,” Summers said. “This is the next been step for me. It is always something I have been interested in. This school has a great reputation for girls’ soccer.”

Local experience

McCarter is somewhat of a familiar face within the Fort Mill School District after having coached in previous years at Gold Hill Middle, which feeds into the Fort Mill boys’ program. He has been coaching for 15 years overall and as a club coach the last five.

He replaces Sean Fielden, who had been the boy’s coach for the past two seasons.

“At least half of the freshman and sophomores I have already coached,” McCarter said.

McCarter said the key to making the boy’s program stronger is fairly basic.

“The first key is getting the talent to play,” he said.

Fort Mill Athletic Director Dwayne Hartsoe expressed his excitement about bringing these two new coaches onboard for the Jackets.

“We are extremely happy about the hiring of both of these coaches and believe they will both do work in our program that will bring price and success to both of our soccer program,” he said.

This story was originally published July 13, 2017 at 4:49 PM with the headline "Fort Mill High hires two new soccer coaches."