Poppy Goffin, a former goalkeeper for Iowa Central from England, has been hired as the new head coach of the Neosho County Panthers women’s soccer program.
A native of Basingstoke, England, Goffin played two years at Iowa Central in the NJCAA before playing at Emmanuel at the NCAA Division II level.
“I really believe in junior college soccer as a pathway for someone who wants to play for two years before going into the workplace or someone who wants to play at a higher level,” Goffin said. “I know kids can get great offers out of here. Neosho County has had a lot of recent success, so I want to build upon it. It’s great to have support from the staff and everybody seems very nice.”
Last fall, Goffin returned to Iowa Central as the assistant coach of the women’s program.
“I moved to America at 18 and I had to grow up really quickly,” Goffin said. “I was lucky enough that the head coach at Iowa Central taught me a lot. He gave me a lot of responsibilities. It is scary making the jump. But I have faith I can do it, especially with everybody at the school around me.”
Goffin is the program’s fourth head coach in as many seasons for the Panthers.
Elliot Chadderton, the head coach three seasons ago, served as the assistant the previous two campaigns while also serving as the men’s head coach.
Sam Hall, the head coach last year, moved to the men’s side to take over for Chadderton, who got hired as the head coach for the Missouri Southern women in Joplin.
“It’s quite a lot of coaches, but they all did so well and made a name for themselves,” Goffin said. “I’m not looking to move to the men’s side, so it’ll be nice for me to establish a foundation for the women. I’m here for the long run. I’m not here for just a year or two. I want to build the program.”
Neosho County finished 8-8-2 last fall. The Panthers ended the year on a hot streak, winning five of their last nine matches with one draw in that stretch. Two of the three losses came to top-ranked Johnson County.
The Panthers also won a road postseason match at Kansas City Kansas.
“The program is in a really good spot,” Goffin said. “Sam did amazing things for the program. The girls have fire in them. They want to reach that next step and win the conference. They see how well they did at the end of last year and that helps recruit players. This program has built a name for itself. I’m just excited to bring my own flair to it.”
Poppin said the returning players from last year’s team remain intact. She said her recruiting priorities will be a blend of the international pipeline as well as hubs in the midwest.
“Every person on the team is valuable, whether they’re international or for from the states,” Goffin said. “My goal is to develop them into whatever they want to do. I have some good recruiting strategies. I love how Chanute is the middle of a lot of pipelines — Kansas City, Tulsa, Oklahoma City. I’ll go to all the showcases and see the talent that’s around.”
Building a rapport with the roster quickly is Poppin’s chief priority.
“I want to develop a relationship with the returning players and build their trust,” Goffin said. “I want to come in and set them up for the summer with a good workout plan. They’ll come in ready.”
Poppin graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. At Iowa Central last year, she helped guide the school to an 11-6 record.
